Northwest Arctic Borough
The
Northwest Arctic Borough is comprised of the Kotzebue Sound and cities
along the Noatak and Kobuk Rivers in Northwest Alaska. It lies at
approximately 66° 54' N Latitude, 162° 35' W Longitude . The community
is located in the Kotzebue Recording District. The area encompasses
35,863 sq. miles of land and 4,799 sq. miles of water.
This area has been occupied by Inupiat
Eskimos for at least 10,000 years. "Kikiktagruk" was the hub of ancient
arctic trading routes. Kotzebue Sound was "discovered" in 1818 by the
German Lt. Otto Von Kotzebue on behalf of Russia. In 1899 a post office
was established in Kotzebue. Most cities in the borough developed as
supply stations for Interior gold mining. The Borough government was
formed in 1986.
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