The Story of Barrow (Utqiagvik) and Beaver, AK

Barrow is the northernmost community in North America. It's also an economic giant for the state of Alaska with the oil that comes out of the area. Ancient Native American remains, early explorers, whaling disasters, survivial stories, missionaries, the controversial name change to Utqiagvik, and aviation tragedies are all a part of the story of Barrow. There is so much information and stories about Utqiagvik it was difficult to narrow it down so my apologies for the longer episode! Beaver, AK is a small village of just 48 people. It started as an outpost for gold seekers in 1907 traveling north to the Chandalar River, but it was some clever entrepreneurs (including a Japanese man and his Eskimo friends!) who made the village of Beaver happen. Beaver's residents are a mix of various tribal peoples from the surrounding region. The blending of native cultures in one village has made Beaver, AK a unique culture of it's own combining old, traditional ways, with the new western culture. Contact the show at [email protected] TYSA Logo was created by Evan Van Kirk Music was created by Isaac Bedingfield