Village Profiles: Aleknagik & Alexander Creek

Alekgnagik means "the wrong way home." What's that all about? Situated on the beautiful Aleknagik Lake and Wood River, this village is the site of fish camps from long ago. Disease wiped out the 200 residents in the late 19th century and the village has since recovered. Today, it's a destination location for tourists, but still remains a mostly native community. Alexander Creek still contains ancient archeological sites and became the best fishing in the entire MatSu Valley until invasive plant and fish species devastated the salmon runs. Today, the Alexander Creek community consists of remote cabins for private getaways for locals. We finish today's profile with a recording of the wordsmith Ruben Gaines as he describes beautifully what it's like to visit Alexander Creek. The Ruben Gaines recording was used with permission from the UAA Archives and Special Collections. Citation: Ruben Gaines papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage. Archive Identifier: uaa-hmc-0110-s3-a12-15 Contact the show at [email protected] TYSA Logo was created by Evan Van Kirk Music was created by Isaac Bedingfield