Board of Directors

Shareholder
Services

Contact us

Back to Main Page

History:
The area's Koyukon Athabascans had spring, summer, fall, and winter camps, and moved as the wild game migrated. In the summer many families would float on rafts to the Yukon to fish for salmon. There were 12 summer fish camps located on the Yukon River between the Koyukuk River and the Nowitna River. Galena was established in 1918 near an old Athabascan fish camp called Henry's Point. It became a supply and trans-shipment point for nearby lead ore mines. In 1920, Athabascans living 14 miles upriver at Louden began moving to Galena to sell wood to steamboats and to work hauling freight for the mines. A school was established in the mid-1920s, and a post office opened in 1932. The Galena Air Field was constructed in World War II. In 1945, the community suffered a major flood. During the 1950s, military facilities at the Galena and Campion Air Force Stations, airport and road developments, sparked growth in the community. Due to another severe flood in 1971, a new community site was developed at Alexander Lake, about 1 1/2 miles east of the original townsite. City offices, the health clinic, schools, washeteria, store, and more than 150 homes were constructed at "New Town," and a City government was formed. The Air Force Station was closed in 1993, and the facilities are currently being used by the Galena School District as a Boarding School. The Base facilities are maintained under contract by the Chugach Development Corp.

Economy:
Galena serves as the transportation, government and commercial center for the western Interior. Federal, state, city, school and village government jobs dominate, but Galena has many other jobs in air transportation and retail businesses. 31 residents hold commercial fishing permits. Other seasonal employment, such as construction work and BLM fire fighting, provide some income. The Illinois Creek gold mine, 50 miles southwest of Galena, has closed due to low market prices. Click here for more...

Galena | Koyukuk | Nulato | Kaltag