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Brooks Camp is a visitor attraction and archeological site in
Katmai National Park and Preserve Katmai National Park and Preserve is an American national park and preserve in southwest Alaska, notable for the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and for its brown bears. The park and preserve encompass , which is between the sizes of Connecticut ...
, noted for its opportunities for visitors to observe Alaskan brown bears catching fish in the falls of the Brooks River during salmon spawning season. The Brooks River connects Lake Brooks and
Naknek Lake Naknek Lake is a lake in southern Alaska, near the base of the Alaska Peninsula. Located in Katmai National Park and Preserve, the lake is long and wide, the largest lake in the park. The lake drains west into Bristol Bay through the Naknek Riv ...
over about . This natural choke point for salmon runs made it an attractive location for prehistoric Alaskans, who occupied the area from 4500 BP. The Aglegmuit people lived along the Brooks River in historical times. The Brooks River Archeological District, which includes Brooks Camp, was designated a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1993. The original name for the lake was Ketivik, or Qit'rwik, which means "beavers broke their houses a long time ago," or alternatively, "sheltered place behind a point." Brooks Lake and Brooks River were named in 1919 by Robert Fiske Griggs, after Alfred Hulse Brooks, the geologist in charge of exploring and mapping the Territory of Alaska. Five thousand years before present the level of Naknek Lake was significantly higher, and Lake Brooks was part of Naknek. As the
Naknek River Naknek River is a stream, long, in the Bristol Bay Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. It flows west from Naknek Lake to empty into Kvichak Bay, an arm of Bristol Bay. The river and lake are both known for their sockeye and other salmon. Th ...
cut through glacial moraines, the level of Naknek Lake fell, creating Lake Brooks and the Brooks River. Permanent habitation was established along the river about 4000 years ago. The area was inhabited when the first Russian explorers reached what is now Brooks Camp in the 18th century. The
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
operates a seasonal visitor center at Brooks Camp, with an exhibit of a reconstructed native house built in 1967-68 in the footprint of a documented house site. Visitors arrive at the Lake Brooks Seaplane Base via floatplane. Lodge guests can take a bus tour to the
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a valley within Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska which is filled with ash flow from the eruption of Novarupta on June 6–8, 1912. Following the eruption, thousands of fumaroles vented steam fro ...
. The camp was developed in 1950 by
Northern Consolidated Airlines Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...
, a National Park Service
concessionaire A concession or concession agreement is a grant of rights, land or property by a government, local authority, corporation, individual or other legal entity. Public services such as water supply may be operated as a concession. In the case of a p ...
who operated a chain of camps in Katmai, served by
float plane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...
s. Brooks Lodge continues to operate as a concession within the park. Bear viewing season peaks in July, when the salmon are migrating, and in September, when the salmon are dying after spawning and are washing downstream. Peak visitor season is in July. File:Grizzly Bear Fishing Brooks Falls.jpg, Fishing bear at
Brooks Falls Brooks Falls is a waterfall located within Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Located on the Brooks River a mile and a half (2.4 km) from Brooks Lake and an equal distance from Naknek Lake, the falls are famous for watching salmo ...
File:2 bears at a bridge.JPG, Bears on the bridge over the Brooks River File:Shoemaker training astronauts at Brooks Camp, Katmai National Park.png,
Gene Shoemaker Eugene Merle Shoemaker (April 28, 1928 – July 18, 1997) was an American geologist. He co-discovered Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 with his wife Carolyn S. Shoemaker and David H. Levy. This comet hit Jupiter in July 1994: the impact was televis ...
training astronauts at Brooks Camp
With encouragement from General Twining, Ray Petersen representing NCA, approached the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
and the Bureau of Land Management in Dec. 1949 to establish four fishing camps, Brooks and Grosvenor on NPS land and Kulik and Battle on BLM land. NCA would provide access to inaccessible areas of the park system, while the NPS saw a way to provide increased visitation under park protection. A five year concession permit was issued in 1950. Ray Petersen explained how he chose the location of his Angler's Paradise Lodges (Brooks, Kulik, Battle and Grosvenor), "We put the camps on the best rivers for rainbow trout. We looked for salmon
spawning Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquat ...
water that would draw the rainbows." Bo Bennett goes on to explain, "At nearly every place with two lakes and a short salmon-spawning river connecting them, Ray put in a camp." Hence, Brooks Lodge is on the Brooks River connecting Lake Brooks and Naknek Lake. Likewise, Grosvenor Lodge lies between Lake Coville and Lake Grosvenor, Kulik Lodge lies between Nonvianuk Lake and Kulik Lake, while Battle River Lodge lies between Battle Lake and Narrow Cove on Kukaklek Lake. In 1976, a policy of
catch and release Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing where after capture, often a fast measurement and weighing of the fish is performed, followed by posed photography as proof of the catch, and then the fish are unhooked and returned ...
was implemented in all Angler's Paradise Camps. The Brooks Camp of 1950 could manage 30 guests who slept in 9 tent cabins, which included wooden floors, windows, doors, screen doors, cots and
sleeping bag A sleeping bag is an insulated covering for a person, essentially a lightweight quilt that can be closed with a zipper or similar means to form a tube, which functions as lightweight, portable bedding in situations where a person is sleeping ...
s. Besides providing running water, shower baths, and a large root cellar, the camp provided meals cooked in a 32 by 16 foot kitchen. Brooks Camp had 138 guests in 1950 and 1,082 in 1959. The NCA erected a red cedar Pan Adobe lodge, 7 cabins, and
bath house Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...
in 1960. The first bear viewing platform at the falls and a temporary foot bridge across the mouth of Brooks River were constructed in 1981-1982. A 15 year concessionaire agreement was signed between Katmailand, Inc, and the NPS in 1981. Brooks Lodge and dining room were expanded in 1984, and the last of the original camp tent frames were removed in 1985 and 1986. A 40-person Falls Platform was built in 1997. The raised platform to the falls was built in 2000.


See also

* Brooks River Historic Ranger Station * Brooks River Archeological District


References


External links


visiting Brooks Camp
National Park Service

National Park Service

National Park Service
Bear viewing at Brooks Camp
NPS brochure

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