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Candle is an
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in the
Northwest Arctic Borough Northwest Arctic Borough is a borough located in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,793, up from 7,523 in 2010. The borough seat is Kotzebue. The borough was formed on June 2, 1986. Geography According to t ...
of the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
. It is situated on the west bank of the
Kiwalik River The Kiwalik River is a stream on the Seward Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska. The headwaters of the river originate in the eastern portion of the peninsula, around Granite Mountain. The river flows north to its mouth at Kiwalik Lagoon, Chuk ...
at
Candle Creek Candle Creek ( Iñupiaq: ''Kuugaaluk'') is a western tributary of the Kiwalik River, located on the Seward Peninsula of the U.S. state of Alaska. The unincorporated community of Candle is less than a mile away, while the village of Kiwalik is ab ...
. It was founded around 1901 as a mining camp, named for the adjacent creek. The post office was established in 1902. Candle is the birthplace of prominent Native American actor
Ray Mala Ray Mala (born Ray Agnaqsiaq Wise, also known as Ach-nach-chiak ( Iñupiaq othography: ''Aġnatchiaq''); December 27, 1906 – September 23, 1952) was a prominent Native American Hollywood actor. He was one of Hollywood's Native American m ...
. Although there was a hospital in Candle, Mala was delivered in an Inupiaq sod house by his grandmother and a niece on a ruthlessly cold morning two days after Christmas in 1906. In 1908, Candle was the turnaround point for the first major mushing competition, the
All Alaska Sweepstakes The was an annual dog-sled race held in Alaska during April. Mushers traveled from Nome to Candle, traveling along the Bering Strait, and then return to Nome. Between 1908 and 1917 the race was held ten times. Due to the United States' invol ...
, which was started by John Skyles Beltz and Allan "Scotty" Alexander Allan, and ran from Nome to Candle and back.


Demographics

Candle first appeared on the U.S. Census as an unincorporated village in 1910. It continued to report until 1960.https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/37721577v1p3ch2.pdf Although it has not been completely abandoned, it has not reported a separate population since 1960.


References

Mining communities in Alaska Unincorporated communities in Alaska Unincorporated communities in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska {{NorthwestArcticAK-geo-stub