Fort St. Michael was an installation of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

St. Michael, Alaska St. Michael ( esu, Taciq, ik, Tasiq; Taziq, russian: Сент-Майкл), historically referred to as Saint Michael, is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska. The population was 401 at the 2010 census, up from 368 in 2000. Geography St. Michael ...

, on St. Michael Island in

Norton Bay Norton Bay (''Kaŋiiqusuk'' in Inupiaq) is a waterway classified bay located on the northeastern part of the Norton Sound, on the Seward Peninsula in the Nome Census Area of the Bering Sea of the U.S. state of Alaska. The mouths of several rivers ...

on the central west coast 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., ...

. The fort was in active service between 1897 and 1925, and was originally established to maintain order during the Klondike Gold Rush for which St. Michael was a major transshipment point for people and goods moving up the

Yukon River The Yukon River (Gwichʼin language, Gwich'in: ''Ųųg Han'' or ''Yuk Han'', Central Alaskan Yup'ik language, Yup'ik: ''Kuigpak'', Inupiaq language, Inupiaq: ''Kuukpak'', Deg Xinag language, Deg Xinag: ''Yeqin'', Hän language, Hän: ''Tth'echù' ...

, whose mouth is nearby but is inaccessible to ocean-going ships. The installation later became the endpoint of the WAMCATS cable, a military communications cable extending across Alaska. Its importance declined substantially after the

Alaska Railroad 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., ...

was completed in 1923, providing year-round service to the interior which was superior to the seasonal transport service of the river. The post was closed in 1925, and the military burials of its graveyard relocated to

Sitka National Cemetery Sitka National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Sitka, Alaska. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005 had 1,049 interments. It is administered as part of the Fort Richardson National Cemetery by the Unite ...

in 1929. When surveyed in 1976, only three buildings remained of the once extensive installation. The surviving elements of the fort were listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1977.

Demographics

Fort Saint Michael appeared once on the 1920 U.S. Census as an unincorporated military installation. Owing to its deactivation in 1925, it was not reported separately again. It is presently located within the city of St. Michael.

References

1897 establishments in Alaska St. Michael Buildings and structures completed in 1897 Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Nome Census Area, Alaska Pre-statehood history of Alaska {{US-mil-hist-stub

Demographics

See also

References