Gordon (or, in Inupiaq, ''Pattaktuq'', meaning “he/she/it is spanking”, alluding to the pounding of the waves on the shore, as though it is being spanked by someone; also ''Demarcation'') was a former fur

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...

North Slope Borough The North Slope Borough is the northernmost borough in the US state of Alaska and thus, the northernmost county or equivalent of the United States as a whole. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,031. The borough seat and largest city i ...

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., ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

on the shore of Demarcation Bay, near the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

border in the east. It is located approximately 200 miles (325 km) north of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

, 2.5 miles (4 km) east of

Demarcation Point In telephony, the demarcation point is the point at which the public switched telephone network ends and connects with the customer's on-premises wiring. It is the dividing line which determines who is responsible for installation and maint ...

and 65 miles (105 km) east of

Kaktovik Kaktovik (; ik, Qaaktuġvik, ) is a city in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States. The population was 283 at the 2020 census. History Until the late nineteenth century, Barter Island was a major trade center for the Inupiat and was espe ...

. It was one of the many trading outposts established along the north coast of Alaska in the early 20th century.

History

The place was named after Thomas Gordon, a Scottish whaler and trader who was sent by Charles Brower to Demarcation Point in 1917 to establish the post for the fur trading company H.B. Liebes Company of San Francisco. He founded the settlement with the help of Andrew Akootchook, his brother-in-law, and moved there with his wife and their families. After Gordon and his wife's family later moved to Barter Island, his son Mickey took over the trading post and continued to run it until the late 1920s. The construction of the DEW line in the 1950s affected the appearance of the site. Excessive removal of gravel caused the spit at Demarcation Point, which used to extend further into the bay, to retreat; consequently, the houses on the spit were washed away due to beach erosion. Since then, fishing has not been as good. Many Inuit and Dene people from the region frequently visited the place. The Athabascans regularly came here from the south and were involved in trading. The area around the trading post was, and still is today, a good fishing, hunting and camping site. Especially oldsquaws, caribous and polar bears were hunted at Demarcation Bay. Additionally, it occasionally serves as a stopover for people from Kaktovik taking boat trips to Canada to visit friends and relatives.

References

Unincorporated communities in North Slope Borough, Alaska Populated places of the Arctic United States Unincorporated communities in Alaska {{NorthSlopeAK-geo-stub