- Eklutna, Alaska
Eklutna (pronEng|ɛˈkluˈtnə) is a native village within the Municipality of Anchorage in the
U.S. state ofAlaska . The Tribal Council estimates the population at 70; many tribal members live in the surrounding communities.Eklutna lies 24 miles northeast of Anchorage near the intersection of Mi. 142 of the
Alaska Railroad and the Mile 26 of theGlenn Highway two miles from the mouth of theEklutna River at the head of the Knik Arm ofCook Inlet , at coor dms|61|27|30|N|149|21|44|W|type:city_region:US in the Anchorage Recording District.The
Dena'ina Athabascan village of Eklutna is the last of eight villages that existed before construction of theAlaska Railroad brought an influx of American colonists around 1915. First settled more than 800 years ago, it is the oldest inhabited location in the Anchorage area.Its Dena'ina name is "Idlughet" ("by the objects", referring to two nearby hills); the name "Eklutna" derives from "Idluytnu", the name forEklutna River , meaning "(plural) objects river".Russian Orthodox missionaries arrived in the 1840s. The melding of Orthodox Christianity and native practices resulted in the brightly-colored
spirit house s which can be seen at the Eklutna Cemetery, in use since 1650 and now a historical park. The cemetery is probably the most photographed graveyard in Alaska, overshadowing other features of the village.An
Alaska Railroad siding and station house were built near the village Eklutna in 1918. The federal government operated a boarding school for native children near the village before WWII. The U.S. Army established a facility nearby in the mid-20th century; it is now gone.Virtually all residents of the Eklutna Village are either
Alaska Native or part Native; most are members of the federally recognized Native Village of Eklutna. For employment, most Tribal Members commute to work inAnchorage , nearby Eagle River, or theMatanuska-Susitna Valley .References
*cite book | last=Kari | first=James | coauthors=James A. Fall | title=Shem Pete's Alaska: The Territory of the Upper Cook Inlet Dena'ina | publisher=
University of Alaska Press | year=2003 | edition=2nd ed. | pages=320–322 | id=ISBN 1-889963-57-7External links
* [http://www.eklutna-nsn.gov Native Village of Eklutna]
* [http://www.eklutnainc.com Eklutna, Inc.] (ANCSA village corporation)
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