Gakona
Gakona
is at the confluence of the Copper and Gakona Rivers, 15 miles northeast
of Glennallen. It lies at mile 2 on the Tok Cutoff to the Glenn Highway,
just east of the Richardson Highway. It lies at approximately 62° 18' N
Latitude, 145° 18' W Longitude (Sec. 18, T006N, R001E, Copper River
Meridian). The community is located in the Chitina Recording District.
The area encompasses 1 sq. miles of land and 0 sq. miles of water.
Ahtna Indians have lived in the Copper
River basin for 5,000 to 7,000 years. Gakona served as a wood and fish
camp, and later became a permanent village. In 1904 Doyle's Roadhouse
was constructed at the junction of the Valdez-Eagle and Valdez-Fairbanks
Trails, and became an essential stopping point for travelers. There was
also a post office, stagecoach station and blacksmith shop here. Some
buildings are still standing. Gakona Lodge was built in 1929 and is on
the National Register of Historical Places. The lodge contains many old
relics of the gold rush era.
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