Chitina ( Ahtna Athabascan Tsedi Na < ''tsedi'' "

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish ...

" + ''na'' "

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

") is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, su ...

(CDP) in Copper River Census Area,

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 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. At the 2010 census the population was 126, up from 123 in 2000.

Geography

Chitina is located on the west bank of the

Copper River Copper River may refer to several places: * Copper River (Alaska), in the United States * Copper River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Skeena River in Canada {{place name disambiguation ...

at its confluence with the

Chitina River The Chitina River ( Ahtna Athabascan Tsedi Na’ < ''tsedi'' "

copper

" + ''na’'' "

on the Edgerton Highway, and junction with the McCarthy Road. It is southeast of Copper Center and southeast of

Glennallen Glennallen (''Ciisik’e Na’ '' in Ahtna) is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Copper River Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP was 439, down from 483 in 201 ...

. It is outside the western boundary of the Wrangell - St Elias National Park and Preserve. In 1945, work had begun to convert the CR&NW railroad line, from Cordova to Kennicott, into a highway, but work halted with the 1964 Good Friday earthquake, leaving a significant gap between Chitina and the Million Dollar Bridge near Cordova. The rail route from Chitina to Kennicott is a roadway, the McCarthy Road. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (11.62%) is water.

Climate

Chitina has a

continental subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

( Köppen Dfc).

Demographics

Chitina first appeared on the 1920 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It was made a census-designated place (CDP) in 1980. As of the census of 2000, there were 123 people, 52 households, and 30 families residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 1.5 people per square mile (0.6/km²). There were 54 housing units at an average density of 0.6/sq mi (0.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 51.22%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 33.33%

Alaskan Native Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a number ...

, and 15.45% from two or more races. There were 52 households, out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.07. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $26,000, and the median income for a family was $28,750. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $17,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $10,835. There were 3.3% of families and 12.7% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 15.4% of those over 64.

History

Athabascan Athabaskan (also spelled ''Athabascan'', ''Athapaskan'' or ''Athapascan'', and also known as Dene) is a large family of indigenous languages of North America, located in western North America in three areal language groups: Northern, Pacific ...

s have lived in the area around Chitina for centuries as evidenced by the archaeological sites south and east of Chitina. Before 1900, Chitina was the site of large village whose population was slowly decimated by the influx of people, disease and conflicts. Copper ore was discovered in about 1900 along the northern edge of the Chitina River valley. This brought a rush of prospectors and homesteaders to the area.

Stephen Birch Stephen Birch (1873–1950) was the President of the Kennecott Copper Company. Early life Birch was born in New York City on March 24, 1873. He was the second son out of six children. His father was a Union Army sergeant who died when Steph ...

homesteaded the site in 1908. The

Copper River and Northwestern Railway The Copper River and Northwestern Railway (CR&NW) consisted of two rail lines, the Copper River line and the Northwestern line. Michael James Heney had secured the right-of-way up the Copper River in 1904. He started building the railway from ...

enabled Chitina to develop into a thriving community by 1914. It had a general store, a clothing store, a meat market, stables, a tinsmith, five hotels, several rooming houses, a pool hall, bars, restaurants, dance halls and a movie theater. From 1933 until the closure of the mines in 1938, the general store was managed by Otto Moses of Des Moines, Washington, recruited by O.A. Nelson. The mines closed in 1938 and the remaining support activities moved to what is now the Glennallen area. Chitina became a virtual ghost town. Otto Adrian Nelson, a surveying engineer for the Kennecott Mines, eventually bought up much of the town. He built a unique hydroelectric system that supplied electric power to all his buildings. He also supplied much of the town center with hot and cold running water. Current activity in Chitina revolves around the dipnet fishing for salmon that occurs every summer. Alaskans are allowed to dip a large number of salmon during their spawning runs and Chitina is an accessible and popular place for this activity. In late 1977, jeweler Art Koeninger purchased the

Chitina Tin Shop The Chitina Tin Shop, also known as Fred's Place and Schaupp's, is a historic retail building on Main Street in Chitina, Alaska. It is a wood-frame structure, two stories in height, with a flat-topped false front in front of a gable roof. The b ...

with the intention of turning it into a residence. In 1979, the site, formerly known as Fred's Place and Schaupp's, was placed 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 artist ...

and has won two historic preservation grants. It currently houses th
Spirit Mountain Artworks

References

{{Authority control Ahtna Archaeological sites in Alaska Census-designated places in Alaska Census-designated places in Copper River Census Area, Alaska Census-designated places in Unorganized Borough, Alaska Ghost towns in Alaska