The Draanjik or Black River is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

in eastern Yukon-Koyukuk 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 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It flows generally northwest from its source to its mouth on the Black River Slough of the

Porcupine River The Porcupine River (''Ch’ôonjik'' in Gwich’in) is a tributary of the Yukon River in Canada and the United States. It rises in the Ogilvie Mountains north of Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. From there it flows north through the community of ...

near the city of

Fort Yukon Fort Yukon (''Gwichyaa Zheh'' in Gwich'in) is a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska, straddling the Arctic Circle. The population, predominantly Gwich'in Alaska Natives, was 583 at the 2010 census, down from 595 ...

. In January 2014, the Alaska Historical Commission voted to rename the river to Draanjik, its Gwich'in name, a decision which later found approval by the Board of Geographic Names. The local Gwich'in name for the river is "Draanjik," which translates as "Caches Along The River." The river gives its name to the Draanjik Gwich'in of

Chalkyitsik Chalkyitsik (''Jałgiitsik'' in Gwich'in), meaning "to fish with a hook, at the mouth of the creek", is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is located on the left (south) bank of the Black Riv ...

. The river has borne several other names: Big Black River (in order to distinguish it from similarly named streams), Orange Creek, Salmon Fork, Salmon River, Squirrel Creek, and Squirrel River. The

Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal govern ...

officially ruled in favor of "Black River" in 1959.

References

Rivers of Alaska Rivers of Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska Tributaries of the Yukon River Rivers of Unorganized Borough, Alaska {{Alaska-river-stub

See also

References