Fort St. Michael was an installation of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

at St. Michael, Alaska, on

St. Michael Island St. Michael Island is an island on the southeast side of the Norton Sound in Alaska. The island is about long and wide. St. Michael Island contains two settlements, St. Michael, on the island's east side, and Stebbins, on the northwest side. ...

Norton Bay Norton Bay (''Kaŋiiqusuk'' in Inupiaq language, Inupiaq) is a waterway classified bay located on the northeastern part of the Norton Sound, on the Seward Peninsula in the Nome Census Area of the Bering Sea of the U.S. state of Alaska. The mouths o ...

on the central west coast of

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

. The fort was in active service between 1897 and 1925, and was originally established to maintain order during the Klondike Gold Rush for which St. Michael was a major transshipment point for people and goods moving up the

Yukon River The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. From its source in British Columbia, it flows through Canada's territory of Yukon (itself named after the river). The lower half of the river continues westward through the U.S ...

, whose mouth is nearby but is inaccessible to ocean-going ships. The installation later became the endpoint of the WAMCATS cable, a military communications cable extending across Alaska. Its importance declined substantially after the

Alaska Railroad The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad that operates freight and passenger trains in the state of Alaska. The railroad's mainline runs between Seward, Alaska, Seward on the southern coast and Fairbanks, Alaska, Fairbanks, near the center of ...

was completed in 1923, providing year-round service to the interior which was superior to the seasonal transport service of the river. The post was closed in 1925, and the military burials of its graveyard relocated to

Sitka National Cemetery Sitka National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Sitka, Alaska. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005 had 1,049 interments. It is administered as part of the Fort Richardson National Cemetery by the Unite ...

in 1929. When surveyed in 1976, only three buildings remained of the once extensive installation. The surviving elements of the fort were listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1977.

Demographics

Fort Saint Michael appeared once on the 1920 U.S. Census as an unincorporated military installation. Owing to its deactivation in 1925, it was not reported separately again. It is presently located within the city of St. Michael.

References

1897 establishments in Alaska

St. Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

Buildings and structures completed in 1897 Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Nome Census Area, Alaska Pre-statehood history of Alaska {{US-mil-hist-stub

Demographics

See also

References