Gordon (or, in
Inupiaq, ''Pattaktuq'', meaning “he/she/it is spanking”, alluding to the pounding of the waves on the shore, as though it is being spanked by someone; also ''Demarcation'') was a former fur
trading post
A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded.
Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...
in
North Slope Borough,
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 ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
on the shore of
Demarcation Bay, near the
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
border in the east. It is located approximately north of the
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circl ...
, east of
Demarcation Point and east of
Kaktovik. It was one of the many trading outposts established along the north coast of Alaska in the early 20th century.
History
The place was named after
Thomas Gordon, a Scottish whaler and trader who was sent by Charles Brower
to Demarcation Point in 1917 to establish the post for the fur trading company H.B. Liebes Company of San Francisco. He founded the settlement with the help of Andrew Akootchook, his brother-in-law, and moved there with his wife and their families. After Gordon and his wife's family later moved to
Barter Island, his son Mickey took over the trading post and continued to run it until the late 1920s.
The construction of the
DEW line in the 1950s affected the appearance of the site. Excessive removal of gravel caused the spit at Demarcation Point, which used to extend further into the bay, to retreat; consequently, the houses on the spit were washed away due to
beach erosion. Since then, fishing has not been as good.
Many Inuit and Dene people from the region frequently visited the place. The
Athabascans regularly came here from the south and were involved in trading. The area around the trading post was, and still is today, a good fishing, hunting and camping site. Especially oldsquaws, caribous and polar bears were hunted at Demarcation Bay. Additionally, it occasionally serves as a stopover for people from Kaktovik taking boat trips to Canada to visit friends and relatives.
References
Unincorporated communities in North Slope Borough, Alaska
Populated places of the Arctic United States
Unincorporated communities in Alaska
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