Barrow, Alaska is the northernmost city of the American nation. Its name is taken from Point Barrow, which was named for Sir. John Barrow (1764-1848), a Geographer of the British Admiralty in 1825.
The traditional name for Barrow is Ukpeagvik - place where owls are hunted.
GEOGRAPHY
Barrow, is found on the North Slope Borough, off the Chukchi Sea coast, 10 miles south of Point Barrow. It is 340 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and is encompassed by 18.4 square miles of land and 2.9 square miles of water. It is 725 air miles from Anchorage. Like many places in Alaska, the main method of transportation in and out is by way of airplanes. The alternative? The good old dog sled.
Population
As of Census 2000, the population was 4,581. Of that figure, 64% are natives of Alaska, or American Indians. Many of the residents are Inupiat Eskimos. It is interesting to note that in 1880 the population of Barrow, Alaska was 200.
History
Archeological digs in the area have revealed the Inupiat Eskimos having been at Ukpeagvik, the traditional name of Barrow, as far back as 500 A. D. Remains of sixteen dwelling mounds from the Birnirk culture are still there to this day.
1826 - The point was sighted by Frederick W. Beechey, a British explorer (1796-1856). It was he who named after John Barrow.
1881 - The U. S. Army established a meteorologic and magnetic research station near Barrow.
1893 - The Capte Smythe Whaling and Trading Station was built.
1899 - A Presbyterian Church was established.
1901 - A post office was opened.
1906 - The famed explorer, Vilhjalmur Stefansson measured the heads of all the Eskimo people in Barrow at the Presbyterian Church. He was thereafter known as Head Measure. He returned to Barrow in 1914 to explore further.
1935 - Will Rogers and Wiley Post, a humorist and famous pilot were killed in a plane crash. They took flight after a planned stop 15 miles south of Barrow. The plane stalled and crashed into the river.
1946 - Exploration of the Naval Petroleum Reserve Number 4 began. This is now the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska - NPR-A. Soon after that, The Naval Arctic Research Laboratory, 3 miles north of Barrow was founded.
1958/9-The City of Barrow was incorporated it became the 49th State on Jan. 3rd, 1959.
1964 - The worst earthquake felt anywhere in the world since 1960 rocks Alaska March 28th. It measured 8.4 on the Richter and that was revised to 9.2 in 1977. It created a tsunami (220 foot high wave) in the southwest part of the state.
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