Chuathbaluk

History

During the 19th century, Deg Hit'an Athabascan people had summer fish camps in the area. The Russian Orthodox Church built the St. Sergius Mission by 1894, and residents of Kukuktuk from downriver moved to the mission. Once established, village has been called Chukbak, St. Sergius Mission, Kuskokwim Russian Mission, and Little Russian Mission. The village was often confused with Russian Mission on the Yukon, so in the 1960s the name was changed to Chuathbaluk, which is derived from the Yup'ik word Curapalek, meaning "the hills where the big blueberries grow." Much of the village was lost in an influenza epidemic in 1900. By 1929, the site was deserted, although Russian Orthodox members continued to hold services at the mission. In 1954, the Crow Village Sam Phillips family from Crow Village resettled the mission, and later residents of Aniak and Crooked Creek joined their settlement. The church was rebuilt in the late 1950s, and a state school opened in the 1960s. The city was incorporated in 1975.

Geography

Chuathbaluk is located at (61.575693, -159.247311), on the Kuskokwim River, approximately upstream from Bethel. The Russian Mountains, a small circular mountain range, stand just to the north of the town. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 33.19%, is water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Auntie Mary Nicoli Elementary
  Elementary · Aniak · 41 students · 6.8:1 ratio
• Crow Village Sam School
  Other · Chuathbaluk · 25 students · 12.5:1 ratio