Galena

History

The Koyukon Athabascans had seasonal camps in the area and moved as the wild game migrated. In the summer many families floated on rafts to the Yukon River to fish for salmon. There were 12 summer fish camps located on the Yukon River between the Koyukuk River and the Nowitna River. Galena was established in 1920 near an Athabascan fish camp called Henry's Point. It became a supply and point for nearby lead ore mines that opened in 1918 and 1919, and from which Galena takes its name. In 1941 and 1942, during World War II, and was officially closed on October 1, 2010. The Air Force retains responsibility for toxin cleanup in the area and engineers from Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks still visit the site on occasion. The base is now totally controlled by the City of Galena, the Galena School District and the Alaska Department of Transportation. The Alaska Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) was pursuing retaining one of the F-16 fighter hangars as a CAP facility for the CAP Wing in Galena, the "Yukon Squadron". The City of Galena gained notoriety in 2011 when it was noted in media reports as being the US community that received the most benefits from lobbying efforts. The town evaded bankruptcy by aggressively lobbying for state and federal funds for the GILA boarding school in the town, which produced funds that turned the city's finances around. In May 2013, Galena suffered a catastrophic flood when the spring breakup on the Yukon River caused an ice jam approximately 20 miles downstream, backing up the river and affecting 90% of homes in the city. This flood was on a scale never seen before by Galena residents. In the part of town closest to the river, houses were submerged to the roofs in water, and properties on higher ground suffered damage as well. Most of…

Geography

Galena is located at (64.740643, -156.885462). Galena is located on the north bank of the Yukon River, east of Nulato. The Innoko National Wildlife Refuge is southwest of Galena. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (25.41%) is water. Galena is inaccessible by road to other parts of Alaska. Residents rely on river cargo in the brief summer season for the bulk of their needs, and planes, boats, or snowmachines to access the outside world. Galena has a subarctic climate (Koppen Dfc), with short, mild summers and severely cold winters. {{Weather box |single line=yes |location= Galena, Alaska (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1942–present

Most-observed species

• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  26
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  23
• White-crowned Sparrow

  Zonotrichia leucophrys (J.R.Forster, 1772) · Aves
  21
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19
• Gray Jay

  Perisoreus canadensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  17
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  17
• Tree Swallow

  Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot, 1808) · Aves
  17
• Savannah Sparrow

  Passerculus sandwichensis (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  17

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-06-24
  10 km ENE of Kaltag, Alaska
• M 4.8 — 2026-05-19
  26 km W of Ruby, Alaska
• M 2.9 — 2026-02-18
  22 km E of Koyukuk, Alaska
• M 2.6 — 2025-10-23
  22 km ESE of Ruby, Alaska
• M 2.9 — 2024-12-18
  19 km S of Galena, Alaska
• M 2.6 — 2023-05-10
  41 km NNW of Koyukuk, Alaska