St. Michael

History

Redoubt St. Michael was founded in 1833 by traders of the Russian-American Company, as a trading post for trade with the Yup'ik people of the area. The trading settlement and the island were named after the archangel Michael. Fort St. Michael, a U.S. military post, was established in 1897. During the gold rush of 1897, it was a major gateway to the Alaskan interior via the Yukon River Delta (located about to the southwest). As many as 10,000 persons were said to live in St. Michael during the gold rush. St. Michael was also a popular trading post for Alaska Natives to trade their goods for Western supplies. Centralization of many Yup'iks from the surrounding villages intensified after the measles epidemic of 1900 and the influenza epidemic of 1918. St. Michael's population today is largely Yup'ik. Many residents are also descendants of the Russian traders.

Geography

St. Michael is located at on the east side of St. Michael Island at the southeastern end of the Norton Sound. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (22.40%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  9
• Tree Swallow

  Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot, 1808) · Aves
  9
• White-crowned Sparrow

  Zonotrichia leucophrys (J.R.Forster, 1772) · Aves
  7
• Savannah Sparrow

  Passerculus sandwichensis (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  7
• Common Redpoll

  Acanthis flammea (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7
• Northern Pintail

  Anas acuta Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  6
• Snow/Ross's Goose

  Anser caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6
• Hare's-tail Cottongrass

  Eriophorum vaginatum L. · Liliopsida
  6

Largest nearby schools

• Tukurngailnguq School
  Other · Stebbins · 231 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Anthony A. Andrews School
  Other · St. Michael · 154 students · 9.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-07-06
  10 km E of Unalakleet, Alaska
• M 3.6 — 2026-07-01
  9 km E of Unalakleet, Alaska
• M 4 — 2024-09-18
  19 km WSW of Unalakleet, Alaska
• M 2.7 — 2023-10-15
  41 km SE of Unalakleet, Alaska
• M 3.7 — 2022-01-27
  53 km S of Elim, Alaska
• M 3.1 — 2021-05-25
  29 km S of Elim, Alaska