Stuart Island, Alaska

Stuart Island (Qikertarpak in Yup'ik, ‘the big island’[1]) is an island on the southeast side of the Norton Sound of Alaska. The island is about 9.3 miles (15.0 km) long and 6.2 miles (10.0 km) wide with a land area of 52.195 square miles (135.18 km2) and had no resident population at the 2000 census.[2] The name "Stuart's Island" was given during the third voyage of James Cook in September 1778.[3]

Stuart Island, Alaska
Geography
Adjacent bodies of waterNorton Sound
Area52.195 sq mi (135.18 km2)
Length9.3 mi (15 km)
Width6.2 mi (10 km)
Administration
United States
StateAlaska
BoroughUnorganized Borough
Census areaNome Census Area
Demographics
Population0 (2000)

Stuart Island has no permanent settlements, but is only a short distance by water from Stebbins, which is on neighboring St. Michael Island. Stuart Island is home to an unmanaged herd of reindeer put there as part of the Stebbins/St. Michael Reindeer Corral Project.

Stuart Island collects a significant amount of driftwood, due to its location North and East of the Upper Yukon River Delta. Spring runoff brings trees and logs down the Yukon River that, after reaching the Bering Sea, are pushed by wind and tides into Norton Sound. Stuart Island is directly in the path of the driftwood pushed into the Sound, and its west-facing beaches provide a traditional firewood supply for residents of Stebbins.

References
  1. Jacobson, Steven A. (2012). Yup'ik Eskimo Dictionary, 2nd edition. Alaska Native Language Center.
  2. Stuart Island: Block 5032, Census Tract 1, Nome Census Area, Alaska United States Census Bureau
  3. James Cook (1821). The three voyages of Captain James Cook round the world. VI. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown. p. 448.



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