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Gakona, Alaska, sits at the confluence of the Copper and Gakona rivers, at Mile 2 on the Tok Cutoff to the Glenn Highway, 15 miles northeast of Glennallen.

Gakona, population 215, is a community that includes a Native village, a federally recognized tribe, a commercial district and a non-Native residential area.

All homes have individual wells and septic systems and complete plumbing. The school, attended by about a dozen students, uses its own well water for the time being. Refuse collection services are available from Copper Basin Sanitation, which hauls waste to the Glennallen landfill.

History

Ahtna Indians have lived in the Copper River basin for 5,000 to 7,000 years. Gakona served as a wood and fish camp, and later became a permanent village.

In 1904, Doyle's Roadhouse was constructed at the junction of the Valdez-Eagle and Valdez-Fairbanks trails, and became an essential stopping point for travelers. There was also a post office, stagecoach station and blacksmith shop.

Some buildings are still standing. Gakona Lodge was built in 1929 and is on the National Register of Historical Places.

Source: Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development