The Seward Peninsula is a large peninsula on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska whose westernmost point is Cape Prince of Wales . The peninsula projects about 200 mi (320 km) into the Bering Sea between Norton Sound , the Bering Strait , the Chukchi Sea , and Kotzebue Sound , just below the Arctic Circle . The entire peninsula is about 210 mi (330 km) long and 90–140 mi (145–225 km) wide. Like Seward, Alaska , it was named after William H. Seward , the United States Secretary of State who fought for the U.S. purchase of Alaska .
16-677: York Mountains are located on the Seward Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska . They extend inland from the Bering Sea to the rocky cape of the same name. On the seaward sides, the streams have incised canyon-like valleys. Eastward, the York Mountains are extended by the highlands lying north of Port Clarence . Their western flanks fall off rather abruptly to the York PIateau . The general aspect of these mountains
32-515: A vital role in the subsistence lifestyles of many peninsula residents and ease travel, hunting, and fishing. Most peninsula rivers have at least a small yearly run of several varieties of salmon , as well as Dolly Varden trout , Arctic grayling , whitefish of various species, northern pike , and burbot . Most rivers on the Seward Peninsula freeze in mid-October; spring break-up usually occurs in mid- to late May. The Seward Peninsula
48-521: Is a lava field formed roughly 1,000 to 2,000 years ago, which covers roughly 88 sq mi (230 km ). Several geothermal hot springs are located throughout the peninsula, including Serpentine Hot Springs , Pilgrim Hot Springs , Granite Mountain, Elim, Clear Creek and Lava Creek. The Seward Peninsula has several rivers. The largest include the Koyuk , Kuzitrin , Niukluk , Fish , Tubuktilik , Kiwalik , Buckland and Agiupuk rivers. These play
64-704: Is a remnant of the Bering land bridge , a roughly thousand-mile-wide swath of land connecting Siberia with mainland Alaska during the Pleistocene Ice Age . This land bridge aided in the migration of humans, as well as plant and animal species, from Asia to North America. Excavations at sites such as the Trail Creek Caves and Cape Espenberg in the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve as well as Cape Denbigh to
80-563: Is rugged. The York Mountains and several other highland masses form isolated groups in the northern half of the peninsula, while in the southern half of the peninsula, the Kigluaik , Bendeleben , and Darby mountains form a broken range along a crescentic axis. This article about a location in the Nome Census Area, Alaska is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Seward Peninsula The Seward Peninsula
96-399: Is the westernmost limit of distribution for the black spruce , Picea mariana , a dominant overstory species of the region. Alaska's reindeer herding was concentrated on the Seward Peninsula ever since the first shipment of reindeer were imported there from eastern Siberia in 1892. It was believed that migrating caribou could be prevented from mingling with the domesticated reindeer on
112-636: The Kruzgamepa River , about 8 miles (13 km) south of milepost 65 of the Kougarok Road. The location gained prominence in the early 20th century because of its thermal hot springs, which made agricultural homesteading possible, and which were adapted to provide a respite for the gold miners of Nome . Early buildings, built 1900–03, were of log construction, and included a log cabin, barn and chicken house. A roadhouse and saloon were built after 1903, but were destroyed by fire in 1908, after
128-549: The United States Secretary of State who negotiated the Purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. 65°20′N 164°15′W / 65.333°N 164.250°W / 65.333; -164.250 Pilgrim Hot Springs Pilgrim Hot Springs is a ghost town in the interior of the Seward Peninsula of northwestern Arctic Alaska . Also known as Kruzgamepa , it is located on the southeast bank of
144-616: The Peninsula because of the geography of the peninsula, thereby avoiding loss of reindeer that might wander off with caribou. However, in 1997 the domesticated reindeer joined the Western Arctic Caribou Herd on their summer migration and disappeared. Cape Prince of Wales , the westernmost point on the mainland of the Americas, is on the western tip. The cape is only 51 mi (82 km) from Cape Dezhnev ,
160-701: The Seward Peninsula include the Bendeleben Mountains , Darby Mountains , and York Mountains . The Bendeleben Mountains exhibit evidence of recent faulting in the late Cenozoic, with the majority of tectonic deformation and mountain formation occurring in the Cretaceous, which is attributed to regional tectonic block rotation of the Bering plate in the Arctic. The Lost Jim Lava Flow north of Kuzitrin Lake
176-710: The closest point on the Russian mainland. In August 2011 Russia announced an ambitious project to construct a rail tunnel under the Bering Strait, linking the Seward Peninsula in Alaska with the Chukchi Peninsula in Russia. If completed, the project would cost an estimated US$ 65 billion and would be the world's longest tunnel at 64 mi (103 km) long. The peninsula was named after William H. Seward ,
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#1732783407724192-486: The end of World War II . When surveyed in 1977 prior to listing on the National Register of Historic Places , the buildings on the site were in deteriorated condition. The site is owned by Unaataq LLC, a consortium of area Alaska native corporations which is working on development alternatives for the site, including power generation and tourism. Pilgrim Hot Springs only appeared on the 1940 U.S. Census as
208-498: The mining boom had ended. After the flu epidemic of 1918 , the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nome built a large orphanage at the site, complete with a large church, dormitory and school, and living quarters for the staff, as well as greenhouses. These facilities were kept warm by water piped from the hot springs. The site was closed in 1941, but soon reopened as a recreational facility for the military, serving until
224-427: The result of an underground steam explosion. The Killeak Lakes and White Fish Lake are also volcanic maar lakes of notable size on the northern Seward Peninsula. Four mountain ranges line the southern side of the peninsula, the most prominent being the Kigluaik (or Sawtooth) Mountains. The highest point in the range and the peninsula is the peak of 4,714 ft (1,437 m) Mount Osborn . Other mountain ranges on
240-630: The south have provided insight into the timeline of prehistorical migrations from Asia to the Seward Peninsula. Most of the peninsula is in the Nome Census Area , but part is in the Northwest Arctic Borough . These are the communities on the Seward Peninsula, with 2005 state population estimates: Other locations on the Seward Peninsula include the mining towns of Council , Solomon , Candle, Haycock and Taylor. While still frequented by locals of neighboring communities, there are no longer year round residents in these locations. There
256-604: Was a United States Coast Guard LORAN station at Port Clarence . The U.S. Air Force operates a radar station at the "Tin City" site, 7 mi (11 km) southeast of Wales. The Seward Peninsula has several distinct geologic features. The Devil Mountain Lakes on the northern portion of the peninsula are the largest maar lakes in the world and part of the Espenberg volcanic field . They were formed over 21,000 years ago as
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