The City of Eagle and Eagle Village are located on the Taylor Highway, 12 miles west of the Alaska-Canadian border. Eagle is on the left bank of the Yukon River at the mouth of Mission Creek. The Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve is northwest of the area.
It lies at approximately 64° 47' N Latitude, 141° 12' W Longitude (Sec. 31, T001S, R033E, Fairbanks Meridian). The community is located in the Fairbanks Recording District. The area encompasses 1 sq. miles of land and 0 sq. miles of water.
The area has been the historical home to Han Kutchin Indians. Established as a log house trading station called "Belle Isle" around 1874, it operated intermittently as a supply and trading center for miners working the upper Yukon and its tributaries.
Eagle City was founded in 1897, and was named after the nesting eagles on nearby Eagle Bluff. By 1898, the population had grown to over 1,700. Eagle was the first incorporated city in the Interior, in January 1901. A U.S. Army camp was established in 1899, and
Fort Egbert was completed in 1900. The Valdez-Eagle Telegraph line was completed in 1903. By 1910, Fairbanks and Nome gold prospects had lured away many, and the population had declined to 178. Fort Egbert was abandoned in 1911.
A Guide to Eagle, Alaska
Alaska Community Histories Index
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Department of Community and Economic Development
Alaska Community Database Online
Photographs are © 1999-2009 by Murray Lundberg.
History and map graphic used with permission from the Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development
