Population: 86 (2010)
Latitude 64.7881, Longitude -141.2000
The City of Eagle is located at the north end of the Taylor Highway, 6 miles west of the Alaska-Canadian border. It is on the left bank of the Yukon River at the mouth of Mission Creek.
The community was first settled in 1897 when gold was discovered nearby, though a trading post called "Belle Isle" had operated intermittently at the site since about 1874. Although the population is reported to have topped 1,700 in 1898, its highest official (census) population ever was 383 in 1900, and the following year it became the first incorporated city in the interior of Alaska.
Eagle received daily visits from people on Holland America cruise tours starting in the mid-1980s. A new 104-passenger boat, Yukon Queen II, connected with motorcoaches running the Taylor Highway starting in 1999, shuttling passengers between overnight stays in Dawson City and Tok. The boat was always controversial, however, and in 2012 the company removed Eagle from their itineraries. The community's history, and the wilderness of Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, are once again the primary attractions that bring visitors to Eagle.
Eagle has seasonal connection to the international road system via the Taylor Highway, but it is not kept open in the winter. The Eagle Airport adjacent to the community (code EAA) has one gravel-surfaced runway (06-24), 3600 x 75 feet.
Eagle experiences the seasonal temperature extremes of a northern continental climate. January temperatures average -22 to -2 °F but can range as low as -60 °F; July temperatures average 50 to 72 :F. Average annual precipitation is only 11.3 inches. The Western Regional Climate Center site has detailed weather statistics for Eagle.
Eagle Links
Eagle Photo Gallery
The History of Eagle
Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve
Yukon River
Taylor Highway
