The History of Egegik

Egegik is located on the south bank of the Egegik River on the Alaska Peninsula, 100 miles southwest of Dillingham and 335 air miles southwest of Anchorage. It lies at approximately 58° 13' N Latitude, 157° 22' W Longitude (Sec. 01, T023S, R050W, Seward Meridian). The community is located in the Kvichak Recording District. The area encompasses 135 sq. miles of land and 3 sq. miles of water.

Settlement of the Bristol Bay region first occurred over 6,000 years ago. Yup'ik Eskimos and Athabascan Indians jointly occupied the area. Aleut arrived in later years. The local Natives were originally contacted by Russians between 1818 and 1867. The village was reported as a fish camp called "Igagik" in 1876. An Alaska Packers Association salmon saltery was operating at the mouth of the river in 1895. The town developed around a cannery in the early 1900s. During the influenza outbreaks beginning in 1918, Natives from other villages moved to Egegik in an attempt to isolate themselves from the disease.

To Community Histories Index Alaska DCCED Community Database Online

History and map graphic used with permission from the Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development