The History of Noorvik

Noorvik is located on the right bank of the Nazuruk Channel of the Kobuk River, 33 miles northwest of Selawik and 45 miles east of Kotzebue. The village is downriver from the 1.7-million acre Kobuk Valley National Park. It lies at approximately 66° 50' N Latitude, 161° 03' W Longitude (Sec. 27, T017N, R011W, Kateel River Meridian). The community is located in the Kotzebue Recording District. The area encompasses 1 sq. miles of land and 0 sq. miles of water.

Noorvik means "a place that is moved to." The village was established by Kowagmuit Inupiat Eskimo fishermen and hunters from Deering in the early 1900s. The village was also settled by people from Oksik, a few miles upriver. A post office was established in 1937.

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