The History of Pilot Station

Pilot Station is located on the northwest bank of the Yukon River, 11 miles east of St. Mary's and 26 miles west of Marshall on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. It lies at approximately 61° 56' N Latitude, 162° 52' W Longitude (Sec. 05, T021N, R074W, Seward Meridian). The community is located in the Bethel Recording District. The area encompasses 2 sq. miles of land and 1 sq. miles of water.

The village was first called "Ankachak," and later was moved one-third of a mile upriver to a site called "Potiliuk." The old village site of Kurgpallermuit is located nearby. This village is a designated historic place -- it was occupied during the bow and arrow wars between the Yukon and Coastal Eskimos. According to locals, the Chevak and Pilot Station people periodically fought when the coastal people traveled up the Kashunak River. A Russian Orthodox Church was build in the early 1900s, and is one of the oldest structures in the region. R.H. Sargent of the U.S. Geological Survey first noted the village name of Pilot Station in 1916. Local riverboat pilots who used the village as a checkpoint were responsible for this name change. The community incorporated as a second-class city in 1969.

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