Gulkana

Gulkana. (C'UUL C'ENA' IN AHTNA ATHABASCAN). , In 1943, without any warning to the villagers, the Alaska Road Commission (ARC) crews began construction of a new bridge across the Gulkana River. The approach from the west side of the river divided the village in two and passed within a few feet of the village cemetery. The road graders pushed rocks right up against people's homes. None of the Ahtna knew what to say, and they did not understand the law in a way that might have enabled them to stop construction. The berm was so steep that village residents could not climb over, cutting off one side of the village from the other., Beyond destroying the village as a cohesive community, the bridge made Gulkana unsafe during breakup due to flooding and ruined a prime salmon dipnetting area used by the villagers. Village members were forced to move to higher ground and established the current location of the village on the north side of the Gulkana River. The old village was demolished, leaving a barren gravel pad. The destruction of Gulkana Village showed our ancestors that they had become strangers in their own land., World War II spurred many changes in Gulkana, including the U.S. Army's construction of the Richardson Highway. Along with the Army camp came a roadhouse, a school, a post office, a store, and other buildings. By the end of World War II, our people were dispossessed of their lands, and their ability to make a living in the traditional manner was gone or severely curtailed. Most of the land was in the public domain and open to any resident for hunting and fishing. Highways now crisscross most of traditional Ahtna territory, making it one of the most accessible regions in Alaska., Gulkana received a townsite patent from the federal government in 1971 for land on both sides of the river, including the original townsite and cemetery. But in the early 1970s, when the current bridge and highway realignment were being planned, the federal township trustee ceded the land containing the cemetery and old townsite to the State of Alaska without the village's knowledge or any compensation., Finally in 2018, Gulkana Village Council came to an agreement with the State of Alaska that acknowledged that Gulkana lost its traditional land unlawfully. "It's a deep cultural hurt, and it's time to correct it," Governor Bill Walker declared after walking the lands., Gulkana Village Council worked with Governor Mike Dunleavy's administration to formalize the agreement and restore ownership of the old townsite and cemetery to the village. On October 13, 2020, we came together near this site in the Gulkana Community Hall for the final deed signing that corrected this great historic wrong. We are once more able to protect our family burial grounds and old village site., [Photo captions, clockwise from left, read] , . Gulkana Village in 1928, showing the 1913 bridge. The Richardson Highway went around Gulkana. Note that Suslota Charlie's cabin, and all of the other houses, are to the right of the highway. , Guy F. Cameron photograph, Alaska Engineering Commission, PCA 131-83, Alaska Historical Library, Juneau., . Gulkana Roadhouse. A. C. Kuehl Photographs, UAF-2009-1-33, Archives, University of Alaska Fairbanks., . The northern part of Gulkana Village as it appeared on July 22, 1944. This photograph shows how the Richardson Highway was realigned to cut through the village. Note that Suslota Charlie's cabin is now to the left of the road. , Alaska State Library, Collection, PCA-61-20-40.