Coldfoot in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska — Northwest (North America)

Welcome to Coldfoot Camp

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 29, 2010

1. Welcome to Coldfoot Camp Marker

Inscription.
This Sign Greeted New Arrivals As They Arrived At The Pipeline Construction Camp Located One Mile West Of Here. We Salvaged This Sign When The Camp Was Being Dismantled.

You are about 55 miles north of the Arctic Circle on the East Bank of the Middle Fork Koyukuk River at the mouth of Slate Creek, which drains to the east.
—> ——— <— This is the site of the former gold mining community of Coldfoot, which was built here at the turn of the century. According to historical records, the original town of Coldfoot got its name in the summer of 1900 when one of waves of green stampeders got as far up the Koyukuk as this point, then got cold feet, turned around and ran. The settlement consisted of one gambling hall, two roadhouses, two stores, and seven saloons. In about 1912, the miners relocated in Wiseman, about 11 north of here.
—> ——— <— Coldfoot is a temporary camp, built in 1970 to accommodate up to 260 workers during the construction of the Alaska State Highway here, and up to 450 workers during construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The altitude here is about 1,062 feet.

Topics. This historical marker is listed

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Notable Places • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.

Location. 67° 15.072′ N, 150° 10.76′ W. Marker is near Coldfoot in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska. It is on Coldfoot Road. Coldfoot is 175 miles north of the junction of the Dalton Highway (Alaska Highway 11) and the Elliot Highway and 240 miles south of Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9000 Dalton Hwy, Fairbanks AK 99701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Alaska’s Athabascan Region,

specifically in Interior Alaska,

and in the Iñupiat Region.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Arctic,

the Pacific Rim,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.

Coldfoot Camp image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 28, 2010

2. Coldfoot Camp

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 29, 2010

3. Wiseman, AK

The Farthest North Spurce Tree image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 29, 2010

4. The Farthest North Spurce Tree

Sign Reads:
Farthest North
Spruce Tree
On the Alaskan Pipeline
Do Not Cut

The Dalton Highway, AKA The North Slope Haul Road image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 29, 2010

5. The Dalton Highway, AKA The North Slope Haul Road

Credits. This page was last revised on January 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 17, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,045 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 17, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.