Eagle, Alaska
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Incorporated: 1901
Population: 150
City of Eagle: 907-547-2282
The City of Eagle is located on the Taylor Highway, 6 miles west of the Alaska- Canadian border. Eagle is on the left bank of the Yukon River at the mouth of Mission Creek. The area has been the historical home to Han Kutchin Indians. Established as a log house trading station called "Belle Isle" around 1874, it operated intermittently as a supply and trading center for miners working the upper Yukon and its tributaries. Eagle City was founded in 1897, and was named after the nesting eagles on nearby Eagle Bluff. By 1898, the population had grown to over 1,700. Eagle was the first incorporated city in the Interior, in January 1901. A U.S. Army camp was established in 1899, and Fort Egbert was completed in 1900. The Valdez-Eagle Telegraph line was completed in 1903. By 1910, Fairbanks and Nome gold prospects had lured away many, and the population had declined to 178. Fort Egbert was abandoned in 1911. Retail businesses, the school, mining and seasonal employment such as tourism and BLM fire-fighting provide the majority of employment.
