National Park Service LogoU.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNational Park Service
National Park Service:  U.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park Service Arrowhead
Kobuk Valley National ParkImage of visitors arriving for their adventure
view map
text size:largestlargernormal
printer friendly
Kobuk Valley National Park
History & Culture
 

Kobuk Valley National Park is home to the famous Onion Portage archeological site (NHL) but more importantly the cradle of the Arctic Woodland Culture defined by pioneering archeologist J. Louis Giddings

Recent archeological work conducted by NPS archeologists have found evidence of human usage of the Kobuk Sand Dunes Complex, settlements along the main course of the Kobuk River, and most recently a temporary camp high in a mountain pass between the Kobuk and Noatak valleys.

The Cultural Resources program at Kobuk Valley National Park documents people in the parks, now and in the past, and helps preserve places with special history. To learn more about cultural resources, visit our program page

Image of fish drying on a in Kotzebue
Subsistence
Today, as in the past, many Alaskans live off the land
more...
Image of an archeologist holding an artifact found during an excavation
A Word About Archeological Sites
Laws protecting sites on public lands
more...
Salmon River rushes by banks with thick shrubs and trees. One old tree is falling in the river as the water erodes the bank.  

Did You Know?
The Salmon River in Kobuk Valley National Park was designated a wild and scenic river in 1980. Boaters can access this remote, beautiful river only by packing their boats from high mountain airstrips to the headwaters

Last Updated: July 16, 2007 at 17:59 EST