View source for St. Michael Island

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{{Location map
 |Alaska
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 |lat=63.571552 <!-- note these are not the correct coordinates, but please don't change them-->
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 |caption=Location in Alaska
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'''St. Michael Island''' is an island on the southeast side of the [[Norton Sound]] in [[Alaska]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.google.com/maps?sca_esv=0e7f67614aa28a61&sca_upv=1&output=search&q=%22St.+Michael+Island%22+alaska&source=lnms&entry=mc&ved=1t:200715&ictx=111 | title=Google Maps }}</ref> The island is about {{convert|9.3|mi|km}} long and {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} wide.

St. Michael Island contains two settlements, [[St. Michael, Alaska|St. Michael]], on the island's east side, and [[Stebbins, Alaska|Stebbins]], on the northwest side.

The population today is largely [[Yup'ik]]. Many residents are also descendants of the Russian traders

== History ==
[[St. Michael Redoubt Site|Redoubt St. Michael]] was founded in 1833 by traders of the [[Russian-American Company]], as a trading post for trade with the [[Yup'ik]] people of the area. The trading settlement and the island were named after the archangel [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]].

[[Fort St. Michael]], a U.S. military post, was established in 1897. During the [[Klondike Gold Rush|gold rush of 1897]], it was a major gateway to the Alaskan interior via the [[Yukon River]] Delta (located about 40 miles (64 km) to the southwest). As many as 10,000 persons were said to live in St. Michael during the gold rush. St. Michael was also a popular trading post for Alaska Natives to trade their goods for Western supplies. Centralization of many Yup'iks from the surrounding villages intensified after the measles epidemic of 1900 and the influenza epidemic of 1918.

==References==
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{{Islands in the Bering Sea}}


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[[Category:Islands of the Bering Sea]]
[[Category:Islands of Alaska]]
[[Category:Islands of Nome Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Islands of Unorganized Borough, Alaska]]


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