Deadhorse, Alaska | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Deadhorse, March 2007 | |
  Deadhorse, Alaska Location in theUnited States of America | |
| Coordinates:70°12′20″N148°30′42″W / 70.20556°N 148.51167°W /70.20556; -148.51167 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | North Slope |
| Government | |
| • Boroughmayor | Harry K. Brower, Jr. |
| • State senator | Donny Olson (D) |
| • State rep. | Robyn Burke (D) |
| Elevation | 49 ft (15 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-8 (AKDT) |
| GNIS ID | 1866941[1] |
Deadhorse is anunincorporated community located within theCDP ofPrudhoe Bay inNorth Slope Borough,Alaska, United States, along theNorth Slope near theArctic Ocean. The town consists mainly of facilities for the workers and companies that operate at the nearbyPrudhoe Bay Oil Field. Deadhorse is accessible via theDalton Highway fromFairbanks, 495 miles (797 km) south, orDeadhorse Airport. Limited accommodation is also available fortourists.
The permanent population is variously listed as being between 25 and 50 residents. Temporary residents (employed by various firms with local interests) can range as high as 3,000.[citation needed]
Companies with facilities in Deadhorse service Prudhoe Bay, nearbyoil fields, and theTrans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), which brings oil from Prudhoe Bay toValdez on thesouth-central Alaska coast. Facilities in Deadhorse are built entirely on man-made gravel pads and usually consist of pre-fabricated modules shipped to Deadhorse via barge or air cargo.
ThePrudhoe Bay, Alaska, area was developed to house personnel, provide support for drilling operations, and transport oil to theAlaskan pipeline.[2] Prior to 1977, oil seeps (small pores or fissure networks through which liquid petroleum emerges at the surface of the land)[3] on the Arctic coastal plain had caught the attention of the U.S. petroleum interests.[2] TheU.S. Navy drilled for oil between 1944 and 1953 with little success.[2] In 1967, after several attempts at drilling for oil, oil company mergers, and competitive bidding for state lease sales, thePrudhoe Bay oil field was discovered.[2]
Sources conflict on the origin of the area's name. The most cited theory appears to be that the area takes its name from a local business prominent in the late 1960s and 1970s, the "Dead Horse Haulers" trucking company. How the trucking company got its name remains in dispute.[4]
In February 2023, a "high altitude object" about the size of a small carwas shot down near the area after a decision by PresidentJoe Biden.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 163 | — | |
| 1980 | 64 | −60.7% | |
| 1990 | 26 | −59.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] | |||
Deadhorse first appeared on the 1970 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It was made a census-designated place (CDP) in 1980. It appeared last on the 1990 census. After 2000, it was merged into the Prudhoe Bay CDP.
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Tourists traveling to Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay typically take tour buses fromFairbanks via theJames Dalton Highway, a two-day journey with an overnight stop inColdfoot. During the summer months, visitors can arrange for tours to the Arctic Ocean via a guided tour only. There is no longer any public Arctic Ocean access from Deadhorse. All tours must be booked 24 hours in advance to allow time for background checks on all passengers going through the oilfield check point. Tourists can also experience themidnight sun due to Deadhorse's location above theArctic Circle. In winter, the opposite phenomenon,polar night, occurs.
The area often features large herds ofcaribou and over 200 bird andwaterfowl species, including geese, swans, gulls and eagles.[7] Other indigenous wildlife includeArctic foxes,Arctic ground squirrels,grizzly bears,polar bears,musk oxen, andArctic hares.[7]
Because alcoholic beverages are not sold in Deadhorse, a humorous slogan for the town is "All that far and still no bar."[8]
The town serves as a start/end or turn-around point of several motorcycle-riding challenges offered by theIron Butt Association. One of these, the Ultimate Coast to Coast, gives riders 30 days to travel between Deadhorse andKey West (the southernmost city in the contiguous United States) in either direction.[9]
Deadhorse Airport(IATA: SCC, ICAO: PASC, FAA LID: SCC) is a public airport located in Deadhorse on the North Slope of Alaska. Being near Prudhoe Bay it is sometimes called Prudhoe Airport.
Like all of the North Slope, Deadhorse features a cold and drytundra climate (KöppenET), as even the hottest month, July, has a daily average temperature of only 48 °F (9 °C), although Deadhorse reaches 80 °F (27 °C) on average once every four years. Deadhorse averages four days per year where temperatures reach 70 °F (21 °C) or more. Since 1968, the only years that failed to reach that mark were 1972 and 1980.[10] Precipitation is very light, averaging only 5.70 in (144.8 mm), including only 23.73 in (60.3 cm) of snow – less snowfall than even the warmest places in the Alaska Panhandle likeKetchikan. The mean annual temperature is 14 °F (−10 °C), with maximum temperatures reliably remaining below freezing from early/mid October to late April. As the area is located inUSDA Plant Hardiness Zone 2,[11] temperatures below −40 °F (−40 °C) can be expected during the height of winter.
| Climate data forDeadhorse Airport, Alaska, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1968–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 40 (4) | 40 (4) | 37 (3) | 43 (6) | 55 (13) | 83 (28) | 85 (29) | 89 (32) | 70 (21) | 54 (12) | 39 (4) | 39 (4) | 89 (32) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 21.0 (−6.1) | 17.3 (−8.2) | 17.8 (−7.9) | 29.3 (−1.5) | 42.5 (5.8) | 69.2 (20.7) | 73.7 (23.2) | 70.3 (21.3) | 58.3 (14.6) | 38.0 (3.3) | 26.8 (−2.9) | 20.4 (−6.4) | 77.4 (25.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | −8.0 (−22.2) | −7.7 (−22.1) | −6.6 (−21.4) | 10.2 (−12.1) | 28.5 (−1.9) | 46.2 (7.9) | 55.0 (12.8) | 49.7 (9.8) | 39.3 (4.1) | 23.8 (−4.6) | 8.3 (−13.2) | −2.8 (−19.3) | 19.7 (−6.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | −14.9 (−26.1) | −14.8 (−26.0) | −13.8 (−25.4) | 2.8 (−16.2) | 23.6 (−4.7) | 39.9 (4.4) | 47.3 (8.5) | 43.5 (6.4) | 34.6 (1.4) | 18.3 (−7.6) | 1.7 (−16.8) | −9.2 (−22.9) | 13.3 (−10.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −21.7 (−29.8) | −21.8 (−29.9) | −21.0 (−29.4) | −4.5 (−20.3) | 18.7 (−7.4) | 33.6 (0.9) | 39.7 (4.3) | 37.4 (3.0) | 30.0 (−1.1) | 12.8 (−10.7) | −4.9 (−20.5) | −15.7 (−26.5) | 6.9 (−13.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −43.3 (−41.8) | −44.9 (−42.7) | −40.6 (−40.3) | −26.6 (−32.6) | −2.6 (−19.2) | 25.4 (−3.7) | 32.1 (0.1) | 29.2 (−1.6) | 17.7 (−7.9) | −10.6 (−23.7) | −25.6 (−32.0) | −37.1 (−38.4) | −47.2 (−44.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −62 (−52) | −58 (−50) | −54 (−48) | −47 (−44) | −24 (−31) | 18 (−8) | 28 (−2) | 23 (−5) | −4 (−20) | −30 (−34) | −45 (−43) | −53 (−47) | −62 (−52) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.25 (6.4) | 0.13 (3.3) | 0.14 (3.6) | 0.21 (5.3) | 0.30 (7.6) | 0.57 (14) | 1.00 (25) | 1.37 (35) | 0.64 (16) | 0.40 (10) | 0.33 (8.4) | 0.36 (9.1) | 5.70 (145) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 8.5 | 10.6 | 8.7 | 6.3 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 54.7 |
| Source 1: NOAA[12] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[13][14] | |||||||||||||
Deadhorse (includingPrudhoe Bay) is classified as an isolated town/Sub-Regional Center. It is found in EMS Region 6A in the North Slope Region. Emergency Services have limited highway, coastal, and airport access. Emergency service is provided by paid EMS service and Fairweather Deadhorse Medical Clinic. Auxiliary health care is provided by oil company medical staff and the Greater Prudhoe Bay Fire Dept. Individuals requiring hospital care are usually transported to the nearest hospital/medical center, Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital, inUtqiagvik, Alaska. Because no roads connect Deadhorse to Utqiagvik, individuals are transported by plane or helicopter (an approximately 45 minute flight).[15]
Municipalities and communities ofNorth Slope Borough, Alaska,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| International | |
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