Sledge Island, orAyak Island, (Inupiaq: Ayaaq; Yup'ik: Asaaq) is a small volcanic island in theBering Sea. It is located 5.3 mi (8.5 km) from the southwestern shore of theSeward Peninsula, off the shores ofAlaska.
Sledge Island is of volcanic origin and is only 1.6 miles (2.6 km) across.[1] The average elevation is 410 feet (120 meters).[citation needed] Administratively this island belongs to theNome Census Area, Alaska.
The island is 2.80 km (1.74 mi) long and 1.48 km (0.92 mi) wide.
The island is part of the Bering Sea unit of theAlaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.
This island was named on August 5, 1778, by CaptainJames Cook, who commented:"We found, a little way from the shore where we landed, a sledge, which occasioned this name being given to the island."[2] Martin Sauer, the secretary of the 1791Russian expedition who sailed under orders fromCatherine II of Russia, claimed in 1802 that theInuit name of this island was "Ayak."
CaptainFrederick Beechey observed:"It is singular that this island, which was named Sledge Island by Captain Cook, from the circumstances of one of these implements being found upon it, should be called by a word signifying the same thing in Esquimaux language."[3]
The island was featured in seasons 8 and 11 ofBering Sea Gold, as a site to prospect and mine for seafloor placer gold.[4]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 50 | — | |
| 1890 | 67 | 34.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5] | |||
Sledge Island first appeared in the U.S. Census in 1880 as the unincorporated Inuit village of Aziak.[6] All 50 of its residents were Inuit. It returned again in 1890 as Sledge Island, with 67 residents (all native). However, this included the residents of the island (listed as the village of "Ahyak") and three adjacent small villages on the mainland, including Okinoyoktokawik, Senikave & Sunvalluk.[7] These were located approximately 19–20 miles west of present-day Nome, near a feature called West Point.[8] It has not reported in any census since.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)64°29′9.02″N166°12′35.12″W / 64.4858389°N 166.2097556°W /64.4858389; -166.2097556
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