Some info about Buckland

Buckland (pronounced Buck-lund) is located on the banks of the Buckland River, about 75 miles southeast of Kotzebue and 40 miles South of the Arctic circle. The temperatures in Buckland range between -60 and 85°F (-50 to 29° C). Buckland is a traditional Inupiaq Eskimo village with an estimated population of 460 people. Of Buckland's population, 97 % are Alaska Native or part Native. Most of the population live in part a subsistence lifestyle, eating caribou, fish, whale and berries.

The economy in Buckland is based on subsistence activities. Buckland is a 'dry village', meaning that t The sale and importation of alcohol is banned in the village. Year-round jobs are offered by the school, the city, the health clinic and stores. There is also some mining. The 2000 census showed 94 residents as being employed, an unemployment rate of 33.8 percent (although 57 % of all adults were not in the work force). There is one school in Buckland that offers kindergarten through 12th grade. The school is part of the Northwest Arctic Borough School District.

The main mode of transportation to reach Buckland is by plane. People get around the village and to neighboring villages by four-wheelers, boats and snow machines. In the winter, boat traffic is obviously replace by the snow machines since the river is frozen solid throughout winter. Thre are no roads outside the village, but rather an airstrip that serves scheduled and chartered flights.

The residents have moved their town site at least five times in recent memories. The places are known as Elephant Point, Old Buckland and New Site.

Here are some pictures of Elephant Point in 1938 that I found in the University of Alaska archive.
This last picture shows Thomas Sokweena and Susie Clark at Elephant Point also in 1938.