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Prospect Creek, Alaska

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Prospect Creek, Alaska
CDP
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
Census AreaYukon-Koyukuk
Area
 • Total48 sq mi (125 km2)
Elevation
1,014 ft (309 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • TotalUninhabited
Time zoneUTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-8 (AKDT)
Area code907

Prospect Creek is a very small settlement approximately 180 miles north of present day Fairbanks and 25 miles southeast of present day Bettles, Alaska. Years ago it was home to numerous mining expeditions and the camp for the building of the Alaskan pipeline. Today, it is mostly desolate with little activity since the completion of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in 1977. Prospect Creek is also home to the U.S. record for lowest temperature. In January 1971, the record low temperature of negative 80°F (-62°C) was recorded. Wildlife can be found there even with its extreme changes in temperature; local fauna include anything from black and brown bears to bald eagles. The elevation of Prospect Creek is 643 feet (196 m) above sea level. Nearby Moore Creek is widely known for its gold and quartz mining and sits alongside Prospect Creek in Alaska’s Innoko Mining District (Moorecreek Mining Line, MML). The Innoko Mining District is famous for its findings of large quartz.

History

Prospect Creek was declared the coldest place in the United States at -80°F on January 23, 1971. Second only to Snag, Yukon, Canada for the North America coldest record. A camp was set up near Prospect Creek in 1974 to help house some of the twenty-seven thousand people working on the construction of the Trans-Alaska pipeline and serve pipeline station five. The camp contained little more than housing and washrooms. After the pipeline was completed in 1977 the camp was broken down and abandoned. There was little left afterward other than an airstrip, now private, and a large gravel pad.

In 1974 during the construction of the pipeline there was a recorded wolf attack, however the only resulting injury was some minor bruising with no apparent breaks in the skin. The wolf was killed and tested negative for rabies. The camp was again used in 1992 as the first of the camp sites set up for the construction workers, engineers and their families while they helped with the replacement of the bridges along the nearby Dalton Highway.

Geography

Prospect Creek is situated 54 km north of the center of Alaska with coordinates: 66°48′48″N 150°38′38″W / 66.81333°N 150.64389°W / 66.81333; -150.64389[1], located right off the James Dalton Highway on the 135th mile[2]. Coldfoot is the nearest city and is located about 50 km northeast of Prospect Creek. This is the winter road to Bettles and the camp was situated near the start of the road. But Prospect creek is still very much in the middle of nowhere. According to the Bureau of Land Management: “Prospect Creek joins the Jim River within 3 miles of the road crossing, and Jim River flows into the South Fork of the Koyukuk River.”[3] Not far from there is also the Snake River, a major Alaskan river. Prospect Creek is surrounded by two national wildlife reserves in Kanuti and Yukon Flats and the Gates of the Arctic National Park. The Prospect Creek area in itself is somewhat flat, but its surroundings are undulating and green, which is very typical of a boreal forest[4]. Due to a very peculiar setting mixing extreme cold and an irregular massif there are occurrences of tungsten minerals[5], and also "bismuth is reported to have been found in a quartz vein on Prospect Creek."[6] Despite this wealth of natural resources, no company has yet taken advantage of them due to the remote location.

Climate

Prospect Creek is located just above the Arctic Circle about 67 degrees North and around 147 degrees west. Under the Köppen climate classification system, Prospect Creek has a subarctic climate. Prospect has received some of the coldest winters in U.S. history.

This table is showing the Weather Channel records for the year 2007:

Climate data for Prospect Creek
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 47
(8) 		49
(9) 		57
(14) 		71
(22) 		88
(31) 		94
(34) 		92
(33) 		93
(34) 		82
(28) 		71
(22) 		49
(9) 		44
(7) 		94
(34)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 2
(−17) 		10
(−12) 		26
(−3) 		44
(7) 		61
(16) 		71
(22) 		73
(23) 		67
(19) 		55
(13) 		31
(−1) 		12
(−11) 		5
(−15) 		38
(3)
Daily mean °F (°C) −5
(−21) 		0
(−18) 		14
(−10) 		31
(−1) 		48
(9) 		59
(15) 		62
(17) 		56
(13) 		44
(7) 		25
(−4) 		5
(−15) 		−2
(−19) 		28
(−2)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) −13
(−25) 		−10
(−23) 		1
(−17) 		19
(−7) 		35
(2) 		47
(8) 		50
(10) 		45
(7) 		34
(1) 		18
(−8) 		−2
(−19) 		−9
(−23) 		18
(−8)
Record low °F (°C) −80
(−62) 		−73
(−58) 		−60
(−51) 		−44
(−42) 		−21
(−29) 		22
(−6) 		30
(−1) 		17
(−8) 		−16
(−27) 		−38
(−39) 		−57
(−49) 		−70
(−57) 		−80
(−62)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.61
(15) 		0.44
(11) 		0.34
(8.6) 		0.20
(5.1) 		0.60
(15) 		1.68
(43) 		1.96
(50) 		1.95
(50) 		1.32
(34) 		1.01
(26) 		0.78
(20) 		0.82
(21) 		11.71
(298.7)
Source: Weatherbase[1]

Population

There are currently no people living in this area. The camp has been abandoned since the early 1990s.[7]

Transportation

Prospect Creek has a small airstrip, Prospect Creek Airport (IATA: PPC, ICAO: PAPR, FAA LID: PPC). Prospect Creek is a three hour drive from Fairbanks. There are also commercial group tours into this area in the summer.[8]

Pictures

References

  1. ^ "Weatherbase:". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  1. ^ - http://wikimapia.org/1820687/Prospect-Creek-Airport-PPC
  2. ^ - http://www.habitat.adfg.alaska.gov/generalpermits/daltonhwydredge.pdf
  3. ^ - http://www.habitat.adfg.alaska.gov/generalpermits/daltonhwydredge.pdf
  4. ^ - http://www.akforest.org/facts.htm
  5. ^ - http://www.dggs.dnr.state.ak.us/webpubs/usgs/mr/text/mr-0085.PDF
  6. ^ - http://www.dggs.dnr.state.ak.us/webpubs/dggs/pn/text/pn005.PDF
  7. ^ - http://books.google.com/books?id=vLgeGeYwEI8C&pg=PA258&lpg=PA258&dq=abandon+prospect+creek&source=web&ots=uxRLvPicn2&sig=Qebfl5QWpGXmMs_dKxpvaMm_52I&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=9&ct=result#PPA262,M1
  8. ^ - http://alaska.org/itineraries/tour243-arcticcirclebrooksrangeadventure.htm

Media related to Prospect Creek, Alaska at Wikimedia Commons

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