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Telida
Telida is located on the south side of the
Swift Fork (McKinley Fork) of the Kuskokwim River, about 50 miles
northeast of Medfra. It lies at approximately 63° 23' N Latitude, 153°
16' W Longitude. The community is located in the Mt. McKinley Recording
District. The area encompasses 60 sq. miles of land and 1 sq. miles of
water.
 Athabascan
Indian folklore indicates Telida's descendants are from two sisters,
survivors of a Yukon Indian attack, who fled from the McKinley area to
Telida Lake where they discovered whitefish at its outlet. Telida means
"lake whitefish" in Athabascan. The women were later discovered by
stragglers from the Yukon party, who married the women and settled at
the Lake. The village has had three locations; the first was located
over one mile upstream, and was first visited by army explorers in 1899.
When the course of the Swift Fork changed, the first site was abandoned
for a move to what is now called "Old Telida." In 1916, some residents
moved to the present day site, "New Telida," four or five miles
downstream from Old Telida. A Russian Orthodox Chapel, St. Basil the
Great, was built at the old site in 1918. In 1920-21, Telida was a
stopping point on the McGrath-Nenana Trail, and hundreds of people used
the roadhouse.
In 1935, the old village flooded, and
the remaining residents relocated to the new site. In 1958, a fire
cleared an area in which the villagers constructed an airstrip. Many
families moved to Takotna during the school year, and lived in Telida
only during summer months. A local school was built in the 1970s, but
the population has declined since, and the school has been closed.
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