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Council
 Council
is located at the terminus of the Nome/Council road, 60 miles northeast
of Nome. It lies on left bank of the Niukluk River. It lies at
approximately 64° 54' N Latitude, 163° 40' W Longitude (Sec. 11, T007S,
R025W, Kateel River Meridian). The community is located in the Cape Nome
Recording District. The area encompasses 22 sq. miles of land and 0 sq.
miles of water.
Historically, this was a fish camp for
the Fish River Tribe, who originally lived 12 miles downstream.
Council's history is synonymous with the gold rush period. Gold was
first discovered in the area by Daniel B. Libby and party in 1897. By
1898, there were 50 log houses. The gold found at Ophir Creek was the
second richest claim in the world. During the summers of 1897-99, the
population of "Council City" was estimated at 15,000. It had a hotel,
wooden boardwalks, a 20-bed hospital, a post office and numerous bars.
The discovery of more gold at Nome in 1900 caused many of the boomers to
leave Council. However, the population during 1910 was 686. The
depletion of gold, the flu epidemic of 1918, the depression, and World
War II all contributed to the decline of the population. By 1950, only
nine people remained. The post office was closed in 1953. Today, the
community is not occupied year-round.
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