Old Bettles
A historical populated place in Yukon-Koyukuk (CA) County, Alaska, recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System.
Location Record
Names and historical notes
Recorded by GNIS. Source wording is retained; these notes have not been independently verified by Forgotten America.
GNIS description
Located on the west bank of the Koyukuk River, 1.6 km (1 mi) downstream (SW) of its junction with the John River, 5.6 km (3.5 mi) east-northeast of Lookout Mountain, Kanuti Flats.
GNIS historical note
Named for Gordon C. Bettles, printer, prospector, and trader who established the trading post and community in 1898 (Kitchener, 1954, p. 156). A post office was established in 1901 and continued intermittently until 1956 (Ricks, 1965, p.7). Following World War II, the residents gradually relocated five miles further east, near the site of a newly-constructed airstrip; this area was incorporated as the City of Bettles in 1985. The last inhabitants of Old Bettles moved out in 1997.
Also recorded as
- Bettles
Source editions and recorded citations
Feature ID 1398910. Description/History extract: August 28, 2026. All Names extract: September 30, 2026. Retrieved October 22, 2026. Only populated fields are displayed.
GNIS citation text may identify a source series rather than a specific page. It is reproduced below without implying that its underlying documents were inspected.
- Text U.S. Board on Geographic Names Geographic Names Post Phase I Board/Staff Revisions 2000-01-01 00:00:00 Board decisions referenced after Phase I data compilation or staff researched non-controversial names.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), Historical Features.