Qinuyang (ki-NEW-yung) is the traditional Sugpiaq name place of South Naknek. The village of South Naknek is a fishing community that was permanently settled at the turn of the 20th century during the advent of Bristol Bay’s commercial salmon fishery in 1890. The village site is believed to date back as far as 6,000 years.
To this day, South Naknek remains home to Alaska’s oldest and longest running fish plant facility, “Diamond NN”, or simply “<NN>”. Many of the village’s residents are descended from those who fled the massive 1912 volcanic eruption of “Novarupta’, the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. Many others are survivors of the 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic which ravaged many villages throughout Bristol Bay.
South Naknek is located 297 miles southwest of Anchorage, on the south bank of the Naknek River. South Naknek it made up of a total of 97.5 square miles, 95.0 square miles of land and 2.5 square miles of water. APC owns a total of 87,010 acres around South Naknek.
South Naknek is a predominant mixture of Aleut (Sugpiaq) and Yupik descendants. According to the census of 2000, there were 137 people, 46 households and 33 families residing in South Naknek with a population density of 1.4 people per square mile. Of those 137 people, 83.94% are Alaska Native/Native American, 13.14% were white, 1.46% Black or African American, 73% Pacific Islander, 2.19 % were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The tiny village of Ugashik is located 369 miles southwest of Anchorage, on the eastern shore of the Ugashik River. The nearby Ugashik Lakes are world renowned for trophy sport fish and are key spawning grounds for seasonal sockeye and coho salmon. The Ugashik Narrows, a unique confluence where the two rivers of the Ugashik Lakes meet are a shallow, narrow river system world famous for its sport fish and recreational activities.
Ugashik is composed of Aleut, Sugpiaq and Yup’ik peoples. The name is a deviation from the traditional name place word “Oogashik”, which was first recorded as a community in 1880. Prior to the pandemic of 1919, Ugashik was once one of the largest villages in the region. Today, Ugashik’s population density is much different. The 2000 census reports the total population of just 11 people and a population density of 0.0 people per square mile. There were 7 households and 2 families. The racial makeup was 72.73% Alaska Native/American Indian, 18.8 % white, and 9.09% from two or more races.
To learn more about South Naknek, purchasing a land use permit or connecting with one of our recreational partner vendors, contact Lands and Resources management at (907)274-2433