Deering Alaska From Cape Deceit June 22, 2011 by Ella Derbyshire

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Deering is a small community on the south shore of Kotzebue Sound near the mouth of the Inmachuk River. Before there was a permanent community here, the Inmachukmiut used this area seasonally.

NANA's web site says that people began staying here year round after missionaries built a school on the spit. I am told that the school came in the late 1800's.

Another source says that Deering was placed here 1901 as a supply station for the gold mines that operated further inland on the Seward Peninsula. Certainly mining and missionaries greatly influenced the history of this little hamlet.

Like many other northern Alaska communities, there are no roads to Deering. People can get here by boat during the few months when the sound is navigable. In winter, snowmobiles traverse flagged trails from Buckland, Shishmaref, Nome, and Candle, which are on the Seward Pennsula. There is also a flagged winter trail across the sound to Kotzebue. Air service between Deering, Kotzebue and Buckland is available year round.

The sound is quite deep here, and barges bring cargo in the summer. Air freight service is available year round.

You might wonder, with frozen ground most of the year, how do people get water? Water is pumped from the Inmachuk river and stored in a 400,000 gallon storage tank, which is visible in this panorama. Throughout the year, the water is trucked from the large tank to the houses which use a vacuum flush system to conserve water. There is a washeteria in town with shower and laundry facilities.

The 29 images of this panorama were photographed with a Canon EOS 5 Mark II and stitched with AutopanoGiga.

Oh. It is a long walk back to town. Has anyone seen my Honda?