Welcome to Coldfoot Camp

Coldfoot was the site of a former gold mining community built here at the turn of the century on the east bank of the Middle Fork Koyukuk River at the mouth of Slate Creek, about 55 miles north of the Arctic Circle. According to historical records, the original town got its name in the summer of 1900 when one wave of green stampeders came this far up the Koyukuk, then got cold feet, turned around, and ran. The settlement consisted of one gambling hall, two roadhouses, two stores, and seven saloons. In about 1912, the miners relocated to Wiseman, about 11 miles north of here. Coldfoot later became a temporary camp built in 1970 to accommodate up to 260 workers during construction of the Alaska State Highway here and up to 450 workers during construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The altitude here is about 1,062 feet.

Coldfoot, Alaska · United States