Information About

Ikpikpuk River

Quick Facts

Open in The Map

Location

70 ° 49' 25" N,
154 ° 18' 9" W

Region

North Slope

Nearest City

Utqiagvik

Wildlife

Chum Salmon, Pink Salmon, Arctic Cisco, Broad Whitefish, Humpback Whitefish, Least Cisco

Ikpikpuk River in Detail.

About

formed by Kigalik River and Maybe Creek, at 692045N1544230W, flows N to Smith Bay, Arctic Plain. 195 miles long.

History

Eskimo name (Ikpikpak) meaning "big cliff or bank," originally reported by Lieutenant Ray (1885, p. 55, map), U.S. Army (USA), as Ikpikpun and Ikpikpung and described as the "Third large river east of Point Barrow." Ensign W. L. Howard, U.S. Navy (USN), traveled along this stream on his trip from the Kobuk River to Point Barrow in the spring of 1886, and reported the Eskimo name as Ikpikpuk, although he also shows the name "Ik-pik-pung River" for a tributary of this stream (Stoney, 1900, p. 73 and map facing p. 66). Leffingwell (1919, p. 93, 96), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), explains that Ikpikpungme is a locative form meaning "at the Ikpikpuk." Lieutenant G. N. Stoney, U.S. Navy (USN), attempted to rename this stream Chipp River, but the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) reapplied the Chipp River to one of the two distributaries of the Ikpikpuk in 1925.

Topo Maps

Teshekpuk D-3 (1955), Teshekpuk D-3 (1955), Teshekpuk (1955), Teshekpuk (1955), Teshekpuk (1955), Teshekpuk (1955), Teshekpuk (1955), Teshekpuk D-3 SE (2016),

Places Near Ikpikpuk River

Areas:

Ikpikpuk River Delta,

Bays:

Smith Bay,

Rivers:

Ikpikpuk River,