Crooked Creek, Alaska USA
Orthodox Church in America (Russian)
Crooked Creek was first reported in 1844 by the Russian explorer Zagoskin, who recorded the name of the creek as "Kvikchagpak," or "great bend" in Yup'ik, and as "Khottylno," or "sharp turn" in Ingalik Indian. The site was a summer fish camp for the nearby villagers. In 1909, a permanent settlement was established as a way station for the Flat and Iditarod gold mining camps. In 1914, a trading post was established upriver from the creek mouth. A post office was opened in 1927 and a school built in 1928. By the early 1940s, there was a Russian Orthodox Church, St. Nicholas Chapel, and several homes. Gold production continued through the late 1980s, when Western Gold Mining and Exploration went out of business.