We took the name from the Kanuti River that runs thru this valley,. On the oldest maps we have been able to locate it was refered to as the Old Mans River. Originally we thought that the native translation for Kanuti was old man.......but so far our research has only lead us to know that Kanuti does not translate to old man, but is more like "spawning River, due to the many drainages that meet up near the head waters.
The written history of this region is limited.......becasue it was not an area populated by whitemen (or hardlly any one else for that matter) until the Oil Pipeline was built in the early 1970's.
We started with an undeveloped parcel of land along the Dalton Highway. Isloated out on the frozen Tundra we developed slowly. Our first buildings were portable, ATCO Buildings, that we purchased and set up on the property. Originally built for the Oil Companys to house construction workers, these buildings while not very attractive, where specially designed to set up on the tundra with a minimum impact to the environment. Our lodge building actually came from the OldMan Construction Camp.
Living a somewhat subsistance life style, we have trapped, fished, hunted, build our own home, raised and trained sled dogs, not only enjoying the trill of driving dogs across the open tundra of our area, but for a while Brian's was actively racing the dogs.....until we discovered that it was a very expensive habit, and not one compatible to a subsistance life style. We had to decide between the dogs and our life style and our love for the region won out. Our children , living is 4 different state; Alaska, Wisconsin,California and Nevada, are now grown and busy with their own families.
Over the years we found that we really enjoyed visiting with guests and travelers at our gift shop and lodge, sharing with them some of their experiences and giving directions to some of our favorite points of interest. We are preparing to retire and devote their full time attentions to running the business, Arctic Circle Inn.
This summer we will be working on the old homestead, sprucing it up, and doing some repairs and remodeling in order to have the "big house" (that is what we call our Lodge) ready to reopen in the spring of 2005. You can begin booking your reservation now via the internet.
I might note here that we are a remote lodge......We have no phone, we generate our own power, As a result, we can not take Visa, MasterCard or American Express....We can however accept DISCOVER, CASH, OR TRAVELERS CHECKS.
Looking to the future and antisipating retirering within the next couple of years, we plan on traveling in the winter months, as much as possible, visiting their children and other families in the lower 48.
Located just 12 miles from the Arctic Circle we are not only a perfect stopping place for Arctic Circle travelers, we are the only place near the Arctic Circle crossing.
We offer many of the items that travelers are looking for, gifts, hand crafts, snacks and travel food and probably the best cup of coffee and freindlyest hospitality on the road.
We have a rustic old miners cabin build in the tradition of the original settlers to the area that is clean and comfortable and rents for a reasonable price.
(We offer a 10% discount for reservations paid in advance. Our remote location does not allow us the luxury of telephone service. But you can make reservations by email and send your deposit through the usmail to: Arctic Circle Inn P.O.Box 9080, Coldfoot Alaska 99701. Sorry, but again, our remoteness limits us to accepting US currancy, Travel Checks, or Discover Card only.
We are not only one of the few priverate land owners on the Dalton Highway, but the also the only Gift Shop and Lodge at the Arctic Circle
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