Gallagher Flint Station Archeological Site

Gallagher Flint Station is an archaeological site in northern Alaska located on a gravel hill overlooking the Upper Sagavanirktok River Valley. The location contains three separate areas with prehistoric stone artifacts spanning different time periods.

The site was discovered in 1970 during Trans-Alaska Pipeline construction and represented the earliest known human activity in Alaska at that time with a date of about 10,540 years ago. Artifacts from later periods were also found at different locations within the site.

The stone tools and their manufacturing techniques reveal the practical skills of early people who moved between Alaska and Siberia. These finds show how ancient inhabitants made and used the objects they needed to survive and hunt.

The site is not open to the public and requires special permits from the State of Alaska for research activities. This protection ensures the archaeological materials remain undisturbed for future study.

Different areas of the site yielded distinct artifact types including hearths and a green chert drill bit from a much later time period. This mix of materials from separate time horizons shows that people returned to and reused this location across the centuries.

GPS coordinates: 69.36667,-148.70000

Latest update: December 14, 2025 17:43