Community Profile:

         Population :147

         Borough Name: Denali

         Latitude: 60deg 23min North

         Longitude: 148deg 56min West

         Land Area: 43.7sq miles

Location:

         Cantwell is located on the George Parks Highway at the west end of the Denali Highway, 211 miles north of Anchorage, 150 miles south of Fairbanks, and just 28 miles south of the Denali Park. Cantwell is accessible by road, air, and railroad. Cantwell Heights Property Owners operate an airstrip for public use.

History:

         The Cantwell River was the former name of the Nanana River. The earliest inhabitants of the area were nomadic Indians who trapped, hunted and fished throughout Interior Alaska. Cantwell began as a flag stop on the Alaska Railroad. Oley Nicklie was the first Indian to settle here. When fur prices dropped , he and his two brothers sought work with the railroad.

Present time:

         Cantwell is a mixture off non-Natives and Athabascan Indians. Our economy is based on highway touurism and transportaion, Part-time seasonal construction jobs also provide income. Some of the residents still depend on subsistence hunting, fishing, and trapping.

Climate:

         Snowfall averages 80 inches per year, with annual Temperatures from -70 to 80 thru out the year.