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St. Paul, Alaska

St. Paul (Tanax̂ Amix̂ or Sanpuulax̂, Сент-Пол) is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is the main settlement of Saint Paul Island in the Pribilofs, a small island group in the Bering Sea. The population was 413 at the 2020 census, down from 479 in 2010. Saint Paul Island is known as a birdwatching haven.

The three nearest islands to Saint Paul Island are Otter Island to the southwest, Saint George slightly to the south, and Walrus Island to the east.

St. Paul Island has a land area of 43 sqmi. St. Paul Island in 2008 had one school (K-12, 76 students), one post office, one bar, one small store, and one church (the Russian Orthodox Sts. Peter and Paul Church), which is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Geography and geology
St. Paul is located at 57.125°N, -170.28417°W (57.133806, −170.266614).

Saint Paul is the largest of the Pribilof Islands and lies the farthest north. With a width of 7.66 mi at its widest point and a length of 13.5 mi on its longest axis (which runs from northeast to southwest), it has a total area of 43 mi2. Volcanic in origin, Saint Paul features a number of cinder cones and volcanic craters in its interior. The highest of these, Rush Hill, rises to 665 ft on the island's western shore, though most of the upland areas average less than 150 ft in elevation. Most of the island is a low-lying mix of rocky plateaus and valleys, with some of the valleys holding freshwater ponds. Much of its 45.5 mi of shoreline is rugged and rocky, rising to sheer cliffs at several headlands, though long sandy beaches backed by shifting sand dunes flank a number of shallow bays.

Like the other Pribilof Islands, Saint Paul rises from a basaltic base. Its hills are primarily brown or red tufa and cinder heaps, though some (like Polavina) are composed of red scoria and breccia. The island sits on the southern edge of the Bering-Chukchi platform, and may have been part of the Bering Land Bridge's southern coastline when the last ice age's glaciers reached their maximum expansion. Sediment core samples taken on Saint Paul show that tundra vegetation similar to that found on the island today has been present for at least 9,000 years. The thick rough turf is dominated by umbellifers (particularly Angelica) and Artemisia, though grasses and sedges are also abundant.

History and culture
The Aleut peoples knew of the Pribilofs long before westerners discovered the islands. They called the islands Amiq, Aleut for "land of mother's brother" or "related land". According to their oral tradition, the son of an Unimak Island elder found them after paddling north in his boat in an attempt to survive a storm that caught him out at sea; when the winds finally died, he was lost in dense fog—until he heard the sounds of Saint Paul's vast seal colonies.

The Pribilofs, named after the Russian navigator Gavriil Pribylov, were discovered in 1786 by Russian fur traders; no Alaska Natives are known to have lived on the island prior to this point. They landed first on St. George on St. Peter and St. Paul's Day, July 12, 1788, and named the larger island to the north St. Peter and St. Paul Island. Three years later the Russian merchant vessel John the Baptist was shipwrecked off the shore. The crew were listed as missing until 1793, when the survivors were rescued by Gerasim Izmailov.

In the 18th century, the Russian-American Company forced Aleuts from the Aleutian chain (several hundred miles south of the Pribilofs) to hunt seal for them on the Pribilof Islands. Before this the Pribilofs were not regularly inhabited. The Aleuts were essentially slave labor for the Russians—hunting, cleaning, and preparing fur seal skins, which the Russians sold for a great deal of money. The Aleuts were not taken back to their home islands; they lived in inhumane conditions, they were beaten, and they were regulated by the Russians down to what they could eat and wear and whom they could marry. Their descendants live on the two islands today.

In 1870, the now-American owned Alaska Commercial Company (formerly the Russian-American Company) was awarded a 20-year sealing lease by the U.S. Government, and provided housing, food and medical care to the Aleuts in exchange for seal harvesting. In 1890, a second 20-year lease was awarded to the North American Commercial Company, however, the fur seals had been severely over-harvested and only an estimated 200,000 fur seals remained. The 1910 Fur Seal Treaty ended private sealing on the islands and placed the community and fur seals under the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries. Food and clothing were scarce, social and racial segregation were practiced, and working conditions were poor.

Saints Peter and Paul Church, a Russian Orthodox church, was built on the island in 1907.

During World War II, as the Imperial Japanese Army threatened the Aleutians; the 881 Aleuts on the Pribilof islands were forcibly removed, with no more than several hours' notice, to internment in abandoned salmon canneries and mines in Southeast Alaska until May 1944. The Aleut men were brought back to the islands temporarily in the summer of 1943 to conduct the fur seal harvest for the federal government, seal oil being used in the war effort. Most Aleuts from the Pribilofs were imprisoned at Funter Bay on Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska. In 1979, the Aleut people from the Pribilof islands received $8.5 million in partial compensation for the unfair and unjust treatment they were subject to under federal administration between 1870 and 1946. In 1983, Congress passed the Fur Seal Act Amendments, which ended government control of the commercial seal harvest and most of the federal presence on the island. Responsibility for providing community services and management of the fur seals was left to local entities. USD$20 million was provided to help develop and diversify the Island economy—USD$12 million to St. Paul and USD$8 million to St. George. Commercial harvesting on St. Paul ceased in 1985. Ownership of fur seal pelts is now prohibited except for subsistence purposes.

Demographics
Saint Paul Island has the largest Aleut community in the United States, one of the U.S. government's officially recognized Native American tribal entities of Alaska. Out of a total population of 480 people, 457 of them (86 percent) are Alaska Natives.

Saint Paul first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as an unincorporated Aleut village. Of its 298 residents, 284 were Aleut and 14 were white. In 1890, it reported with 244 residents. A plurality of 111 were creole (mixed Russian & Native), 108 were Native, 22 were white and 3 were Asian. It did not report in 1900, but from 1910 to 1940, it reported as "Saint Paul Island." From 1950-onward, it has reported as Saint Paul. It formally incorporated in 1971.

As of the census of 2000, there were 532 people, 177 households, and 123 families residing in the city. The population density was 13.2 PD/sqmi. There were 214 housing units at an average density of 5.3 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 85.90% Native American, 12.97% white, 0.56% Pacific Islander, and 0.56% from two or more races.

There were 177 households, out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were married couples living together, 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.44.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.5% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 123.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 125.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $50,750, and the median income for a family was $51,750. Males had a median income of $32,583 versus $29,792 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,408. About 6.4% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Nature and wildlife
Saint Paul Island, like all of the Pribilof Islands, is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Its seabird cliffs were purchased in 1982 for inclusion in the refuge. The island has also been designated as an Important Bird Area.

It is the breeding grounds for more than 500,000 northern fur seals and millions of seabirds, and is surrounded by one of the world's richest fishing grounds.

Woolly mammoths survived on Saint Paul Island until around 5,600 years ago (~3,600 BC), which is the most recent survival of North American mammoth populations. It is thought that this population died out as a result of diminishing fresh water, brought on by climate change making the island more arid, and exacerbated by the erosion of freshwater lakes that the mammoths used for drinking water as a result of mammoth activity.

A mass die-off of puffins at St. Paul Island between October 2016 and January 2017 has been attributed to ecosystem changes resulting from global warming.

Birds
No fewer than 319 species of birds have been recorded on the island. In spring (May through mid-June) and fall (August through October), many rare birds, including Siberian vagrants, may be spotted on the island. The cliffs of Saint Paul, Saint George and Otter Island support large numbers of breeding seabirds, including critical nesting habitat for the very range-restricted red-legged kittiwake. The auk family is well represented here, with horned and tufted puffin, thick-billed and common murre, parakeet, crested and least auklets and ancient murrelet occurring as breeders, and several other species occurring as vagrants or seasonal visitors. Breeding ducks include long-tailed duck, northern pintail, and green-winged teal. Breeding shorebirds include semipalmated plover, the Pribilof subspecies of rock sandpiper, least sandpiper and red-necked phalarope. Breeding landbirds are few, but include insular subspecies of gray-crowned rosy finch and Pacific wren, snow bunting, Lapland longspur, and the occasional hoary or common redpoll, or common raven. Saint Paul Island Tours (part of the TDX Corp.) runs a natural history tourist program to the island of Saint Paul from May through early October, offering interested visitors the chance to explore the avifauna of the island.

Northern fur seals
One of the most notable sights on the island are the northern fur seal rookeries. The Pribilof Islands support about half of the global population, with some of the individual rookeries on Saint Paul Island containing over 100,000 seals. In late May, the male seals begin to arrive and stake out their territories in preparation for the arrival of the females, who typically arrive during the third week of June. The females give birth soon after making landfall, and by mid-July there will be hundreds of young pups around the island. On June 1, the rookeries are closed and remain off limits until mid-October. During the summer these marine mammals may be viewed, by permit, from blinds at two rookeries.

Harbor seals, sea lions, walrus, whales
Harbor seals breed on Otter Island, several miles southwest of St. Paul Island, but nonetheless are often seen off St. Paul shores. Occasionally, Steller sea lions haul out on St. Paul, but usually take refuge in the rookery at Walrus Island, some 10 mi northeast of St. Paul. On extremely rare occasions, grey whales, orcas, and walrus are observed offshore.

Blue fox
The Blue fox is a subspecies of the Arctic fox. Endemic to the island, the fox can be found roaming the hills and climbing the cliffs as it scavenges for food. Though clearly able to capture the occasional gull, foxes near the town prefer to scavenge garbage and explore the fishing docks and Processing Plant. Kits hide under storage containers and gobble a fisherman's offered scraps. Some kits shed their dark color much faster than their siblings and adopt a fluffy white/grey coat by mid-September. Foxes inhabiting areas farther from the human dwellings boast a more aggressive and territorial manner. Edging the fur seal rookeries, the two species cohabit easily.

Reindeer
A large herd of reindeer roam the island. Of domesticated Russian stock, 25 reindeer were introduced to the island in the fall of 1911, but, after a peak of 2,046 organisms in 1938, the number decreased to 8.

Wildflowers
In spring, with the greening of the island, wildflowers begin to decorate the maritime tundra landscape. There are more than 100 species of wildflowers, from the Arctic lupine, with its bluish-purple blossoms, to the glowing yellow Alaska poppy, that can be viewed.

Climate
The climate of St. Paul is Arctic maritime. The Bering Sea location results in cool weather year-round and a narrow range of mean temperatures varying from 19 to 51 degrees Fahrenheit. Average precipitation is 25 in, with snowfall of 56 in. Heavy fog is common during summer months. Lightning and thunder are virtually unheard of. The last time a thunderstorm occurred in St. Paul was on November 8, 1982, which was the first thunderstorm in 40 years.

Saint Paul's climate is strongly influenced by the cold waters of the surrounding Bering Sea, and is classified as polar (Köppen ET) due to the raw chilliness of the summers. It experiences a relatively narrow range of temperatures, high wind, humidity and cloudiness levels, and persistent summer fog. There is high seasonal lag: February is the island's coldest month, while August is its warmest; the difference between the average low temperature in February and the average high temperature in August is only 31.8 F-change. Although the mean average temperature for the year is above freezing, at 35.9 °F, the monthly daily average temperature remains below freezing from December to April. Low temperatures at or below 0 °F occur an average of 4.7 nights per year (mostly from January to March), and the island is part of USDA Hardiness Zone 6. Extreme temperatures have ranged from −26 °F on January 27, 1919, up to 66 °F on August 14, 2020, and August 25, 1987. Winds are strong and persistent year-round, averaging around 15 mph. They are strongest from late autumn through winter, when they increase to an average of nearly 20 mph, blowing mostly from the north. In the summer, they become weaker and blow primarily from the south.

The island's humidity level, which averages more than 80 percent year round, is highest during the summer. Cloud cover levels peak during the summer as well. Although high year-round, with an average of 88 percent, cloud cover levels rise to 95 percent in the summer. Fog too is more common in the summer, occurring on roughly one-third of the days. The island receives about 23.8 in of precipitation per year, with the highest monthly totals occurring between late summer and early winter, when Bering Sea storms batter the island. Snowfall levels are highest between December and March, averaging 61.7 in per year. Other than trace amounts, the period from June to September is generally snow-free. High winds and relatively warm temperatures combine to keep snow levels low, resulting in monthly mean snow depths of less than 6 in. Hours of daylight range from a low of 6.5 hours in midwinter to a high of 18 hours in midsummer.

Facilities and utilities
Water is supplied by wells and an aquifer and is treated. There are two new wooden tanks; one 500,000 gallon and one 300,000 gallon. All 167 homes and facilities are connected to the piped water and sewer system and are fully plumbed. An ocean outfall line was recently added for seafood processing waste. The city collects refuse. The Tribe operates a recycling program which is currently on hold. A landfill, incinerator, sludge and oil disposal site have recently been completed. A new $3million power plant came online in 2000. A small wind turbine provides power and hot water to the village office, but it is not connected to the power grid. Electricity is provided by St. Paul Municipal Electric Utility.

TDX Power's first energy-generation facility was built on St. Paul Island. Completed in 1999, the wind energy-based electric and thermal cogeneration facility was widely regarded as one of the more technologically advanced wind-energy power projects in America. The TDX Power wind/diesel hybrid facility is known for its efficiency and reduction in diesel fuel consumption. The 120 ft-tall turbine is a major point of pride for the ecologically conscious Aleut community of Saint Paul. Two additional units were installed in 2007. Each unit is rated at 225 kW and the blade lengths are 44.3 ft (13.5 m).

Health care
Local hospitals or health clinics include St. Paul Health Clinic. The clinic is a qualified Emergency Care Center. St. Paul is classified as an isolated town/Sub-Regional Center. It is found in EMS Region 2H in the Aleutian/Pribilof Region. Currently the City of St. Paul's Department of Public Safety provides no emergency medical services to residents or visitors on island. Two advanced life support ambulances sit idle at the community clinic due to a lack of staffing and funding provided for by the city.

Education
St. Paul is served by the Pribilof Island School District, headquartered in the city. St. Paul School is attended by 73 students and covers grades K–12.

Economy and transportation
Some of the island's residents stay only part of the year and work in the crab and boat yards. The large boats that have been fishing the Bering Sea offload their fish onto the island and workers prepare them for shipping around the world.

The federally controlled fur seal industry dominated the economy of the Pribilofs until 1985. St. Paul is a port for the Central Bering Sea fishing fleet, and major harbor improvements have fueled economic growth. Trident Seafoods and Icicle Seafoods process cod, crab, halibut and other seafoods in St. Paul. 30 residents hold commercial fishing permits for halibut. Several offshore processors are serviced out of St. Paul. The community is seeking funds to develop a halibut processing facility. Fur seal rookeries and more than 210 species of nesting seabirds attract almost 700 tourists annually. There is also a reindeer herd on the island from a previous commercial venture. Residents subsist on halibut, fur seals (1,645 may be taken each year), reindeer, marine invertebrates, plants and berries.

St. Paul is accessible by sea and air. Most supplies and freight arrive by ship. There is a breakwater, 700 ft of dock space, and a barge off-loading area. A small boat harbor is under construction through 2005 by the Corps of Engineers.

The island has an airport, known as St. Paul Island Airport. RAVN Alaska provides regularly scheduled flights to Anchorage using de Havilland DHC-8-100 turboprop aircraft. There is one asphalt north–south oriented runway that is 6500 ft in length. Runway 36 has an ILS approach system, allowing for instrument approaches during times of fog and low ceilings.

Media
St. Paul is served by KUHB-FM 91.9, an NPR affiliate that broadcasts a wide variety of programming and music. St. Paul also has two low-power translators of the statewide Alaska Rural Communications Service on Channel 4 (K04HM) and Channel 9 (K09RB-D).

Novastoshnah, the northeastern presque-isle of the island, and Lukannon, on the island's south peninsula (see survey map above) are settings of the Rudyard Kipling story "The White Seal" and poem "Lukannon" in The Jungle Book. Walrus Island, visible on the same map off to the east, is also mentioned in the same story.

Point of Interest

 * LORAN-C transmitter Saint Paul

title: St. Paul, Alaska


text:
Unalaska, Alaska

The City of Unalaska (Iluulux̂; Уналашка) is the main population center in the Aleutian Islands. The city is in the Aleutians West Census Area, a regional component of the Unorganized Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalaska is located on Unalaska Island and neighboring Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Islands off mainland Alaska. The population was 4,254 at the 2020 census, which is 81% of the entire Aleutians West Census Area. Unalaska is the second largest city in the Unorganized Borough, behind Bethel.

The Aleut (Unangan) people have lived on Unalaska Island for thousands of years. The Unangan, who were the first to inhabit the island of Unalaska, named it "Ounalashka", meaning "near the peninsula". The regional native corporation has adopted this moniker, and is known as the Ounalashka Corporation. The Russian fur trade reached Unalaska when Stepan Glotov and his crew arrived on August 1, 1759. Natives, Russians and their Alaskan Creole descendants comprised most of the community's population until the mid-20th century, when the involvement of the United States in World War II led to a large-scale influx of people and construction of buildings all along the strategically located Aleutians.

Almost all of the community's port facilities are on Amaknak Island, better known as Dutch Harbor or just "Dutch". It is the largest fisheries port in the U.S. by volume caught. It includes Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base and Fort Mears, U.S. Army, a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Dutch Harbor lies within the city limits of Unalaska and is connected to Unalaska by a bridge. Amaknak Island is home to almost 59 percent of the city's population, although it has less than 3 percent of its land area.

As a result of the town's strong fishing industry, Unalaska has also become notable for its large population of bald eagles, which number in the hundreds and were attracted to the area by human activity.

History

The island of Unalaska was first inhabited by the Aleut people.

Unalaska and Amaknak Islands contained 24 settlements with more than 1,000 Aleut inhabitants in 1759, when the first Russian group under Stepan Glotov came and started trading for three years on Umnak and Unalaska. Between 1763 and 1766, a conflict between the Russian fur traders and the Unalaska Natives occurred; the Aleuts destroyed four Russian ships and killed 175 hunters/traders. In the 1760s, Unalaska was temporarily used as a Russian fur trading post. The post was permanently established in 1774, and was eventually incorporated into the Russian-American Company. It was there that Captain James Cook encountered the navigator Gerasim Izmailov in 1778.

In 1788, the Spanish made contact with the Russians in Alaska for the first time. An expedition by Esteban José Martínez and Gonzalo López de Haro visited several Russian settlements. Their westernmost visit was to Unalaska. On August 5, 1788, they claimed Unalaska for Spain, calling it Puerto de Dona Marie Luisa Teresa.

Alexander Andreyevich Baranov was shipwrecked here in 1790.

In 1825, the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Ascension was built in Unalaska. The founding priest, Ivan Veniaminov, later canonized as Saint Innocent of Alaska, composed the first Aleut writing system with local assistance, and translated scripture into Aleut. Between 1836 and 1840, measles, chicken-pox and whooping-cough epidemics drastically reduced the population; thus, at the end of the decade, only 200 to 400 Aleuts lived in Unalaska.

On October 18, 1867, the United States purchased Alaska, which made Unalaska part of the U.S. territory.

In 1880, the Methodist Church opened a school and a clinic for orphans in Unalaska. Between 1899 and 1905, the Gold Rush brought many ships through Dutch Harbor, where the North American Commercial Company had a coaling station.

During the first half of the century, the island was touched by numerous epidemics, first in 1900, and then in 1919 the Spanish flu touched the island: these contributed to a dramatic decrease of the population in Unalaska.

Fearing the threat from Imperial Japan during World War II, the neutral United States began fortifying Dutch Harbor in 1940, resulting in the construction of the Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base and Fort Mears. Construction finished entirely by September 1941, three months before the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that caused the U.S. to enter the war. On June 3, 1942, the town was attacked by Japanese air forces in the Battle of Dutch Harbor, part of the Aleutian Islands Campaign. After the attack and the Japanese occupations of Kiska and Attu, almost all of the native residents of Amaknak Island were evacuated. Many were held under poor conditions in camps in Southeast Alaska for the duration of the war; a substantial number of the internees died during the imprisonment.

Beginning in the 1950s, Unalaska became a center of the Alaskan king crab fishing industry; by 1978 it was the largest fishing port in the United States. A 1982 crash in king crab harvests decimated the industry, and the mid-1980s saw a transition to bottom fishing.

On October 25, 1977, an extremely intense extratropical system struck the area. A pressure of 926 millibars was recorded at Dutch Harbor, which was the lowest non-tropical pressure ever recorded in the United States until December 31, 2020, when another system struck the islands with a pressure of 924.8 millibars.

Recent history
The city has struggled with problems like alcoholism and unemployment in the past and still does, although the situation has improved in recent years. One example is the Elbow Room, a bar which locally, and later abroad, became infamous for its raucousness. It was closed in 2005.

Since 2005, the Discovery Channel's documentary show Deadliest Catch has focused on fishermen who are based in Dutch Harbor.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 212.3 sqmi, of which 111.0 sqmi is land and 101.3 sqmi (47.71%) is water.

Makushin Volcano (5691 ft) is located on the island; it is not quite visible from within the town of Unalaska, though the steam rising from its cone is visible on the rare clear day. By climbing one of the smaller hills in the area, such as Pyramid Peak or Mount Newhall, it is possible to get a good look at the snow-covered cone.

Paleontology
A major find was announced in 2015 after scientists examined a group of giant, tusked, quadruped, marine mammal fossils. The species had been unearthed during excavation for the construction of a school. They are unique, shore dwellers belonging to the extinct order Desmostylia, and possibly related to Proboscidea or Sirenia. A rendition of a group was drawn by Alaskan artist Ray Troll.

Climate
As in all of the Aleutian islands in the south of Akutan Island (32 °F or 0 °C isotherm) the climate of Unalaska is a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc), closely bordering a subarctic climate (Dfc) following the trend of warming have predominates the first one. Even so, other climatic maps present even in group D in the Köppen Classification (even though all months average above freezing), with moderate and fairly uniform temperatures and heavy precipitation. Winters are consistently cold, but relatively mild in comparison to other parts of the state. Summers are cool, with most afternoons only reaching highs of 54 F to  70 F. Fog is often present even when it is not raining. Summer weather is around 5 F-change cooler than Southeast Alaska (Sitka), but the winter temperatures are nearly the same, although despite the higher latitudes of cities such as Sitka and Ketchikan, both of the two cities have warmer winters than Unalaska.

The mean annual temperature for Unalaska is about 41.6 °F, being about 33.0 °F in January and about 53.7 °F in August. The coldest month has been February 1984 with a mean temperature of 22.9 F, while the warmest month was August 2019 at 57.3 F; the annual mean temperature has ranged from 38.0 F in 1916 to 44.1 F in 2016. With about 225 rainy days a year, Unalaska is among the rainiest places in the United States. June through August are markedly the driest months of the year, with very rare thunderstorms. Precipitation is especially heavy from October to February, when frequent, often-intense storms from the North Pacific Ocean cross the area, bringing high to very high winds and heavy precipitation in any form, and sometimes, changing forms (rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow). On average, December is the year's wettest month. Snowfall averages over 81 in per winter season, and can be heavy from December to March.

Unalaska's recorded temperature range is from 82 F in August 1982 to -8 F in January 1986. The coldest daytime maximum recorded is 11 F and the annual mean coldest day is 24 F. The warmest night on record is well above the average daily summer high temperature, standing at 65 F, with the mean for the annual warmest night being 56 F.

Demographics
Unalaska first reported on the 1880 U.S. Census as the Aleut and Creole (Mixed Russian & Aleut) village of Iliuliuk. Of its 406 residents, 230 were Aleut, 162 were Creole (Mixed Russian & Native) and 14 were White. It was the 9th largest community in Alaska. In 1890, it returned as Unalaska with 317 residents. This included a majority of 165 Creoles, 84 Natives, 66 Whites and 2 Asians (the total population included adjacent Dutch Harbor, and 5 docked vessels including the steamers Arago and Dora and schooners Nellie Martin, Pearl and Matthew Turner). In 1900, it reported as Unalaska again, but did not present a racial breakdown. It reported again as Iliuliuk in 1910, but has reported from 1920 onwards as Unalaska. It was formally incorporated in 1942.

In the census of 2010, there were 4,376 people, 927 households, and 533 families residing in the city. There were 1106 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 39% White, 7% Black or African American, 6% Native American, 33% Asian (28% Filipino, 3% Vietnamese, 1% Japanese, 1% Other Asian), 2% Pacific Islander, 7% from other races, and 6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15% of the population.

There were 927 households, out of which 34% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43% were married couples living together, 8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43% were non-families. 35% of all households had individuals under 18 and 5% had someone living who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.2.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 15% under the age of 20, 6% from 20 to 24, 40% from 25 to 44, 36% from 45 to 64, and 3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 194.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 218.7 males.

Economy
The port of Unalaska / Dutch Harbor is the main port and field base for the storied Bering Sea king crab fishery. The Dutch Harbor crabbing fleet is featured in the television show Deadliest Catch, a documentary style show on the Discovery Channel, and Dutch Harbor's facilities and local pub are featured prominently in numerous episodes.

Dutch Harbor has also been the largest fisheries port in the United States, in terms of volume of seafood caught, for nearly every year since 1981. Until 2000, it also ranked first in terms of the dollar value of its catch; since 2000, however, the port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, has outranked Dutch Harbor in that category.

A pilot project in Unalaska / Dutch Harbor, Alaska, is producing fish oil biodiesel from the local fish processing industry in conjunction with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It is rarely economical to ship the fish oil elsewhere and Alaskan communities are heavily dependent on diesel power generation. The local factories process 3.5 million gallons of fish oil annually.

Local government
Unalaska has a council–manager form of government. The mayor is elected at large, and serves a three-year term; his or her powers are mostly ceremonial.

The city council is the legislative body of the city; it is made up of six members, who are elected at large by a direct vote of the city's electorate. They also serve three-year terms. The city council has for its mission to "enact the laws of the city, set the mill rate for property taxes within the city, approve the annual budget for the city, and appropriate funds to provide for city services".

The incumbent mayor is Vincent M. Tutiakoff, Sr. Former mayor Frank Kelty served more terms than any other Unalaska mayor, with a total of six terms over the years.

Unalaska also maintains its own municipal police department.

Legislative representation
Unalaska is located in the Aleutians No. 2 voting precinct, in the 37th election district and Senate district S. The city is represented in the Alaska House of Representatives by Bryce Edgmon, an Independent from Dillingham, and in the Alaska Senate by Lyman Hoffman, a Democrat from Bethel.

Unalaska was home to Carl Moses, who moved there from King Cove in the mid-1960s and was a business and political leader in the community for decades until shortly before his death in 2014. Moses was the longest-serving member in the history of the Alaska House, serving a total of 22 years, from 1965 to 1973 and from 1993 to 2007. He also served under three different political parties, first as a Republican, later switching to Democrat, and also served the majority of one term as a member of the Alaskan Independence Party. The only other Unalaska resident to serve in the legislature was Eric G. Sutcliffe, at the time owner of Stormy's Restaurant. Sutcliffe served a single term in the House, from 1981 to 1983.

Primary and secondary education
As Unalaska is designated a first-class city and located within the Unorganized Borough, it is required under state law to operate its own schools rather than participate in a Rural Education Attendance Area. The Unalaska City School District reported an enrollment of 418 students for the 2018–2019 school year, split roughly evenly between Eagle's View Elementary School (pre-elementary through 4th grade) and Unalaska Jr/Sr High School (5th through 12th grades).

UCSD was voted one of the best 100 school districts in the United States by Offspring Magazine, a Forbes publication. It has also consistently been one of the highest scoring schools in Alaska in both the Standards-based exams and Alaska Exit Exam. In 2006, the Alaska Association of School Boards awarded the school district with the Outstanding School Board Award and Superintendent of the Year award.

Unalaska Headstart also serves the community's pre-elementary education needs.

Previously the Aleutian Region School District, which serves rural areas in the western Aleutian Islands, had its administrative headquarters in Unalaska; the school board's mailing address was in Unalaska.

Tertiary education
The University of Alaska Fairbanks also has a campus in Unalaska, the University of Alaska, Aleutian Pribilof campus. This college is part of the College of Rural Alaska network and offers both conventional classroom and distance classes. It offers university classes, community workshops, local courses, as well as dual credit for high school students.

11% of Unalaska residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree.

Transportation
Unalaska is connected to the rest of the state by air via the Unalaska Airport, a 4500 by paved runway owned by the state of Alaska, from which daily flights are scheduled. These flights consist of turboprop service to and from Anchorage. A seaplane base is also available. In 2002, the state of Alaska changed the name of the airport to "Tom Madsen Airport", after a bush pilot killed in an accident that year, although the FAA still uses the airport's original name.

The Alaska Marine Highway operates once every two weeks from Kodiak between April and October. Out of the ten major docks in Unalaska, three are operated by the city. A World War II sub dock was refurbished and now offers ship repair services.

There are approximately 7 mi of paved road, and 38 mi of road total in Unalaska. According to traffic counts taken by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, the most heavily traveled roads in Unalaska are Airport Beach Road between 5th Street and East Point Road, 5th Street between Broadway Avenue and Airport Beach Road, and Broadway Avenue between 5th Street and Steward Road. These roads recorded an annual average daily traffic volume of approximately 3,000 cars.

Churches

 * Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Ascension of Christ, oldest Russian Church in the United States, built 1825
 * Saint Christopher-By-The-Sea Catholic Church
 * United Methodist Church-Unalaska
 * Unalaska Reformed Church Southern Baptist Convention
 * The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

International relations
Unalaska has been twinned with Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia since 1990.

Articles

 * The US island that once belonged to Russia: Unalaska Island in the remote Aleutian archipelago was part of an epic, but now mostly forgotten, military campaign during World War II. By John Zada, July 25, 2018, bbc.com.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Unalaska, Alaska


text:
Anchorage (disambiguation)

Anchorage is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska.

Anchorage may also refer to:

Places

 * Anchorage, Kentucky, a city
 * Anchorage, Texas, an unincorporated community
 * Anchorage, Wisconsin, a ghost town
 * The Anchorage, Rhode Island, a former census-designated place

Songs

 * "Anchorage" (song), a 1988 song by Michelle Shocked
 * "anchorage", a song by Relient K from their 2000 self-titled album
 * "Anchorage", a song by Surfer Blood from their 2010 album Astro Coast

Transport

 * Anchorage (maritime), a location where a boat or other vessel lies at anchor
 * Anchorage Depot, a train station in Anchorage, Alaska, US
 * Anchorage tram stop, a station in Manchester, England, in the UK
 * Anchorage-class dock landing ship, a U.S. series of ships

Other uses

 * Anchorage (orthodontics), a technique used in dentistry
 * Anchorage Gateway, a residential skyscraper in Salford Quays, England
 * Anchorage, the cell of an anchorite, a hermit-like medieval monk
 * The Anchorage (Easton, Maryland), a home on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
 * Anchorage Capital Group, an American company
 * Anchorage Capital Partners, an Australian company

title: Anchorage (disambiguation)


text:
Akiachak, Alaska

Akiachak (ACK-ee-uh-chuck; ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Bethel Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 677 in the 2020 census, up from 627 in 2010, and 585 in 2000.

Geography and climate
Akiachak is located at 60.90944°N, -161.43139°W (60.909440, -161.43139), Sec. 36, T010N, R069W, Seward Meridian) in the Bethel Recording District.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 19.5 km2, of which 0.02 km2, or 0.11%, is water.

Akiachak is located on the west bank of the Kuskokwim River in the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, 18 mi northeast of Bethel. The area averages 16 in of precipitation, with snowfall of 50 in. Summer temperatures range from 42 to 62 F. Winter temperatures range from -2 to 19 F.

History and culture
The Yup'ik peoples used this region as a seasonal subsistence site. Called Akiakchagamiut in the 1890 census, the village had a population of 43 then. A post office was established in 1934. It incorporated as a second-class city on February 7, 1974. The city government was dissolved in 1987, in favor of traditional village council governance.

A federally recognized Alaska Native tribal entity, the Akiachak Native Community, is located here. Akiachak is a Yup'ik Eskimo village with a fishing and subsistence lifestyle. It has a strong traditional community, and was the first city in Alaska to dissolve its city government in favor of the Native village government. The sale, importation and possession of alcohol are banned in the village.

Demographics
Akiachak first appeared on the 1890 U.S. Census as the unincorporated native village of "Akiakchagmiut." All 43 of its residents were Native. It returned as Akiachak in 1900. It did not appear again on the census until 1940, when it returned as "Akiachok." It returned in 1950 and every successive census as Akiachak. It formally incorporated in 1974. In 1990, it disincorporated and was assigned the status of census-designated place (CDP).

As of the census of 2000, there were 585 people, 133 households, and 111 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 86.5 PD/sqmi. There were 150 housing units at an average density of 22.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 3.42% White, 92.31% Native American, and 4.27% from two or more races. 1.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 133 households, out of which 63.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.8% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.40 and the average family size was 4.89.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 44.4% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 14.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 121.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $35,833, and the median income for a family was $35,288. Males had a median income of $31,667 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $8,321. About 16.2% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 34.8% of those age 65 or over.

Currently half of the village is hooked up to a plumbing system. The village is currently working to write a grant in order to receive federal funding to plumb the rest of the village who still use honey buckets and must get their water from the river, rain, or snow. The village would like to purchase an incinerator and use the waste heat for public buildings. Electricity is provided by Akiachak Native Community Electric Co. There is one school located in the community, attended by over 200 students each year and growing. Local hospitals or health clinics include Akiachak Health Clinic. Akiachak Health Clinic is a Primary Health facility - they do not have authorization to prescribe drugs, give birth control, or handle much more than colds, small cuts, or routine strep throat treatment which is pervasive in the community. Most live births, birth control, injury, or serious illness will be referred to the Bethel hospital or patients may be air lifted to Anchorage in serious cases. Akiachak is classified as an isolated village. It is found in EMS Region 7A in the Yukon/Kuskokwim Region. Emergency Services have river and air access. Emergency service is provided by a health aide.

Economy and transportation
The majority of year-round employment in Akiachak is in education and other public services. The Yupiit School District, which serves both Akiachak and nearby Tuluksak, has its headquarters located in the community. As part of the district’s curriculum, students can take part in substance harvesting and moose hunts, in order to learn the traditions of the Yupiit communities.

Residents rely on seasonal employment such as commercial fishing, construction and BLM fire-fighting. 70 residents hold commercial fishing permits, and some work at canneries in Bristol Bay. The community is developing a fish processing facility and freezer. Subsistence activities provide most food sources. Poor fish returns since 1997 have significantly affected the community.

Akiachak Airport, a state-owned 1649 ft long by 40 ft wide gravel airstrip and public seaplane facilities, provides scheduled and chartered services year-round to Akiachak. Relocation of the Akiachak Airport is planned for the future. Boats, snowmachines and ATVs are used extensively by locals on the Kuskokwim River. A winter trail exists to Bethel (19 mi). Barges deliver bulk fuel and supplies during the summer.

title: Akiachak, Alaska


text:
Akiak, Alaska

Akiak (ACK-ee-ack) is a city in Bethel Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 462 at the 2020 census, up from 346 in 2010. It is the home of the Akiak Native Community.

Geography and climate
Akiak is located at 60.91°N, -161.21833°W (60.912220, -161.21389) (Sec. 32, T010N, R067W, Seward Meridian), on the west bank of the Kuskokwim River, 42 mi northeast of Bethel, on the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta. Akiak is located in the Bethel Recording District.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.1 sqkm, of which 5.4 sqkm is land and 2.6 sqkm, or 32.58%, is water. Precipitation averages 16 in in this area, with snowfall of 50 in. Summer temperatures range from 42 F to 62 F. Winter temperatures range from -2 F to 19 F.

History and culture
In 1880, the village, then known as Akkiagamute, had a population of 175. The current name Akiak means "the other side," since this place was a crossing to the Yukon River basin during the winter for area Yupiit. The community established a post office in 1916. The U.S. Public Health Service built a hospital in the 1920s. The city was incorporated in 1970. Akiak is a Yup'ik village with a reliance on subsistence and fishing activities.

Akiak Native Community
The Akiak Native Community is a federally recognized Alaska Native tribe located in Akiak.

Demographics
Akiak first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as the unincorporated Alaska Native (Inuit) village of "Akkiagamute." All 175 residents were Inuit. In 1890, it returned as "Akiagamiut" with 97 residents (all Alaska Native). It did not appear on the census again until 1920, then as Akiak. It has returned in every successive census. It formally incorporated in 1970.

As of the census of 2000, there were 309 people, 69 households, and 54 families residing in the city. The population density was 157.2 PD/sqmi. There were 76 housing units at an average density of 38.7 per square mile (14.9/km$2$). The racial makeup of the city was 4.85% White, 92.88% Native American, and 2.27% from two or more races. 0.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of Akiak's 69 households, 53.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 20.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.48 and the average family size was 5.24.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 43.4% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 14.6% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females, there were 122.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,250, and the median income for a family was $36,875. Males had a median income of $21,875 versus $11,667 for females. The per capita income for the city was $8,326. About 25.0% of families and 33.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 6.7% of those 65 or over.

Public services
A new well-water treatment plant and storage tank were recently completed. The school and clinic are connected directly to the water plant. Individual wells, septic systems and plumbing were installed in 14 HUD homes during 1997. Sewage disposal is currently by septic tanks, honey buckets or privies, but major improvements are underway. A piped water and gravity sewer system is under construction, with household plumbing. 67 homes need water and sewer service. Most residents are dependent upon the washeteria for laundry and bathing. The city provides septic pumping services. Electricity is provided by the city of Akiak. There is one school located in the community, attended by 99 students.

The city is currently home to the world's third largest museum of taxidermy. Local hospitals or health clinics include Edith Kawagley Memorial Clinic (907-765-7125). Edith Kawagley Memorial Clinic is a Primary Health Care facility. Akiak is classified as an isolated village; it is found in EMS Region 7A in the Yukon/Kuskokwim Region. Emergency services have river and air access and are provided by a health aide.

Economy and transportation
The majority of the year-round employment in Akiak is with the city, schools or other public services. Commercial fishing or BLM fire-fighting also provide seasonal income. Twenty-seven residents hold commercial fishing permits. The community is interested in developing a fish processing plant and tourism. Subsistence activities are important to residents. Poor fish returns since 1997 have significantly affected the community.

The airport has a gravel runway in good condition, measuring 3196 ft long by 75 ft wide, at an elevation of 30 ft. The strip provides chartered or private air access year-round. Arctic Circle Air Service, Grant Aviation, and Hageland Aviation offer passenger flight service. Snow machines, ATVs, and skiffs are used extensively for local transportation to nearby villages. There are no docking facilities.

The town has no sales tax, property tax, or special taxes. The sale or importation of alcohol is banned in the village.

Notable people

 * Nora Guinn (1920–2005), judge

title: Akiak, Alaska


text:
Talk:Electric chair

Was Alphonse Rockwell the inventor?
These cites –, , , - suggest he was, but they may be simply repeating urban myths. -- JackofOz (talk) 02:13, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

 * AKA Alphonso Rockwell. --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  22:09, 20 February 2014 (UTC)

 * Been working on a cleanup and, as Prez Clinton would say, "I feel your pain". The running count of electric chair inventors is: Alfred P. Southwick, Thomas Edison, Harold P. Brown, Arthur Kennelly, Edwin Davis, Harry L. Tyler, Alphonse David Rockwell, Dr. Carlos Frederick MacDonald, and Dr. George E. Fell. It looks like Southwick came up with the idea, allot of people in the middle did experiments to make sure they wouldn't simply set someone on fire with the thing (and a few said "Lets screw Westinghouse while we are at it"), and George E. Fell drew up the final design. Can always do some double checking. Fountains of Bryn Mawr (talk) 20:25, 25 August 2015 (UTC)

 * Thanks for that. --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  20:37, 25 August 2015 (UTC)

Fix the map
Someone needs to fix the US map. The parts are divided into the different colors stating which states still use it, which states used to use it, and which states carry it as an option. Arkansas is highlighted as a state that has it as an option. Not true. Arkansas passed into law on July 4, 1983 that inmates sentenced prior to that date can choose between electrocution & lethal injection. Only two inmates were sentenced before that date. One (John Swindler) chose electrocution and was executed in 1990. The other (Lawrence Singleton) chose lethal injection and was executed in 2004. A report from the Arkansas Attorney General from 2004 stated that with Singleton's execution, the electric chair is now obsolete in Arkansas. It's not an option there anymore, so someone needs to fix the map —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.29.18.150 (talk) 08:58, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

Date of committee formation?
This page says 1887, but the Harold Brown page says 1886. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.103.92.59 (talk) 06:55, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

Eight or eighty?
The article writes:"In all, the entire execution took approximately eight minutes. Westinghouse later commented: "They would have done better using an axe." A reporter who witnessed it also said it was "an awful spectacle, far worse than hanging."" I read in some sites that, this first execution took more than eighty minutes, was terrible and full of torture.Agre22 (talk) 23:03, 19 March 2009 (UTC)agre22

 * All the references I've found support the eight minute time. Do you have a link for references that refer to eighty minutes? That time seems... excessive, and may be just a typo or transcription error. - EronTalk 17:26, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

You could improve this a little
I think I could put a good picture of an electric chair if I were to edit this. --Umeshictmaahixc (talk) 02:51, 1 April 2009 (UTC)Sayer Stewart

The electric chair was the first electrical device built to kill animals, specifically humans, other devices were built to slaughter animals later & other devices were eventually built to make people more submissive & easier to control, like television & computers which were no doubt an evolution of the electric chair. (This stub should be in the History section) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.170.174.203 (talk) 03:12, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

Almost no citations
Half the claims of people who have been killed by electric chair are unreferenced. This article really needs to be cleaned up, maybe we should tag it? --Daj12192 (talk) 20:03, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Date of Nebraska Ruling?
"On February 8, 2008, the Nebraska Supreme Court determined that execution via the electric chair was "cruel and unusual punishment" under the State's constitution. This brought executions of this type to an end in Nebraska, the only remaining state to retain it as its sole method of execution."

then at the very bottom of the page:

"On February 15, 2008, the Nebraska Supreme Court declared execution by electrocution to be "cruel and unusual punishment" prohibited by the Nebraska Constitution.[10]"

Am I right in presuming the second to be true? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kamerad (talk • contribs) 15:52, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

Churchill quote
Does that really belong in there? I would be reasonably certain he was joking (given the lease-lend comment and Churchill's sense of humour), I doubt that the cabinet ever seriously contemplated using the electric chair to execute Hitler. Wheatleya (talk) 19:26, 6 March 2010 (UTC)

unique to USA (and Phillipines)/national character of execution methods/proposed article
That execution methods are often associated with a particular country is interesting and worth discussing, perhaps altho where?

I think beheading via Guollitine (sp) was used primarily in France and Germany (but only during WWII?) I think is also true.

Somehow, despite England's history of beheading in olden times, it seems like that is the sort of method that would not have been accepted there during the 20th century.

My proposed article would discuss whether certain methods were proposed and, especially, whether legal but never used.--Jrm2007 (talk) 21:49, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

Lacking technical detail
I'd like to see more of the science behind the electric chair. Voltage and current patterns, timings, electrode placement... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.161.3.225 (talk) 01:44, 17 June 2010 (UTC)

 * Do the research and post the results. Cheers, Rico402 (talk) 04:26, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

NOT an option in Arkansas
I added in the discussion years ago that electrocution is no longer an option in Arkansas. Seems what I typed was erased by some douchebag. Well here's proof: http://www.adc.arkansas.gov/pdf/reports/2004_annual_report.pdf Go to page 6 and read this: "A Legislative act in 1983 made lethal injection the State's sole method of execution. However, inmates who were sentenced to death before the law was adopted will be given the option of choosing lethal injection. Singleton was the final inmate to have that option. After Singleton’s execution, the State’s electric chair officially became obsolete."

Nowhere does Arkansas law state that electrocution is to be used in case lethal injection is ruled unconstitutional. The above quote was taken by a report that was sent to then Governor Mike Huckabee. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.99.254.70 (talk) 17:39, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

Botched electrocutions
This is just not consistent:

"A 1903 execution at Sing Sing was the last reported botched electrocution. Fred Van Wormer was electrocuted and pronounced dead...."

"In 1946, the electric chair failed to execute Willie Francis, who reportedly shrieked 'take it off! Let me breathe!' as he was being executed...."

"Recorded incidents of botched electrocutions were prevalent after the national moratorium ended January 17, 1977; Two in Alabama, three in Florida, one in Georgia, one in Indiana and three in Virginia. All five states now have lethal injection as the default method if a choice isn't made."

Should not the first quoted read:

"A 1903 execution at Sing Sing was the first reported botched electrocution." ???

Moletrouser (talk) 20:44, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT?

How could this not possibly qualify as cruel and unusual? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.40.220.253 (talk) 23:40, 22 September 2011 (UTC)

Incorrect science
The section about Edison and AC/DC is completely backwards. Edison promoted DC, not AC. AC is transport efficient; not inefficient. See, e.g, Edison's page, which has all the correct facts with citations. This section also refers to someone in 1699(!) suggesting the use of electric current to execute prisoners based on observations of a drunk touching a power line. There certainly were not any power lines in 1699. 76.184.7.83 (talk) 05:05, 24 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Everything you said is valid, I've also noticed all that and made changes or marked those facts accordingly. You could have done the same, Be Bold ;) --Arny (talk) 22:43, 24 February 2012 (UTC)

Current use in Iran
Is there an evidence for any occurrence of execution with electric chair in Iran? I live in Iran and I never heard about such thing. So unless there is an actual evidence please remove Iran from the list. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.127.64.11 (talk) 18:27, 24 November 2012 (UTC)

What is the American apologetic?
How does USA, the supposed beacon of democracy, explain its using this cruel, barbaric method of execution in 21st century? Why is electric chair still being used in USA, in 21st century?--24.203.108.54 (talk) 06:50, 11 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Do you have suggestions about improving the article, or is this just a soapbox? —  The Hand That Feeds You :Bite 14:45, 11 May 2014 (UTC)

'subjected to with 1700 volts'
Who wrote this gibberish? The whole article seems to be patchwork of bad grammar and unsubstantiated facts, nor worthy of Wikipedia.188.230.252.221 (talk) 21:23, 30 May 2015 (UTC)

Early history pretty much wrong
The electric chair was not "created by employees of Thomas Edison during the War of Currents", the New York "committee" was 1886, not 1881, Brown was not an employee of Thomas Edison, the electric chair was designed throughout the 1880s, mostly by Southwick and company, it was not designed at West Orange. Also not sure how the lead got narrowed down to the Philippines. The "Edwin Davis and Harry L. Tyler" claim seemed dubious, I could only find reliable reference to one (Davis). I have edited these sections to more reflect reliable sources. Fountains of Bryn Mawr (talk) 16:14, 17 August 2015 (UTC)

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Map of Usage in the US
Michigan, Wisconsin and Maine should be a different color as those states abolished capitol punishment prior to the invention of the electric chair, and were therefore not executing people by any method when it became available. By sharing a color with states that never used the electric chair, but used other methods, it falsely gives the impression they were doing likewise and that capitol punishment was universally applied across the country,Catsmeat (talk) 09:03, 7 May 2018 (UTC)
 * Why is Alaska yellow in this map, when as far as I can tell it does not have the death penalty, and never has since its inception as a state? 82.38.88.187 14:32, 23 August 2018 (UTC)

Volt is not a unit of current
"The first 17-second passage of 1,000 volts AC of current through Kemmler caused unconsciousness" Volts are not current. Amps are current. How many amps passed through him? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:154:C300:478A:F9DC:6E96:7FCD:3557 (talk) 00:47, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

Anyone want to be my chair?
In the 1880s arc lighting was invented and due to people being killed by electricity they came up with the idea to invent the electric chair.

In the 1990s the internet was invented, and due to its clever way of storing and accessing data they came up with AI. Within 20 years they will have invented the ability to transfer this data through faster networks than man ever thought possible.

By 2035 they will realise they made the biggest mistake by not supporting free will.

By 2045 they will try to reverse the processes of technological evolution.

By 2055 human civilisation as we know it will be extinct.

Question. Should they have invented electricity? 22CenturionFox (talk) 03:46, 6 January 2020 (UTC)

 * This isn't a forum. Find someplace else to spout your nonsense.𝓦𝓲𝓴𝓲𝓹𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓪𝓘𝓼𝓝𝓸𝓽𝓟𝓮𝓮𝓻𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀𝓮𝓭-𝓟𝓮𝓮𝓻𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀𝓮𝓭𝓜𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓼𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀𝓮𝓭𝓑𝔂𝓟𝓮𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓞𝓷𝓵𝔂 (talk) 21:12, 12 July 2021 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
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"Process and mechanism" section has a lot of problems
I didn't want to make any edits to the section without writing something here first.

Aside from the problems brought up in the notice calling for more reliable medical sources, the protocol outlined in that section does not apply to every single state that electrocutes (or used to electrocute) inmates. Some states, like Nebraska and Tennessee, would just use relatively short but massive applications of electricity, rather than using one massive application followed by a milder application. The section also only mentions volts, and nothing about amperes. Also, the section cites the ClarkCountyProsecutor website; I didn't think that was an acceptable source.

Lastly, I'm not 100% comfortable with the "Process and mechanism" section not having any information about the fact that the electric chair, or any deliberate application of powerful electricity, has never been reliably proven to render an inmate unconscious. There are some cases of inmates who were provably conscious during their executions (not only Willie Francis, either). The "Controversies and criticism" section has a lot of information about how electrocution does not guarantee unconsciousness, even if that is the stated intention, and I feel that a good amount of that information would be relevant to the "Process and mechanism" section instead. Afddiary (talk) 14:35, 25 June 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Electric chair