Candle, Alaska facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Candle
Populated Place
Candle City, September 30, 1903
Candle, Alaska Location in Alaska
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Borough	Northwest Arctic Borough
Elevation	13 ft (4 m)
Time zone	UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-8 (AKDT)
Area code	907
GNIS feature ID	1412708

Candle is a small community in Alaska, a state in the United States. It's located in the Northwest Arctic Borough. The local Iñupiaq people have different names for it, like Kialukuwik and Masrutuuq.

Candle sits on the west bank of the Kiwalik River, right where Candle Creek joins it. It started around 1901 as a place where people came to dig for valuable minerals, like a "mining camp." It got its name from the nearby creek. A post office was set up there in 1902.

History of Candle

Candle is famous as the birthplace of Ray Mala, a well-known Native American actor. He was born in 1906 on a very cold day, two days after Christmas. Even though there was a hospital in Candle, he was born in a traditional Inupiaq sod house. His grandmother and a niece helped deliver him.

In 1908, Candle was a very important spot for a big dog sled race. This race was called the All Alaska Sweepstakes. It was started by John Skyles Beltz and Allan "Scotty" Alexander Allan. The race covered about 408 miles (657 km). It started in Nome, went all the way to Candle, and then the mushers and their dog teams raced back to Nome. Candle was the halfway point!

Candle's Population

Candle first appeared in the U.S. Census records in 1910. It was listed as a small village. The population was counted until 1960. Even though it's not completely empty today, it hasn't had its own separate population count since 1960.