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History · Chefornak

Chefornak’s post office opened in 1961

Most of Chefornak was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1954 on, and the census since 1950.

1961first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Chefornak’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Chefornak began

When was Chefornak founded?

1961

The Chefornak post office opened in 1961, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1974.

First census: 106 in 19502020 census: 50665 years
Founding year: the first Chefornak post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1974.

What stands out about Chefornak’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Chefornak’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Chefornak’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCFK-b: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Chefornak, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Chefornak yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Chefornak (Central Yupik: Cevvʼarneq) is a rural city in Bethel Census Area, Alaska, United States. As of the 2020 census, Chefornak had a population of 506.

Its first post office opened in 1961. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 418 to 506 (+21%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Chefornak, 1954 to 1996

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1961Post officeThe Chefornak post office opens
  4. 1996In the archiveCFK-b
By decade

Chefornak, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
CFK-b1996CFK-b
Today5 recent
Bob Lynn2013Bob LynnChefornak2008ChefornakCatherine of Siena church Alaska2006Catherine of Siena church AlaskaCYF plane22006CYF plane2CYF airport2006CYF airport
On the map

Chefornak on the map in 1954

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Chefornak.

Chefornak on the 1954 USGS map1954Baird Inlet A-7 sheet · 1:63,360

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Chefornak.

People over time

Chefornak, census by census

01002003004005001960198020002020506

Grew from 106 people in 1950 to 506 in 2020, 4 times over.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Chefornak’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Chefornak

Nobody well known was born in Chefornak itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
L
Lena AttiNative Alaskan artist and expert grass weaver · b. 1926
J
John AngaiakYupik singer-songwriter · b. 1941
Places that used to be

Old corners

Chefornak’s post office has been open since 1961.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Chichinak

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Chefornak’s history

What year was Chefornak founded?

The Chefornak post office opened in 1961, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1974.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.