Taral

Taral village is located on a sloping bluff on the north side of Taral Creek where the Copper River begins to narrow into Wood’s Canyon. Taral served as a village, occupied by Ahtna Athabascans, where families would congregate to fish for salmon and trap through the spring, summer and fall months, before disbanding and moving to the headwaters of streams to hunt and trap for the winter. Based on historical accounts, the village was probably first visited by Russian explorers in 1819 as part of the Klimovsky expedition. Russian American Company, and later Alaska Commercial Company, personnel continued to have contact with the residents of the village. Russian traders established an odinochka, small trading post, at Taral, where in 1848, the Ruf Serebrennikov party wintered at and began their exploration further up the Copper River drainage. By 1885, Lieutenant Henry Allen observed the remains of the odinochka was fallen to disrepair, but families still congregated at the fishing village.

"At Camp 32, one mile north of T[a]ral" USGS ID: sfc00116: Schrader Collection.

     

Metal artifacts recovered from the Taral site (Photo by UAMN).

 

Organic artifacts from Taral (Photo by UAMN).

 

3D artifacts may be downloaded. You must have Adobe Reader to view these files.
Shotgun casing
Iron point
Barbed antler point