Kougarok River

The Kougarok (Koo-gah-rok) River (Kuuguraq in Inupiaq, lit. little river) is a river on the Seward Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska. Formed by the merger of the two smaller streams Macklin Creek and Washington Creek, the main stem is about 45 miles (72 km) long, flowing generally south from near Taylor Airport.[1] It flows into the Kuzitrin River, which flows west into the Imuruk Basin, connected to the bay of Port Clarence on the Bering Sea.[4]

Kougarok River
Kougarok River
Location of the mouth of the Kougarok River in Alaska
Native name	Kuuguraq
Location
Country	United States
State	Alaska
District	Nome Census Area
Physical characteristics
Source	Confluence of Macklin and Washington creeks
⁃ location	Seward Peninsula
⁃ coordinates	65°41′00″N 164°47′46″W[1]
⁃ elevation	457 ft (139 m)[2]
Mouth	Kuzitrin River
⁃ location	47 miles (76 km) southwest of Imuruk Lake
⁃ coordinates	65°15′23″N 164°33′57″W[1]
⁃ elevation	75 ft (23 m)[1]
Length	45 mi (72 km)[3]

In 1900 the river was reported under the same name as Kugruk River, this was later changed.[3] The river drew gold miners in the early 1900s, though development slowed after World War II. The Nome-Taylor Highway follows the river for much of its course.[4]