 Gakona, Alaska, sits at the confluence of the Copper and Gakona rivers, at Mile 2 on the Tok Cutoff to the Glenn Highway, 15 miles northeast of Glennallen.
Gakona, population 215, is a community that includes a Native village, a federally recognized tribe, a commercial district and a non-Native residential area.
Ahtna Indians have lived in the Copper River basin for 5,000 to 7,000 years. Gakona served as a wood and fish camp, and later became a permanent village.
In 1904, Doyle's Roadhouse was constructed at the junction of the Valdez-Eagle and Valdez-Fairbanks trails, and became an essential stopping point for travelers. There was also a post office, stagecoach station and blacksmith shop.
Some buildings are still standing. Gakona Lodge was built in 1929 and is on the National Register of Historical Places.
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