Minto, Alaska
The federally recognized Native Village of Minto is located on the Tolovana River, off the Elliott Highway, about 138 road miles Northwest of Fairbanks, in Alaska’s Interior. It’s known for world-class pike fishing, vast forested land, abundant resources and a vibrant Athabascan culture. Minto is one of 34 villages within the Doyon region.
The Native Village of Minto was formed around 1903 and was federally chartered by the Indian Reorganization Act on December 30, 1939. The Tribe has over 500 enrolled members and is governed by an elected five-member Minto Village Council, that includes the First and Second Chiefs.
Originally located downriver from Nenana, Alaska on the Tanana River, the Village elected to move to its present location in 1971 due to continued seasonal flooding, The Village population fluctuates between 125 to 200 people. Services include the Minto Northfork Store, owned and operated by Seth De Ya Ah, a medical clinic, a K-12 School (the Minto Lakers), a clean water and sewer system, a power plant (part of the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative), and the Lakeview Lodge that provides overnight lodging for visitors and office space for Tribally chartered businesses.
When Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in 1971, it provided for each Native Village to form an ANCSA Corporation, and the ANCSA Corporation was given settlement lands. Incorporated on July 30, 1973, the ANCSA Village Corporation for Minto is the Seth De Ya Ah Corporation which was given entitlement to the surface estate of 110,000 acres.
