How Deadhorse Got Its Name

Don't usually post this long but several of us have wondered about this so here's the article...

How Deadhorse Got Its Name
From the Prudhoe Bay Journal
By Deborah Bernard

DEADHORSE HOLLERS. Ever wonder how this column got its name? Did you ever wonder how a community in the farthest north oilpatch, devoid of horses, could come to be called Deadhorse?

School children have written to the Prudhoe Bay Post Office asking just this question. Newcomers to the Slope have asked. And this reporter has heard a dozen different stories about the origin of the colorful, yet macabre, name.

Some theorize that a miner rode a horse to this area, and decided to stay. The lack of fillies and the abundance of mosquitoes drove the horse insane. (Hence "Crazyhorse Hotel"). But, soon, a doe-eyed caribou caught the horses fancy, and a "meaningful relationship" between the two delighted the horse. ("Happy Horse Hotel" might be a tribute to the pair). And then, the brutal, merciless winter hit, and the poor horse couldn't survive. Yup, Deadhorse. Nice theory, but I don't believe it.

Another story in recent circulation cites a cheechako who somehow wandered into the Beaufort Sea area, found a caribou skull, and mistakenly proclaimed that this sign would be used to name this area: Deadhorse.

Nope, I don't buy it.

Because I have found out the truth, the real origin of the name "Deadhorse" told to me by not one, but three different old-timers who have worked on the Slope since cat train days. Since the days before there were women, roads or flush toilets. And herewith, my dear readers, is the true origin of the name Deadhorse.

Once upon a time, a very famous, very rich man in New York set up a $6 million trust fund for his son. The only catch was this son couldn't collect the money until he was 35 years old. The young heir went to Alaska to do odd jobs and wait until his 35th birthday came. In the meantime he met some people who owned some gravel hauling equipment. He talked the father into co-signing a loan for this company, which despite the sincerity of the owner, was in danger of financial bankruptcy.

So, the father co-signed a loan for this company. Things went from bad to worse. And he found himself in possession of several dumptrucks, pieces of equipment and a hauling company. He put the heir in charge of it, and name it "Deadhorse Haulers."

No at this point, the story branches out into two diversions.

One story says that "Deadhorse Haulers" got its name because, at that time , the trucking company had the contract to haul away dead horses in the Fairbanks area. A summertime contract.

The other story says that the father , disgruntled that he was financially responsible for the ill-fortuned gravel company, said, "I hate to put money into feeding a dead horse." Hence, the name. I like the second story better.

Anyway, Burgess Construction won the contract to build the first airstrip at Prudhoe Bay. Burgess hired Deadhorse Haulers to do the gravel work at the first airstrip. Soon everybody was calling the Prudhoe Bay airstrip "Deadhorse" and the name stuck.

As time went on, the entire area came to be known as Deadhorse. Pilots requesting landing clearance would radio the "Deadhorse Tower."

The name, in fact, may have stuck a bit TOO well. Deadhorse today is the designation for a small community right around the Deadhorse airport. It is the most highly concentrated business area of the whole North Slope, but for Prudhoe Bay to be known as Deadhorse is a bit like New York City being known simply as "The Bronx".

The name persists, nonetheless. The Prudhoe Bay Community Council recently voted to change its name to "Deadhorse Community Council". Proponents cited the color and uniqueness of the name. Opponents thought the name was too restrictive for a group that represents all of Prudhoe Bay and the Kuparuk oilfields as well.

When Prudhoe Bay finally, officially, became a real place on June 3, 1982, with the granting of its own zip code, Elaine Childs, holder of the post office contract in Prudhoe Bay, rejoiced. Her elation was a bit watered down when the new zip code directory came out and listed "Deadhorse AK 99734" and did NOT list Prudhoe Bay at all.

Names are a funny thing, and hard to change. It could be worse, however. When you think of "Jackass Flats Wyoming" and East Podunk," one has to admit that it could be worse.

This reporter, however, will continue to tell her friends and relatives that she works and resides in Prudhoe Bay.

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