There is archaeological evidence that Inupiat people have lived at Kotzebue since at least the 1400s. Because of its location, Kotzebue was a trading and gathering center for the entire area. The Noatak, Selawik and Kobuk Rivers drain into the Kotzebue Sound near Kotzebue to form a center for transportation to points inland. In addition to people from interior villages, inhabitants of the Russian Far East came to trade at Kotzebue. Furs, seal-oil, hides, rifles, ammunition, and seal skins were some of the items traded. People also gathered for competitions like the current World Eskimo Olympics. With the arrival of the whalers, traders, gold seekers, and missionaries the trading center expanded.

Kotzebue School in 1906

A United States post office was established in 1899.

Kotzebue School in 1927

Kotzebue, known natively as Kikiktagruk or Qikiqtagruk, which means "a place that is shaped like a long island" in Inupiaq, the language of the Inupiat, which is a reference to the spit. Reindeer herding was introduced in the area in 1897. Although Alaska had caribou, the wild form of reindeer, the domesticated reindeer were brought to Alaska from Asia.

Kotzebue, Alaska in 1929

Friends Missionaries Robert and Carrie Samms, and Anna Hunnicutt, came to Kotzebue in July, 1897. After two years of struggle, the Samms' efforts began to bear fruit. On October 22, 1899, in a village of only 70 people, twenty were taken into the church and five couples married. By June 1900, after only three years of work, 70 members had been enrolled in the church.

Kotzebue in 1930's

The Friends Mission started the first school in Kotzebue. They built a new school building in 1905. The Federal Bureau of Education took over the mission school sometime around 1910. In 1931 control of education among the Natives of Alaska was transferred to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 1972, bilingual programs were introduced in schools. The BIA had control of the school in Kotzebue until 1975. The Kotzebue Community School started a full high school program in 1970.

Front Street in 1960's

Friends School in 1960's

Kotzebue, Alaska in 1966

Kotzebue, Alaska in 1969