 The original village of Bettles first appeared on the 1930 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village.At that time, it was located on the west bank of the Koyukuk River, a mile west of its junction with the John River .With the construction of the airfield at Evansville 5 miles east, residents began relocating away by the 1940s and the post office closed in 1956.