Barter Island is an island on the Arctic Ocean on the northernmost coast of Alaska near what is now called the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). It is about four miles (6 km) long and about two miles (3 km) wide at its widest point.

In 1953 and 1954, a runway and Distant Early Warning Line radar station were built on the island. Several families settled near the runway and the area around the runway was incorporated in 1971 as the City of .Kaktovik

In 1955, H-21 helicopters, believed to be from the 345^th Troop Carrier Squadron, (Assault, Rotary Wing), Sewart AFB, Tennessee, were airlifted by C-124 Globemaster transport airplanes, to Barter Island, Alaska to assist in the construction of Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line radar sites.

The following photos are submitted by John Rivers:

The DEW Line station was inactivated in 1990 and the station personnel were relieved of duty.

In 1998 Pacific Air Forces initiated "Operation Clean Sweep", in which abandoned Cold War stations in Alaska were remediated and the land restored to its previous state. The site remediation of the radar and support station was carried out by the 611th Civil Engineering Squadron at Elmendorf, and remediation work was completed by 2005.

The airport remains open to support the small settlement at Kaktovik and to provide contractor support access to the military radar site.