Palatka, Magadan Oblast
Coordinates: 60°06′N 150°56′E / 60.100°N 150.933°E
Palatka (Russian: Палатка, lit. tent) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Khasynsky District of Magadan Oblast, Russia, located on the Kolyma Highway, 87 kilometers (54 mi) northwest of Magadan and about 100 kilometers (62 mi) south of Atka. Population: 4,244 (2010 Census);4,888 (2002 Census);10,496 (1989 Census).
The exact date of foundation of the settlement is unclear, although it began at some point in the early 1930s as the area's gold reserves were explored, and a labor camp of the gulag was built here. The first official mention was in June 1932, when the first bridge was built over the Palatka River. In 1937, there were around 3,000 held at the prison settlement. The name Palatka is identical with the Russian word for 'tent', which has been suggested as the origin of the town's name as during the early period of the settlement's history it existed largely as a collection of tents and semi-permanent structures. It is also suggested that the name may come from the Evenk words Palja Atken, meaning 'stony river'.
...
Wikipedia