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Additional Information pages for Prince of Wales Island
132° 23' W Longitude - 55° 32' N Latitude
Kasaan is situated on the east side of Prince of Wales Island on
Kasaan Bay, 30 miles northwest of Ketchikan. Access is by Forest Service and State Road, float plane, and boat.
History:
Originally Tlingit territory, Kasaan gets its name from the Tlingit
word meaning "pretty town." Haidas migrated north from the Queen
Charlotte Islands in the early 1700s to the Island and established
the village now known as "Old Kasaan," 7 miles south on Skowl Arm.
In 1892 the Copper Queen mine, camp, sawmill, post office and store
were built on Kasaan Bay, and the Haida people relocated to this
new village. In 1902 the first salmon cannery was constructed in
Kasaan. The cannery burned in 1907, 1910 and again in 1911, but
was rebuilt each season. The cannery operated sporadically until
1953. During this time, Kasaan had a school, three stores, a Presbyterian
Church and other businesses. Chief Sonihat built the Whale House,
a traditional long house which became the focus of the new Kasaan
Totem Park, established during the 1930s. Many of the totems left
from the old village site were moved to the park in 1938. Kavilco,
Inc., the local village corporation, purchased the old cannery buildings
and property in 1974, and in 1980 removed the cannery buildings.
Remnants of the historical Karta River village and petroglyphs lie
north of the city, and the Old Tom Creek village and fort lie south
of the city.
Today, Kasaan was traditionally a Haida village, but the population
has become mixed, with Haidas, Aleuts, Eskimos and non-Natives.
Subsistence activities are a major contributor to villagers' diets.
Most villagers participate in subsistence or recreational activities
for food sources, harvesting deer, salmon, halibut, shrimp and crab. With the addition of tourism, the mainstays of that economy is fishing, mining and logging.
Additional Information pages for Prince
of Wales Island
Things to do:
Totem Park and Whale Clan House: park by the Community Hall and hike the 15 minute trail
Boardwalk connecting the habor and waterfront road, beachcombing, photography, hiking, wildlife viewing and fishing opportunities.
Provide us with more information/photo of this community: Click here
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