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Additional Information pages for Prince of Wales Island

133° 38' W Longitude - 56° 15' N Latitude
Port Alexander is located on the southeastern tip of Baranof Island about five miles north of Cape Ommaney and 85 miles south of Sitka. It provides a safe harbor during the gales and storms that frequent Chatham Strait.

Climate:
Port Alexander is in the maritime climate zone, marked by cool summers and mild winters.  Average summer temperatures range from 41 to 55 degrees Far. and from 32 to 45 degrees Far. in winter. Record temperatures range from 4 to 80 degrees Far.. The average total precipitation is 172 inches per year, including 85 inches of snow.

History:
In 1795, the British explorer Capt. George Vancouver, recorded his entry into the cove which is now called Port Alexander. He was looking for Natives to trade with, but found only a deserted village. The site was named in 1849 by Capt. M.D. Tebenkov, Governor of the Russian American colonies. In 1913, salmon trollers discovered the rich fishing grounds of the South Chatham Strait area, and fishermen began using the area as their seasonal base. Two floating processors arrived soon after. By 1916, there was a fishing supply store, a shore station owned by Northland Trading and Packing Company, and a bakery at Port Alexander. Families of fishermen began coming to the community during the summers, and many of the first arrivals lived in tents. Karl Hansen, a Norwegian immigrant, operated a fish-buying station, the Pacific Mild Cure Company. He also sold supplies and fuel, and installed a wireless station. During the 1920s and 1930s, a year-round community had evolved around the prosperous fishing fleet, and houses, stores, restaurants, a post office and a school were constructed. The summer population would swell to over 1,000 people. A soda fountain, butcher shop, dairy, dance hall and hotel were built. Beginning in 1938 fish stocks declined dramatically, and processing became uneconomical. The outbreak of World War II essentially collapsed the town's economy; Karl Hansen left Port Alexander in the late 1940s, after 20 prosperous years and 10 years of struggle, bankrupted. By 1950, 22 residents lived in the town year-round. In the 1970s, State land disposal sales and upswings in salmon stocks enabled new families to build and settle in the community.
Today, Port Alexander is a non-Native fishing community where the sale of alcohol is prohibited, although importation and possession are allowed. Commercial fishing and subsistence uses of marine and forest resources constitute the economic base. The City, school and post office provide the only year-round cash employment and deer, salmon, halibut, shrimp and crab are favorite food sources.