Long Island (Alaska)

Last updated
Long Island lies east of Dall Island and forms part of the western boundary of Cordova Bay. US Coast Survey chart detail Cordova1..PNG
Long Island lies east of Dall Island and forms part of the western boundary of Cordova Bay. US Coast Survey chart detail

Long Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska, United States. It lies across the Kaigani Strait from the southern portion of Dall Island and west of the southern part of Prince of Wales Island. Directly to its north is Sukkwan Island. Long Island forms part of the western boundary of Cordova Bay, and has a land area of 116.136 km2 (44.84 sq mi) and was unpopulated at the 2000 census. [1]

Long Island was the site of the Kaigani Haida village of Howkan, [2] once one of the largest Haida villages, [3] which may originally have been a winter residence. During the 19th century it was cited variously as having 300-500 residents. [4] The Haida village of Koianglas (Kweundlas) was also located on Long Island. Additionally there was an old Haida site near Kaigani Point at the southern end of the island. [3]

In the early 19th century maritime fur traders frequented Kaigani Strait on the west side of Long Island, especially American Bay, Datzkoo Harbor, and the Kaigani Harbors on Dall Island facing Long Island, collectively known as "Kaigani", trading with the Kaigani Haida of Long Island, Dall Island, and the greater vicinity. [3] [5]

It was home to a logging camp in the 1980s, including a three-room school house.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1990 198
U.S. Decennial Census [6]

Long Island appeared once on the 1990 U.S. Census as a census-designated place. It was dissolved effective 2000 with the closure of the logging camp. This is not to be confused with the former city of Long Island, which is now within Big Lake.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haida people</span> Indigenous group in British Columbia, Canada

Haida are an Indigenous group who have traditionally occupied Haida Gwaii, an archipelago just off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, for at least 12,500 years.

Hydaburg is a first-class city in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 382 at the 2000 census and 376 as of the 2010 census. The name "Hydaburg" refers to the Haida people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kasaan, Alaska</span> City in Alaska, United States

Kasaan is a city in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 49 at the 2010 census, up from 39 in 2000. The name "Kasaan" comes from Tlingit Kasa'aan, meaning "pretty town".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrangell, Alaska</span> Consolidated city-borough in Alaska, United States

Wrangell is a borough in Alaska, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 2,127, down from 2,369 in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince of Wales Island (Alaska)</span> Island in the United States of America

Prince of Wales Island is one of the islands of the Alexander Archipelago in the Alaska Panhandle. It is the fourth-largest island in the United States and the 97th-largest island in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Archipelago</span> Island group off the southeastern coast of Alaska, United States

The Alexander Archipelago is a 300-mile (480 km) long archipelago in North America lying off the southeastern coast of Alaska. It contains about 1,100 islands, the tops of submerged coastal mountains that rise steeply from the Pacific Ocean. Deep channels and fjords separate the islands and cut them off from the mainland. The islands shelter the northern part of the Inside Passage as it winds its way among them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dixon Entrance</span> Strait on the western Canada–United States border

The Dixon Entrance is a strait about 80 kilometers (50 mi) long and wide in the Pacific Ocean at the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of Alaska and the province of British Columbia in Canada. The Dixon Entrance is part of the Inside Passage shipping route. It forms part of the maritime boundary between the U.S. and Canada, although the location of that boundary here is disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dall Island</span> Island off the southeast coast of Alaska, US

Dall Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago off the southeast coast of Alaska, just west of Prince of Wales Island and north of Canadian waters. Its peak elevation is 2,443 feet above sea level. Its land area is 254.0 square miles (657.9 km2), making it the 28th largest island in the United States. Dall is used economically for fishing and limestone quarrying.

Resolution was a small American schooner, built in the Marquesas Islands in 1793 as a tender for the maritime fur trade ship Jefferson. Later in 1793 she arrived at the Columbia River, becoming the fourth European vessel to enter the river. Cruised between the Columbia River and Clayoquot Sound. In March 1794, Resolution separated from Jefferson. After several brief voyages she was captured and destroyed by Haida chief Cumshewa and his followers in 1794. All the crew but one were killed. The lone survivor was later rescued by the Boston ship Despatch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Muzon</span>

Cape Muzon is a cape located in the Alexander Archipelago of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the southernmost point of Dall Island and the headland marking the northwestern extremity of the Dixon Entrance. The boundary line separating Alaska from Canada runs very close to Cape Muzon, although according to the Alaska Boundary Treaty Cape Muzon is defined precisely as the western end of the so-called A-B Line, part of the Canada–United States border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritime fur trade</span> Ship-based fur-trade system

The maritime fur-trade, a ship-based fur-trade system, focused largely on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. Entrepreneurs also exploited fur-bearing skins from the wider Pacific and from the Southern Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cordova Bay</span> Bay in the Alexander Archipelago of Alaska

Cordova Bay is a bay in the Alexander Archipelago of southeast Alaska. It opens onto Dixon Entrance to the south, between Cape Muzon on Dall Island and Point Marsh. The name Puerto Cordova y Cordova was given by the Spanish explorer Lieutenant Don Jacinto Caamaño in 1792, in honor of Admiral Luis de Córdova y Córdova. The name was published by George Vancouver in 1798.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forrester Island (Alaska)</span>

Forrester Island is an island in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located off the coast of the Alaska Panhandle, near its southernmost portion, 20 miles (32 km) west of Dall Island, in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area. The island is 5.2 miles (8.4 km) long and covers an area of 3.97 sq mi (10.29 km2). It is wooded and mountainous, rising 814 feet (248 m) in elevation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaigani Strait</span> Waterway in Alaska

Kaigani Strait is a waterway in the U.S. state of Alaska, the southern part of the strait between Long Island and Dall Island. The Alaska Native name, as reported by Etolin is 1833, is Kalgan.

American Bay is a waterway in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of Dall Island, facing Long Island across Kaigani Strait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuneah</span> Haida chief

Cuneah, also Gunia, Cunneah, Cunnyha, Cunniah, Coneehaw, Connehaw, Cunneaw (Haida: Gəniyá, was the chief of Kiusta, a town at the northwestern tip of Graham Island during the era of the Maritime Fur Trade in Haida Gwaii off the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. This town was an important port of call for acquiring sea otter skins in the early years of the maritime fur trade. Cuneah seems to have avoided the violence that plagued other Haida chiefs, like Koyah.

Cholmondeley Sound is a deep bay or inlet on the southeast side of Prince of Wales Island, in the Alexander Archipelago of southeast Alaska, in Tongass National Forest and connecting to Clarence Strait. The sound's entrance lies between Chasina Point and Skin Island. It is about 20 miles (32 km) west of Ketchikan, Alaska. Cholmondeley Sound has several bays and inlets within it, including Kitkun Bay, Dora Bay, Brennan Bay, and Sunny Cove. At its western end Cholmondeley Sound splits into two fjord-like inlets: West Arm Chomondeley Sound, about 7.5 miles (12.1 km) long, and South Arm Cholmondeley Sound, about 8 miles (13 km) long. The full length from the entrance of the sound to the head of West Arm is about 16 miles (26 km).

Cloak Bay is a bay in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the west side of Langara Island, between Langara and Graham Island, at the northwestern end of Haida Gwaii. It adjoins Parry Passage, the strait between Langara and Graham Island. There are several islands in Cloak Bay, the largest being Cox Island. Indian Reserves on or near Cloak Bay include Guoyskun 22, on the north side of Cloak Bay, and Kioosta 15, on Parry Passage. The historic Haida village of Kiusta is the main settlement in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaigani (trading site)</span>

Kaigani was a major trading site for maritime fur traders and the Kaigani Haida during the maritime fur trade era of approximately 1790 to 1850. The term was used for a few nearby anchorages near several Haida settlements such as Kasaan. During this time Kaigani was one of the most popular sites for trading vessels on the Pacific Northwest coast. Hundreds of trading vessels, mostly American, visited during this time, mostly seeking sea otter skins to take to China, where they commanded a high price.

References

  1. Long Island: Blocks 3069 and 3070, Census Tract 1, Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area, Alaska United States Census Bureau
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Howkan (historical)
  3. 1 2 3 Hilson, Stephen E. (1997). Exploring Alaska & British Columbia: Skagway to Barkley Sound. Evergreen Pacific Publishing. pp. 56–57. ISBN   094526559X.
  4. "Kaigani Haida Villages". Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  5. Gibson, James R. (1999). Otter Skins, Boston Ships and China Goods: The Maritime Fur Trade of the Northwest Coast, 1785-1841. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. pp. 206–207. ISBN   978-0-7735-2028-8 . Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  6. "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved June 6, 2013.

54°52′16″N132°43′07″W / 54.87111°N 132.71861°W / 54.87111; -132.71861