Alaska's Exciting Ports of Call
Float-equipped fightseeing plane departs from Juneau cruise docks to view the massive Juneau Icefield. - Mike Miller photo.
An Alaskan Port City Vignette:
Wrangell... Our 'Port of the Month'
Alaska Cruising Report.com
I recall, back in the 1950s when I was a Ketchikan sales rep for Pacific Northern Airlines, my boss told me my next out-of-town sales trip would be to Wrangell.
“You’ll love it,” he said. “It’s a ‘real Alaska’ kind of town.”
Truth to tell, I’ve never quite known what that phrase really means. But before my short first visit to Wrangell ended those many decades ago I knew he was right. It just has that Alaskan feel to it.
For one thing there’s a huge amount of important Alaska history wrapped up in this community. When the first Russian traders first came calling to the area around 1811 Tlingit Native peoples had already been there for centuries. They had already established an important trade route up the nearby Stikine River for the purpose of exchanging goods with Athapascan peoples in the Interior.
Once the Russians arrived they began exchanging trade goods with the Tlingits for valuable furs such as beaver and land otter which the Tlingit people could obtain up the river. Eventually, in 1834, in order to thwart the British Hudson’s Bay Company expansion into the area the Russians even established a fort, Redoubt Saint Dionysius, on the site of the present Wrangell Harbor.
Fast forward a half-decade to 1839. The Russians and the English mended their differences and the fort transferred into English hands with a new name – Fort Stikine. In 1867, with the purchase of Alaska from Russia the fort came into American ownership and became Fort Wrangell until its abandonment in the 1870s along with all other U.S. Army posts in Alaska except Sitka.
Later, in a succession of three gold rushes, the now town of Wrangell survived (sometimes barely) as a supply base and jumping-off-place to Canadian interior goldfields including the Klondike. By the time that stampede had run its course the town had established a more dependable and permanent base with two canneries and a sawmill.
By that time a population of Tlingit Natives, under
the direction of a strong leader named Chief Shakes, had established a
site on a small island (called, appropriately, Shakes Island) within
what is now Wrangell Harbor. Located there today is a magnificent
Tribal House and a collection of exceptional totem poles. No one who
visits Wrangell should miss visiting Shakes Island. This is must, must
see.Chief Shakes Tribal House was constructed as part of the 1930s government-sponsored Civilian Conservation Corps' project to recognize and restore traditional Alaska Native art and culture. The interior offers a dramatic view of the living environment for Southeastern Native peoples before the coming of other cultures to the area. (Photo courtesy of Wrangell Convention & Visitors Bureau.)
Nor to be missed is the Wrangell Museum located within the James and Elsie Nolan Center. There, visitors may stroll among exhibits that range from large brilliant brass Russian samovars to intricately executed Tlingit carvings, hand-woven baskets and gold rush memorabilia. Also displayed are ancient petroglyphs (rock carvings) of undetermined age and authorship.
More such rocks may be viewed in the tidewater
setting of Petroglyph Beach State Historic Park. A wooden
handicap-accessible boardwalk takes visitors to an observation deck
which overlooks the beach. Petroglyph replicas are loccated on the
observation deck for “rubbing” – which is prohibited on the original
40-some ‘glyphs on the beach. Depicted are sea mammals, birds, land
critters and any number of spirals and designs of unknown
purpose. (Curiously, among the designs are “spirals” not unlike similar
rock carvings I’ve seen along beaches of the Big Island of Hawaii.)
Access for viewing and photography is allowed. Local photographers
recommend picture-taking in late afternoon when the sun casts shadows
from each carvings’ edge. This makes the design more visible. Visitor takes a close look at a beach
boulder on which unknown peoples at unknown times etched designs and
pictures. (Photo courtesy of Wrangell Convention & Visitors
Bureau.)
Walking and hiking is a favorite Wrangell pastime and a number of trails offer uncrowded forest, shoreline, and mountain options. Short on time? A one-mile stroll from Volunteer Park ballfields leads through cranberry bogs and muskeg with spectacular mountain vistas.
The Stikine River remains a prime playground for Wrangell salmon fishers, recreationists, and rubber-necked sightseers like me. At the upper reaches of the river Shakes Glacier and Chief Shakes Hot Springs awaits. As does a U.S. Forest Service recreation site with enclosed wooden bathhouse in a forest glade and an outdoor tub. What more could one ask for? (Well, some mosquito repellant, if you haven’t remembered to bring it along. The little critters can be ravenous.)
Two last brief viewing suggestions:
I’ve
never been to the U.S. Forest Service bear
observatory at close-by Anan Creek but friends have told me that
seeing both black bears and brownies there is a lifetime memory
experience. It’s on my “gotta do” list for my next visit. And... if you’re a golfer the local golf course with the unlikely name Muskeg Meadows gets exceptionally high raves as well.
A brown (grizzly) bear, oblivious to photographers, crouches in anticipation of passing salmon in Anan Creek near the U.S. Forest Service Anan Wildlife Observatory south of Wrangell on the mainland. The site is easily accessible by Wrangell-based daycruise vessels. (Photo courtesy of Wrangell Convention Bureau)
Want to know more? The community’s Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau can be reached at 1-800-367-9745; website can be accessed at www.wrangell.com and mailing address is P.O Box 1350, Wrangell, AK 99929. Contact WCVB for help in locating hotels/motels/b&bs, land-based sightseeing companies, guided fishing trips, waterborne whale-watching/sightseeing excursions, overnight accommodations, and more.
Previous Ports of the Month...
Be sure to check out the previous Ports of the Month here.- Ketchikan
- Sitka
- Seward
- Juneau
- Skagway
- Icy Straight Point
- Petersburg
- Haines
Alaska's Port Cities –From "A" to (Not Quite) "Z"
The port cities, towns, and villages you can visit on an Alaska cruise orferry ride are a diverse and exciting lot. Some communities, like Anchorage, are big and busy and business-oriented, yet Alaskan to the core; the Anchorage Museum of History and Art and the Alaska Native Heritage Center are both "must see." Skagway is an authentic 19th century goldrush town. Sitka relishes the memory of its ancient Tlingit Indian heritage and its Russian colonial past.
They don't call Petersburg "Little Norway" for nothing, and if you don't believe it drop by toward the end of May and help the locals celebrate Norwegian Independence Day. Juneau's three "G's" (Glaciers, Gold, and Government) make it a favorite stop among both cruisers and ferry patrons.
Ketchikan's world class collection of totem poles is much treasured by residents and visitors alike - as are the magnificent cedar monuments on Chief Shakes Island within the harbor at Wrangell. At Haines, residents likewise embrace historic and contemporary Tlingit Indian art, as well as the world's largest gathering of American bald eagles. Tiny Baranof Warm Springs, as the name implies, boasts natural outdoor warm springs pools in the woods - sites much appreciated both by locals, itinerant commercial fishermen and smallboat cruise passengers. Tenakee's natural springs have similar appeal.
Icy Strait Point, adjacent to Hoonah, is Alaska's first planned cultural and soft activity port, reserved for passengers from no more than one cruiseship a day. Cordova and Valdez, both located on the shores of glacier-rich Prince William Sound, offer unexcelled waterborne sightseeing and angling. Goldrush Nome, the Eskimo village of Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, and Little Diomede Island can only be described as "way far out," in more ways than one.
The list goes happily on... And on...
The Following are Alaska's cruiseship and ferry stops, large and small, along with California, Washington, and British Columbia ports of embarkation and disembarkation. If a community has a
Welcome group of Alaska Natives from the Icy Strait Point soft-adventure/cultural center paddle out to greet cruisers. (Icy Strait Point photo)
presence on the worldwide web, the appropriate URL link is noted. The port list runs roughly south to north. Happy surfing.
Please note: Some of the very small villages marked with a star (*) have no websites of their own. For these communities we have supplied a data site prepared by the State of Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development or other agencies. To access the State site, click on the blue link here or at the bottom of the page which reads: http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CF_BLOCK.cfm
When the window opens,
- scroll the box containing community names and select the community you are seeking,
- select "General Overview" in the other box, then
- click "submit data"
"PoC" indicates a cruise port of call.
"Ferry" indicates a ferry stop.
CALIFORNIA, WASHINGTON, B.C. PORTS
San Diego, www.sandiego.org - E/D
Los Angeles, www.lacvb.com - E/D
San Francisco, www.sfvisitor.org - E/D
Seattle, www.seeseattle.org - E/D, PoC
Bellingham, www.bellingham.org - Ferry
Vancouver, www.tourismvancouver.com - E/D
Victoria, www.tourismvictoria.com - PoC
Pr. Rupert, www.tourismprincerupert.com - E/D, Ferry, PoC
ALASKA PORTS
Escorted hikes through
Alaska forests are a favorite port activity. - Mike Miller photoHyder, www.stewart-hyder.com - PoC
Ketchikan, www.visit-ketchikan.com - E/D, Ferry, PoC
Hollis*- Ferry
Metlakatla, www.metlakatla.org - Ferry, PoC
Wrangell, www.wrangell.com - Ferry PoC
Petersburg, www.petersburg.org - Ferry, PoC
Kake*- Ferry, PoC
Sitka, www.sitka.org - E/D, Ferry, PoC
Angoon*- Ferry
Elfin Cove* - PoC
Baranof Warm Springs (No community web site found. Following is a private site linked by permission from Online Highways)
http://users.erols.com/ovoss/hot-springs-photos-page3.htm#Baranof - PoC
Tenakee Springs*- Ferry
Juneau, www.traveljuneau.com - E/D, Ferry, PoC
Hoonah / Icy Strait Point, www.hunatotem.com/affiliates/icy_strait_point.html - Ferry, PoC
Haines, www.haines.ak.us -Ferry, PoC
Skagway, www.skagway.com -Ferry, PoC
Bartlett Cove, Glacier Bay Nat’l Prk, www.nps.gov/klgo/index.htm - PoC
Yakutat, www.yakutat.net - Ferry
Cordova, www.cordovachamber.com - Ferry, PoC
Tatitlek*- Ferry
Valdez, www.valdezalaska.org -Ferry
Chenega Bay*- Ferry
Seward, www.sewardak.org - E/D
Whittier, www.ci.whittier.ak.us- E/D, Ferry
Anchorage, www.anchorage.net - E/D
Homer, www.homeralaska.org - E/D, Ferry
Seldovia, www.seldovia.com - Ferry
Kodiak, www.kodiak.org - E/D - Ferry
Port Lions*- Ferry
Chignik*- Ferry
Sand Point*- Ferry
King Cove*- Ferry
Cold Bay*- Ferry
False Pass*- Ferry
Akutan*- Ferry
Dutch Harbor/Unalaska, www.unalaska.info - Ferry, PoC
Nome, www.nomealaska.org - E/D
St. Paul, Pribilof Islands, www.southwestalaska.com/pribilof - PoC
Gambell, St. Lawrence Island,
www.beringsea.com/communities/index.php?community -129 - PoC
Diomede (also Little Diomede)*- PoC
RUSSIAN & JAPANESE PORTS
Petropavlovsk, Russia - E/D
Hakodate. Japan - E/D
Sendai. Japan - E/D
Yokohama.Japan - E/D
Tokyo, Japan - E/D
To access State of Alaska database information about small communities marked with a star (*), visit the following URL:
http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CF_BLOCK.cfm