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Hoonah
Hoonah is a Tlingit community located on
the northeast shore of Chichagof Island, 40 air miles west of Juneau. It
lies at approximately 58° 06' N Latitude, 135° 26' W Longitude (Sec. 28,
T043S, R061E, Copper River Meridian). The community is located in the
Sitka Recording District. The area encompasses 1 sq. miles of land and 0
sq. miles of water.
 It
is the principal village for the Huna, a Tlingit tribe which has
occupied the Glacier Bay/Icy Strait area since prehistory. Local legend
tells of an original ancestral home in Glacier Bay that was destroyed by
a glacial advance. Hoonah means "village by the cliff." The Northwest
Trading Co. built the first store in Hoonah in 1880. In 1881, the
Presbyterian Home Mission and school was built. By 1887, 450 to 500
people were wintering in the village. A post office was established in
1901. In 1912, the Hoonah Packing Co. built a large cannery one mile
north of town. The Thompson Fish Company still operates today as Hoonah
Cold Storage. In 1944, a fire destroyed much of the City and many
priceless Tlingit cultural objects. The federal government assisted in
rebuilding the community. The City of Hoonah was incorporated in 1946.
For most of its history, fishing was the primary occupation of Hoonah
residents, but in recent years, tourism has been significant. On July
8th, 2001, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for development of the
first private cruise ship destination in the United States, to be called
Icy Strait Point. Three years later, on May 23rd, 2004, the Celebrity
Mercury made the inaugural call at the new facility. An average of 70
ships now visit annually.
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