Get Away (Way Away!) to Pelican, Alaska

     My husband and I are fortunate to have a rustic cabin in Pelican, Alaska where we spend as much time as possible fishing and just hanging out. In Maine, where I come from, we’d call it camp. 

Our get-away cabin in Pelican, Alaska

     The main cabin consists of a 12' x 16' room with a bed, closet, table, oil stove for heating, propane cook stove, kitchen sink, cabinet, and new this year, a propane refrigerator with a small freezer compartment. On a wall behind the heater are heavy wooden pegs where wet clothes and gear hang to dry. The front porch acts as an entryway, bunkhouse, and workshop. A large plexiglass window separates the main cabin from the porch, and a picture window on the porch overlooks the cove. The view includes three small islands, Whiskey Flats to the north, and mountains with patches of snow on Chichagof Island across Lisianski Inlet.

The view from the cabin never gets old.

     The cabin also has a deck made from a section of the old Pelican Creek bridge and is our favorite spot for morning coffee and happy hour. The amazing view from the deck looks across the inlet to the West Chichagof-Yakobi Wilderness. Thank goodness that local citizens suggested that this area would be a good place to preserve, and in 1980 it was designated as a federal wilderness area.  This nearly pristine environment serves as a backdrop for us to watch all of the animal shows that play out in front of us. We are close enough to town that at low tide we can easily walk. Otherwise, we take the skiff, canoe, or hike through the woods. 

Pelican is a town on Chichagof Island in
Southeast, Alaska.

     Pelican lies in Lisianski Inlet about halfway between Cross Sound and Lisianski River, and the whole area is one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen.  Lisianski Inlet and its bordering steep rocky mountains and tall spruce trees are home to abundant wildlife. The white heads of bald eagles make them easy to spot on their perches overlooking the inlet. A murder of crows cackle on the island across from us. A winter wren in the trees surrounding the cabin sings an early morning melody. Herons, seagulls, and ducks wade in the tide on the mudflats. A kingfisher hunts from a piling. Sea lions snort a greeting from the water and keep a curious eye on us before disappearing again under the sea. Salmon jump, sometimes skip — once, twice, three times — across the water’s surface. Playful sea otters float and preen in rafts then dive when we get too close. The stealth river otter quietly trots across the shore rocks before vanishing into a secret and dark den. Pods of orcas feed and travel past our skiff while we fish. A single humpback breaches in Cross Sound while we bob for hours, jigging for halibut.

Super low tides reveal remarkable sea creatures. 

     Low tide reveals a treasure trove of sea stars, urchins, sea cucumbers, and hermit crabs. Smacks and smacks of moon jellyfish, Aurelia aurita  — a white, translucent jellyfish you sometimes see hundreds and hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of at a time, flow together with the current past our skiff.

     The brown bears of Chichagof Island roam the beaches — and sometimes the town dump and boardwalk. Unfortunately, some encounters with humans have had a bad ending for the bear, as described in this Juneau Empire article from July 3, 2019. 

A good day of fishing.

The Pelican area may have been first visited by Russian explorers in the 1700s followed later by hunters, trappers, and miners. However, it was  in the late 1930s when commercial fishermen first began building the processing plant because  it was “closest to the fish and fishing grounds.” It also had an easily accessible freshwater supply that was used to generate electricity to power freezers and make ice to keep all those fish cold. Fishing is still the main attraction in Pelican. The harbor is full of commercial power and hand trollers, long-liners, and sport fishing charter boats. The harbor usually has lots of transient boats including the occasional pleasure cruiser, sailboat, or yacht that ties up for a few days, weeks, or months at a time. This year we met Robin and Jim aboard the M.V. Adventurer. They celebrated the Fourth of July and shared travel stories with us. 
     Spending time at the cabin is a break from the day-to-day routines of our home life in Juneau, but sometimes it is also serious business. We’re here to catch fish. Our goal is to put enough halibut in the freezer so we can eat it at least once a week. Yakobi Fisheries now does all of our processing and freezing which is much easier than when we had to keep the fish on ice ourselves. Before Yakobi we fished at the end of our trip, so we only needed to keep the fish on ice for a few days before going home. Now we can fish any day and drop off our filleted halibut any time. Yakobi portions, vacuum seals, and flash freezes it. We pick it up on our way out of town.

How do you like my butt?

     People also sport fish for king salmon, pinks, and cohos in the inlet while various species of rockfish and lingcod are also popular.

Rockfish make good tacos!

Flyfishermen utilize the many creeks, streams, and shorelines in the area to fish for Dolly Varden, cutthroat trout, and sometimes steelhead. Sometimes you even see schools of pelagic rockfish like the dark or dusky rockfish which readily take a fly.

     If you are in town during the days before a commercial fish opening, you see the village come to life. Commercial fishermen work hard to put finishing touches on their boats and have all their gear in working order. The scow and tenders load up with ice and supplies and head out to take their spot close to the fishing grounds where fishermen bring their catch to quickly offload and get back to the business of fishing. The processing plant gears up and young adults move into the bunkhouse where they will live while working at Yakobi Fisheries.

Yakobi Fisheries is a family-operated business in Pelican.

The dock at Yakobi Fisheries

     The harbor is almost overflowing, and the talk of the town is all about the fish. We happened to be in town one year during a purse seine opening in the inlet. That was the year we ran out to the mouth of the inlet and fished for halibut for about five hours straight. We don’t usually go that far out in the skiff, but the water was as calm as a Maine lake on a hot summer’s day. On our run out we counted 30 purse seiners in the inlet. In the best areas, the boats line up and take turns setting their nets, usually starting right at the regulatory boundary line.  Purse seiners work together with their seine or power skiff to deploy the net in an attempt to encircle large numbers of pink salmon. The big boat uses a winch to pull most of the net and purse line in until the fish are crowded and can be dipped up and put into the vessel's holds.

A purse seiner awaits the opening in Lisianski Inlet.

     The seiners can have quite an impact on the number of fish in the inlet, harvesting thousands of fish a day. Before a purse seine opening the pinks are numerous and can be seen jumping out of the water like popcorn while the day after the seine opening, complete stillness on the water. Hopefully, in the days after an opening, the pinks will start jumping again as fresh fish move into the inlet, but usually not in the same numbers as before the seiners arrived.

     
     Between commercial openings, the inlet can be uncannily quiet. While fishing near Miner Island, we might see a single skiff or bigger boat running to town, into the Lisianski Straight which leads to the outer coast, or out the inlet toward Cross Sound. Some days we go for hours and hours on the water without a single sight or sound from another human being.

A memorable day in Cross Sound at the mouth of Lisianski Inlet. Cape Spencer and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve are in the distance.

     We love Pelican because it is peaceful and quiet, but it is not silent. After spending a few days here, my sense of hearing sharpens, and I automatically tune in to what’s happening around me from the sounds I hear. The sound of floatplanes is something to expect throughout the day. Alaska Seaplanes has a regular daily schedule of flights to Pelican. When I hear a floatplane arriving, I know the weather is clear. Quiet skies usually mean fog or poor visibility in Lisianski Inlet or somewhere between Pelican and Juneau. The sound of our aluminum skiff bouncing up and down, slapping the water on its mooring, tells me the wind is blowing. Occasionally, we hear the sound of a helicopter. “That’s Coast Guard,” Roger would say of its distinctive deep wop-wop-wop, and we hope it’s just a training exercise. Sometimes, I close my eyes and hear the splash of a fish jumping or the snort of a sea lion, easy to mistake for the blow of a whale. From the deck chair, I listen to hummingbirds buzzing overhead as they fiercely guard and chase each other from the feeder. I hear water running in the intermittent stream next to the cabin after a rain. I hear a dog barking on the beach. And when I hear heavy raindrops falling on the metal roof of the cabin, I decide to stay in bed a while longer. Walking on the boardwalk in town, I have become conditioned to the boardwalk shaking and the sound of a four-wheeler approaching from behind and instinctively step to the right to let it pass.

Step aside for four-wheelers on the Pelican boardwalk.

     The residents of Pelican have that Alaskan pioneer spirit of hard work and perseverance. They are open and friendly to visitors. The approximately 60 year-around residents have created a vibrant community complete with a community center, K-12 school, public library with wifi, and a city-run harbor with shower and laundry facilities.

A hot shower is a treat when living off the grid.

     Pelican puts on a traditional Fourth of July celebration (see Robin's blog and photos), including a boardwalk parade with floats created by the groups and businesses in town. I overheard someone on the 4th saying, “Wow, Pelican is a happening place.” When you see everyone — residents, visitors, summer residents, fishermen and crew, lodge workers, fishing guides and their clients, fish processing plant workers — together on the boardwalk at the same time, you see a diverse and active community.

The Lisianski Cafe is the place for good food and good company in Pelican.

     The entrepreneurship of business owners in town has undoubtedly contributed to the “happening” of Pelican. A local family revived a portion of the defunct fish processing facility and established Yakobi Fisheries. They supply fresh and frozen Alaskan seafood “from the ocean to your plate.” The town is home to several fishing lodges for charter trips of all types and sizes. Cedar Rock Gallery displays and sells local artwork, and the wonderful Lisianski Inlet Cafe serves breakfast and lunch and operates a small gift shop. The Pelican Inn sells dry good groceries, serves pizza until 8 pm., and with 24-hour notice, invites the public to join the lodge guests for dinner. Alaska Seaplanes has an office in Pelican with several employees from town. SEARHC operates a health care center. 

The library is a popular spot.

There’s a community church, a United States Post Office, and a surprisingly well-stocked marine supply store. A few places in Pelican offer overnight lodging, such as J&S Lodging, which offers hotel-style guest rooms right on the boardwalk, some with kitchenettes. The town operates a bunkhouse with a basic level of accommodation where you share the bathroom and bring your own sleeping bag. If you're looking for a place to stay, just call the town office and ask around.

The MV LeConte in Pelican.

     Getting to Pelican — and getting home again — is an adventure by itself and can only be done by boat or plane. Pelican is a boardwalk community with no roads. The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) had offered ferry service to Pelican twice a month in the summer and once a month (or less) in the winter. The ferry was generally reliable; however, more recently, the ferry schedule has been disrupted because of maintenance or state budget cuts. In July 2019, a labor union strike caused the AMHS to shut down all ferry service indefinitely. We had to make different plans to return to Juneau, and we ended up flying back with Alaska Seaplanes. As of November 2019, the M.V. LeConte, the ferry that usually travels to Pelican, will be having maintenance and repairs done and no ferry service to Pelican is scheduled until April 2020.
     Flying is a good ride on a good day, about one hour of flight time with scenic views. However, flying can be bumpy on a windy day or delayed by weather for hours or days at a time. It’s good to have a back-up plan when traveling to and from Pelican. Give yourself extra time on both ends, if possible. Some of our friends who travel to Pelican regularly have bought bigger boats, so they can come and go from Juneau on their own schedules.

The view from the cabin is different every day.

     When we’re relaxing at the cabin or doing chores, we turn the radio on to Raven Radio, KCAW out of Sitka. We listen to national and local news and enjoy the eclectic music shows hosted by local radio hosts in Sitka -- Music for Amphibians is a Sunday morning favorite. Raven Radio does a good job promoting community events and interviewing guests about whatever special occasion happens to be going on that particular week. I especially enjoy the Sitka history segment. In addition to listening to the radio, Roger and I both enjoy reading. I welcome rainy days and use them for an excuse to lounge and read all day. It feels so decadent. 

Looking back toward town from up the inlet.

     To prep for a visit to Pelican, I recommend A Long Trek Home by Erin McKittrick. The story is about Erin and her husband Hig, who traveled 4,000 miles by foot, skis, and paddle from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands. They go through Glacier Bay, which is a little North of Pelican on the other side of  Cross Sound.  This story gives you a sense of Pelican and Southeast Alaska as a whole. The other book I recommend is the screwball crime comedy, Cold Storage, by John Straley of Sitka, Alaska. It gives you a little sense of people who live in a small fictional village, not unlike Pelican. Of course, Pelican is the perfect writer’s or artist’s retreat. The distractions here are of an inspirational kind.

On some days, Pelican feels so far away from the rest of the world.

     Our cabin in Pelican is not for everyone. The remoteness and isolation that is one person’s paradise is another person’s misery. Day after day of sunshine and warm weather is a welcome summer forecast for most people. In Pelican, however, sunshine and blue skies mean the westerlies are blowing. The wind from the west creates white caps on the water and makes for uncomfortable, bumpy skiff rides every time we go fishing or to town. At the cabin, I forget about my hair, makeup, or showering every day. Every outfit includes a hoodie and a pair of Xtratuf boots. Rain and fog can settle in for days, if not weeks. Mildew, moss, and slime grow on every surface outside (and some inside.) We usually stay at the cabin for two weeks at a time.

Everything we need for two weeks.

     All our gear and food have to be shuffled several times from store to home to ferry (or plane) to skiff to shore to the deck, and finally to inside the cabin, all by hand. We usually have 10 or more pieces (totes, coolers, dry bags, gear/equipment for boat or cabin.) The cabin sits on a steep shoreline of slick, uneven, and sometimes loose rocks. We’re lucky if it’s high tide when we arrive. The final question for guests considering a visit to our cabin is the bucket test. Yes, we have what’s known in Alaska as a honey bucket. We also have a compost toilet.

To borrow a phrase from the old Rose's Bar & Grill, come on over
and let's have a party! (You can keep your pants on!)

     If an outdoor, rustic lifestyle sends you running for the nearest all-inclusive hotel, then our cabin in Pelican isn’t for you. Luckily for you, there are places in town that might better suit your preferences. For us, the hard work is worth it.
All year, we look forward to that moment when we sit on the deck, put our feet up, and watch the sun slowly set while a bald eagle cries from across the cove, “Welcome to Pelican!” 
(Many thanks to my husband Roger for his contributions and edits to this article.)

Boat ride to Taku Harbor

Taku Harbor Float with shore access. (Patricia E. Harding)

"So beautiful ... that by one sympathetic impulse we named it Eden.”

      During Memorial Day Weekend 2017, Roger and I boarded the Dawntreader at Aurora Harbor in Juneau for an overnight cruise to Taku Harbor, located on the eastern shore of Stephens Passage, 22 miles southeast of Juneau. Taku Harbor is a popular place for recreational boaters and fishermen. Southeast Alaska Sailing has annual Memorial Day and Labor Day races to Taku Harbor. After a long day of sailing, the group gathers on the dock for a potluck meal and socializing.

Southeast Alaska Sailing teams prepare
to leave the harbor and race to Juneau.
(Patricia E. Harding)

     The State of Alaska Division of Parks and Natural Resources operates the Taku Harbor State Marine Park. The Tiger Olson public use cabin sleeps six for $45 per night and is located 100 feet from the public dock. The City and Borough of Juneau Docks and Harbors Department operates the Taku Harbor Moorings / Public Transient Moorage which consists of overnight mooring on two public floats: Taku Harbor Float with 890 linear feet of side moorage with shore access and Stockade Point Float with 300 linear feet of side moorage with no shore access.

The 25-foot Dawntreader

on the left is dwarfed by

the 65-foot Alaska Quest.
(Patricia E. Harding)

     Some boaters sail to Taku Harbor every year for Memorial Day weekend. They relax on the dock, set crab pots, or fish in the harbor from their dingies or paddle around in kayaks and canoes. We were on a 25-foot Albin cruiser, perfect for two people on a short trip to Taku Harbor. Most of the other boats tied up were bigger than ours, including the Alaska Quest, a 65-foot, custom made steel expedition trawler used for a family-owned, southeast cruising business in the vicinity of Admiralty Island. This weekend was the family’s first get-together of the summer before their cruising season began.

     The best part about exploring little known places like Taku Harbor is discovering its history in things left behind. Old pilings, a rusted boiler in the woods, and a neglected shack are artifacts of the past. They make me wonder, who lived here? What did they do? Why did they leave? In the mountains, water, wind, and trees I sense the spirit of past souls, and it makes me want to learn more about the people who were here before me.

Boiler lost in time and in the weeds. (Patricia E. Harding)

The Taku Tlingit

     The Tlingit who lived in this area were called Taku, or Taku-kon, or “people of the Taku.” Between 1840 and 1880, explorers referred to the Taku as Taku-kon, Taku-kuan, Thakhu-khoan, Taku, Taco, Taco/Samdan, Tacos/Sundowns, and Tacoo. (Krause, p. 78) The land and seas around the Taku River and Taku Bay “at the foot of the mighty glaciers” (Krause, p. 6) were theirs to hunt and fish. They also had trading routes to the interior through tributaries of the Yukon. In 1880, the Taku had four villages, each named after the chief of the village: Tokeatl’s Village with 26 people, Chitklin’s Village with 113, Katlany’s Village with 106, and Fotshou’s Village with 24 inhabitants.

The Taku Tlingit were the original people of
the Taku region. (Ano-Thlosh, Chief of the Taku
Tribe of Thlinght [Tlingit] natives. Copyright 1906.
Alaska State Library, Lantern Slides of Alaska
Photo Collection)

(Krause, p. 69) Like their neighbors, the Auk, many Taku later settled in Juneau near the swift river now known as Gold Creek. They named their village Tsenta-ka-hini, the name given to one of the middle schools in Juneau now spelled, Dzantik’i Heeni.

Hudson's Bay Company

     The Hudson's Bay Company established a trading post in Taku Harbor in 1840. Often referred to as Fort Taku, Fort Durham was named after the Earl of Durham who at the time was the Governor General of Canada. The fort had a total of 35 people on its roster over its three years of existence with about 26 men at any one time. That number may have been larger during the summer of 1840 while the fort was being built. Fifteen of the men were from Oahu, Hawaii, then known as the Sandwich Islands. One native, James Tod, is listed on the roster as are 19 French Canadians, called Metis. Five of the men were English or Scottish. (Olson, p. 11-12)

Historical ariel view of Taku Harbor
(Taku Harbor 8-4-29. Alaska State Library Photo Collection.)

     Taku Harbor was not the intended location of the fort. Commanding Officer and Chief Factor James Douglas aboard the sailing ship Vancouver and accompanied by the steamer Beaver first explored the Taku River in search of a suitable site to build a trading fort where they could trade with the Chilcat and other natives of Cross Sound. The majestic beauty of the area awed Douglas: “...many portions of good clear land profusely covered with grasses and flowering plants, in full bloom, which made it look so beautiful, in contrast with the desolate regions around, that by one sympathetic impulse we named it Eden.” (Olson, p. 13) However, the company did not find a suitable site on the river. The waters were too shallow at low tide (in some places just half a foot.) Strong currents, icebergs, and winter ice made the river difficult to navigate. Finally, the lack of flat land on which to build and lack of logging trees left the company empty handed. When they were about to give up, a friendly Taku they called “Locality” told Douglas about a small harbor just 20 miles south of Point Salisbury. “It possesses a safe harbour of easy access, abundance of good timber, together with the most important advantage of being directly in the high way of trade and at a convenient distance for the Natives of Chilcat and Cross Sound.” (Olson, p. 36)

     

Shore access from Taku Harbor
Float. (Patricia E. Harding)

The English Hudson’s Bay Company operated the post through a lease from the Russian America Company that gave the English rights to trading with the natives on the mainland coast (Auk, Taku, Chilcat) between 54 degrees 40’ north latitude to Cape Spencer in exchange for 2,000 Columbian sea otters per year. The Russians retained trading rights with natives of the islands (Klawock, Kake, Sitka.) Each company would keep a record of furs acquired from each other's territory. At the end of the year, they would reconcile accounts and transfer the balances. Douglas clearly and courteously, yet firmly, reminded the Russian American Fur Company of their agreement in a letter he wrote after receiving reports that the Chilcat sold all their furs to the Russian steam vessel Nicolai I. (Olson, p. 40)

The Hudson's Bay Blanket

     The Hudson's Bay Company’s prized woolen blankets were highly valued and used as currency. (Krause, p. 212) The company wove “points” into the borders of the blankets in an attempt to set the blankets' prices. According to the Oregon Historical Society (Binus, 2004), the natives did not go along with set prices for blankets. They believed in negotiation. The point system was later used by weavers to indicate the blanket’s size, since the points could easily be seen while the blanket was still folded. (Wikipedia.) A four-point blanket was most valuable while a one-point blanket was least valuable because it was the smallest, not because of inferior quality. A rich person owned hundreds of blankets folded and stored in large boxes. (Krause, p. 212) The Hudson's Bay Company once operated 36 hunting stations along the mainland coastline until its lease with the Russians ended in 1865.

Obstacles to Trade

     No Tlingits were known to have lived in Taku Harbor until after Fort Durham was built. The Taku Tlingits were not happy with the fort and tried to sabotage its efforts by kidnapping men and trying to set fire to the fort. One explanation for the animosity is the Hudson's Bay Company displaced the Taku Tlingit's role as intermediary trader between the natives on the coast and natives in the interior. The liquor trade proved to be another obstacle to trade. So bad in fact, that the British and Russians agreed to forbid trading alcohol with the Tlingit -- a successful move until "the country was overrun with gold miners and trading from California, who made a lucrative business of buying furs in exchange for liquor and from that time to this, this crying evil could not be stopped." (Olson, p. 46) Finally, poor weather conditions -- Finlayson reported rain nine out of 12 months -- and the unprofitability of the fort factored in the decision to close it in 1843. 

The Cannery

       I found little published about Taku Harbor from the time the fort closed until the time the cannery opened; however, it is believed that some Tlingits and whites settled there as residents after the fort closed. In 1898 there was a saltery.

Historic photo of the Pacific Cold Storage Plant and Cannery,
(Alaska State Library, Case & Draper Photo Collection)

Canning and cold storage for the fishing industry came to Taku Harbor in 1903 with the establishment of Taku Harbor Cannery by the San Juan Fish Company. In 1906-1908 John L. Carlson leased and then bought the cannery and developed it until 1918 when he sold the cannery to Libby, McNeil and Libby. The cannery burned and was rebuilt twice -- shortly after Carlson left and again in 1931 -- during Libby ownership. Historical photographs from the collection of John L. 

Current site of the old cannery. Fort Durham was likely
located in the forested area in the upper left
corner of this photo. (Patricia E. Harding)

Johnson who worked at the cannery from 1932 to 1934 show a robust cannery community and destination for fishermen selling their catch. The F.V. Neptune, F.V. President, F.V. Excursion, and F.V. Willard B. are some of the boats offloading fish to the Libby Company featured in historic photographs. Other photos depict a pile driver working in the harbor and the devastating fire of May 9-10, 1932. The cannery operated in Taku Harbor until 1951 when a man named Westly Walker was sent from the company to dismantle it. (Olson, p. 65)

     Some time after Fort Durham closed, a few people settled in Taku Harbor and then applied to the U.S. Forest Service for land claims in Taku Harbor. Some of the names include Paul G. Riffle, Dick Kanach, Tom Jackson, and Sandstron. (Olson, p. 65) In 1926, while the cannery was still in operation, G. Edward Bach received a piece of land from the U.S. Forest Service that included the land on which Fort Durham was situated. Edward Bach's father, L. George Bach, lived at the site, and Edward's son, Curtis, later recalled that his grandfather used the cleared site of the old fort for his garden. George's brother, Frank, filed a mining claim in the area. Curtis inherited the land after his father died.

The Tiger of Taku

     The most celebrated resident of Taku Harbor was a man known as Tiger of Taku. Henry "Tiger" Olson lived at Taku Harbor for 56+ years. Originally from northern Minnesota, he arrived in Alaska on the Victoria and went to work for John L. Carlson and later as a maintenance worker for the Libby Company in 1918. One story about how he got the name Tiger is people said his eyes glowed like a cat when he passed them on the boardwalk at night.

     Tiger lived in Taku Harbor long after the cannery shut down. "I've seen the population grow to 500 and fall to two people," he said. (Davis, p. 9) In 1951, when the cannery closed, he was the only permanent resident left in the harbor.

     Although Tiger never went to school and called himself "a kindergarten drop-out," he loved reading and taught himself chemistry, physics, astronomy, and geology. He grew his own garden of potatoes, carrots, and radishes. He also enjoyed growing flowers: narcissus, daffodils, and foxglove. He hunted, fished, and canned food. He cut the wood needed to cook and heat his Taku Harbor cabin.

Henry Olson, known as the "Tiger of Taku,"
lived in Taku Harbor for more than 50 years.

     Over the years, Tiger developed a reputation as a character and visitors looked forward to his friendly greetings at the docks -- even celebrity American actor John Barrymore paid a visit. The popular CBS Sunday morning news magazine On the Road with Charles Kuralt featured a story about Tiger. One year, a young Paul Anderson showed up in Taku Harbor after reading an article about Tiger in Field & Stream magazine. Tiger tried to send the young college student home, but Anderson spent the next two years with Tiger, learning about outdoor life and survival, and also about philosophy and the kind of wisdom gained only by living such a lifestyle.

     "Life is superstition, illusion, and idle dreams." Tiger once said. "It is when you climb high to 5,000 feet and sit alone that you can really think." (Davis, p. 39)

     On June 30th, about 1969, 200 guests and 34 boats traveled to Taku Harbor to surprise Tiger on his 90th birthday. 

The cabin where Tiger
Olson lived in Taku Harbor
still stands. (Patricia E. Harding)

Taku Harbor Today

     Today, Taku Harbor holds the artifacts of a time and a people gone by. It has been part of the Taku Tlingit territory for thousands of years; some say 11,000 years. The 1800s brought great changes with explorers and a trading post and then a cannery and a few residents at the turn of the century, only to come almost full circle with no current settlements, villages, or year round residents. Today, Taku Harbor is a peaceful retreat for rest, recreation and reflection.

Writer's Note: Taku Harbor inspired me to learn as much as I could about its people and history. Although I read several books and articles about the history of Taku Harbor, there is much more to learn. I encourage readers to comment and add their own remembrances, knowledge, and reflections.

Thank you to the Alaska State Library for permission to publish the historical photos.

References

• Binus, Joshus. "Hudson's Bay Company Blanket." The Oregon History Project, A project of the Oregon Historical Society, https://oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/hudson39s-bay-company-blanket/#.WXewOdPyuRs
• Davis, Carol Beery. Tiger of Taku. Miner Publishing Company: Juneau, Alaska (1977)
• Krause, Aurel. The Tlingit Indians Results of a Trip to the Northwest Coast of America and the Bering Straits. Translated by Erna Gunther, University of Washington Press, 1956.
• Mitcham, Allison. Taku The Heart of North America's Last Great Wilderness. Illustrated by Naomi and Peter Mitcham, Lancelot Press, Hantsport, Nova Scotia, 1993.
• Olson, Wallace M. A History of Fort Durham Hudson's Bay Company Trading Post Located in Taku Harbor 1840-1843 Within the boundaries of present day Juneau, Alaska. Heritage Research, Juneau, Alaska, 1994.
• Richardson, Genevieve, The Tlingit People, http://thetlingitpeople.weebly.com/index.html
• " Hudson's Bay Point Blanket" Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson%27s_Bay_point_blanket

© 2017 Patricia E. Harding

Get Away to the Yukon -- All Aboard!

Note: I originally wrote this article in 2014 but never published it. I'm publishing it now because much of the information is still relevant, especially for travelers who are planning their first ferry cruise. The ferry service has undergone many changes in the last few years, and I encourage you to add comments based on your own experiences.

Most people travel south on their spring break.

We went to the Yukon.

When you live in Juneau, Alaska, options for a weekend get-away are limited only by your imagination and your desire not to purchase round-trip airfare to Seattle. Knowing we have summer plans to visit Gustavus, Sitka and Pelican, we looked north, taking the Alaska Marine Highway up the Lynn Canal to Skagway, gateway to the Klondike, then continuing with the pickup on the Klondike Highway which somewhat follows the trail of the 1898 Gold Rush, over White Pass, into Canada's Yukon Territory and to the city of Whitehorse.

Sunrise over Auke Bay

The Alaska Marine Highway System is one of the main ways people, vehicles and cargo get around in Southeast Alaska. The communities of Southeast are locked in by sea, mountains and glaciers. The only ways to travel are by boat or air. Riding the ferry up the Lynn Canal is the equivalent to driving on I-95 on the East Coast.

We reserved our tickets two weeks earlier and picked them up at the Juneau office on Glacier Highway two days prior to our departure. Roundtrip to Skagway was $50 for me and $111 for the truck. The driver's passage was free but only during winter months.

During winter months, arriving at the ferry terminal one hour prior to departure provides plenty of time to check in and get a lane assignment for the car; however, in summer, travelers with vehicles should arrive two hours prior to departure. It is especially important to be on time when you are traveling with a vehicle. Built in 1974, the MV LeConte can hold 300 passengers, 24 crew, 34 vehicles and nine vans. Space on the car deck is finite, and if you are late with a vehicle, they simply run out of room, and your car will not get on the ferry -- and that's that.

The MV LeConte is one of eleven vessels that serve the Alaska Marine Highway System.

The Leconte is scheduled for a major overhaul during winter 2014-15, and until then it seems to be prone to breaking down with occasional interruption of service. Passengers should check the AMHS website periodically for information about possible schedule changes. 

Tickets and IDs are checked prior to boarding. The purser peeked into the truck bed to make sure we had no stow-aways -- a stern warning is posted on the gate regarding stow-aways. 

Vehicles park on the lower car deck. Parking attendants guide you as you drive down the ramp, swing around and back your car into a spot. Big trucks and vehicles with trailers have to back down the ramp from the parking lot and back onto the ferry. 

Recliners in the forward lounge of the MV LeConte provide a comfortable place to read, nap and look for whales and porpoises.

With the truck parked on the car deck below, we stowed our soft cooler of food on the upper solarium deck then retreated to the forward lounge for a quick morning nap and to recharge after a 4:15 a.m. alarm to be at the ferry by 6 a.m.

A ride on one of Alaska's ferries is a more personal experience than what you get on a commercial cruise. 

The sun rose over Auke Bay as the MV LeConte pulled away from the ferry terminal dock at 7 a.m. on March 28th. The weather was spot on -- sunny, blue skies, and 40+ degrees daytime temps. It was one of those first warm days of spring that northern inhabitants anticipate all winter.

Passengers nap in sleeping bags on reclining chairs under the heating lamps on the solarium deck.

After a brief rest (or nap in Roger's case), we retrieved our cooler from the solarium deck and found a table in the cafeteria. We packed a soft cooler of cold foods and a second cooler with dry goods. Our food plan for the weekend was to eat our own breakfasts, snacks, and lunches and to dine out for dinners. I didn't see signs, but it seemed clear that food should be eaten in the cafeteria dining room. Many people bring their own food, although the ferry service is notorious for the quality and generous portions of its fare. Besides daily specials, they offer burgers, fries, fish and chips, salads, sandwiches, desserts, yogurt, cereal and fruit. On a previous ferry trip, I had a deliciously satisfying halibut curry served on brown rice. We plan to have dinner on the ferry on our return trip Sunday evening. Today our picnic breakfast included Greek yogurt, sliced fresh strawberries and granola.

Ferry service provides a safe, reliable, efficient and comfortable method transportation, connecting the communities and people of Alaska with Canada and the lower 48.

As we travel north-northwest at 15.7 knots, I have difficulty closing my eyes, not wanting to miss the spray of a whale, the dance of a porpoise or a single, rugged mountaintop. I'm from Maine, and I know rugged coastline. I tell my Maine friends, imagine copying and pasting Mount Katahdin up and down the entire Maine coastline -- that's Southeast Alaska.

Scanning the rugged coastline, it's difficult for me to imagine where a road would go or who would want to drive on it when the ferry offers a perfectly comfortable and direct passage as ships have for hundreds of years or more? The controversial "Juneau access road" has been debated in Alaska for many years. A road will never replace the unique adventure one can experience on the Alaska Marine Highway.