History of Prince William Sound Contents / Introduction & Eskimo Exploration / Explorations: Bering and Cook / Overview: 1917-1941 / Fisheries: 1917-1941 / Fox Farming: 1917-1941 / Tourism: 1917-1941 / Aviation: 1917 to 1941 / Changes affecting Native Communities: 1917-1941 / History Books / Prince William Sound Books / Order Form /
INTRODUCTION: 1
THE FIRST EXPLORERS 2
EARLY EUROPEAN EXPLORERS: 1741-1794
Introduction: Mid-18th Century Europe and Russia 5
Captain James Cook 7
Early Spanish Exploration 10
Early Russian Exploration 11
English Fur Traders 12
Later English, Spanish and Russian Fur Traders 19
Lt. Salvador Fidalgo 20
Capt. George Vancouver 24
THE PERIOD OF RUSSIAN DOMINANCE: 1785-1867 29
TRANSITION: 1867-1898 37
NUCHEK IN THE POST-CONTACT PERIOD 37
EARLY EXPEDITIONS:
Abercrombie's 1884 Copper River Expedition 40
Allen's 1885 Copper River Expedition 43
The Berlin Museum Expedition of 1886 44
Seton-Karr of the New York Times Expedition of 1886 45
THE DECLINE OF NUCHEK 50
Early Settlers and Canneries 51
Effects of Canneries on Natives 52
EARLY FOX FARMERS 53
EARLY PROSPECTORS 54
OVERVIEW: 57
THE KLONDIKE AND THE VALDEZ/COPPER RIVER GOLD RUSH 59
The Goldrushers Arrive 61
The Prospectors: The Valdez Glacier Route 62
VALDEZ IS BORN 64
FORT LISCUM AND THE MILITARY 66
Military Exploration 66
The Army: Glenn and Castner Explore the Sound 68
The Army Explores Overland Routes to the Interior 68
The Military Trail: 1899-1900 69
WAMCATS 71
The Alaska Road Commission 71
The Mail Route 72
THE RAILROAD SAGA
Plans for a Railroad 73
Railway Fever 74
Katalla and the Bering River Coal Fields 77
The Founding of Cordova 78
The Overland Voyage of the Chittyna 80
The "Home Railway" and Shootout in Keystone Canyon 80
The Copper River & Northwestern Railway (CR&NW Railway) 84
Cordova-Railway town 84
The Pinochet-Ballinger Controversy 86
Cordova-The "Coal Party" and the Chisana Gold Rush 88
Competition for the Government Railway-Coal and Politics 90
THE PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND ECONOMY 93
DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND
Fox Farming 93
Mining 95
The Valdez Mining District 95
The Port Fidalgo Mines 98
The Knight Island and Latouche Mines 98
The Port Wells Gold District 99
Effect of Mining on Valdez: the University of Valdez 101
Salmon Fisheries 102
Other Fisheries 107
Logging 108
Shipping 109
Navigational Aids 111
Tourism 112
SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITIONS AND EXPLORATIONS 118
CHANGES AFFECTING NATIVE COMMUNITIES 119
OVER VIEW 125
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES 127
Mining: Copper 127
Gold 128
Oil 129
Fisheries
The Salmon Fishing Industry 130
The White Act, Regulations and Fish Traps 130
Working Conditions in the Fishing Industry 134
Hatcheries and Other Fisheries Enhancement Measures 135
Other sea food industries 135
Fox Farming 137
Chugach National Forest 141
COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORTATION 142
The Mailboat 144
The Alaska Steamship Company 144
The Richardson Highway 146
Aviation in the Sound 151
Tourism 155
SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITIONS 159
CHANGES AFFECTING NATIVE COMMUNITIES
The Sound's Native Population 159
The Russian Orthodox Church & Native Brotherhood 160
Native Education 161
Subsistence 162
Literacy Act 162
Native Land 163
Alaska Reorganization Act 163
END OF AN ERA
Demise of Katalla, Ellamar and Latouche 163
Cordova 164
Valdez 165
WORLD WAR II DESCENDS ON ALASKA 167
THE WAR'S INFLUENCE ON PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND 170
Military Projects 170
Social Affects 173
WAR AND POSTWAR EFFECTS ON TRANSPORTATION
Highway Construction & Overland Shipping 175
Aviation 179
Shipping 181
Navigational Aids 183
WAR & POSTWAR EFFECTS ON OTHER ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Mining 184
Logging 185
Fox Farming 185
Fisheries 186
Tourism 188
THE MILITARIZATION OF ALASKA AND STATEHOOD 190
DISASTER AND CHANGE-1959-2000
Overview 191
1964 Earthquake 192
THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL & THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THE OIL INDUSTRY 198
Impact of Oil Development on Native Land Claims
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) 200
The Environmental Policy Act & the Cordova Fisherman 203
Building the Pipeline and Valdez Marine Terminal 204
Impact on Valdez 204
Inpact on the Sound's Natives 207
Native Contracts and Employment with Alyeska 207
Impact of Oil Development on Prince William Sound 208
Erosion of Safeguards 209
The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill 211
Response 212
Damages 212
Criminal and Civil Settlement 216
Class Action Suit 217
Changes in State and Federal Laws 218
Recovery 220
The Positive Benefits of Oil Development-Navigation 220
Other Oil Developments 221
THE SOUND'S ECONOMIC RESOURCES
Fisheries 222
Hatcheries 228
Fish Processors 229
The Surge in Tourism 230
CHUGACH NATIONAL FOREST 233
CHANGES IN LAND OWNERSHIP 234
State Lands 234
Land Transfers to Native Corporations 235
CHANGES AFFECTING CHUGACH NATIVES
Difficulties in Implementing ANCSA 239
Native Corporation Investments 240
Native Education 241
Subsistence & Traditional Arts and Crafts 242
Other Laws Affecting Natives 243
Subsistence 243
Native Control of Artifacts 244
THE SOUND'S TOWNS & VILLAGES AT THE NEW MILLENNIUM
Acquisition of Municipal Lands 245
Chenega Bay-Meeting the Challenge 246
Cordova-An Historic Fishing Community 246
Eyak Village 247
Tatitlek 247
Valdez 248
Whittier 249
Fig. 49. Permit Holders for Prince William Sound Fox Farms,
Chugach National Forest, 1919 138
Fig. 52. Mailboat, Oma Belle's, Stops in the 1930s showing
Industries and Schools 141
Fig. 66. Census Table showing Impact of WWI and WWII
on Towns 168
Fig. 72. Closing Dates for Fox Farms in Prince William
Sound 186
Fig. 79. Natives Hired by Community during the Trans-
Alaska Pipeline Construction 208
Fig. 83. Status of Resources and Services injured by the
Spill 10 Years Later 218
Fig. 87. Permit Earnings and Prices for Selected PWS
Fisheries 224
History of Prince William Sound Contents / Introduction & Eskimo Exploration / Explorations: Bering and Cook / Overview: 1917-1941 / Fisheries: 1917-1941 / Fox Farming: 1917-1941 / Tourism: 1917-1941 / Aviation: 1917 to 1941 / Changes affecting Native Communities: 1917-1941 / History Books / Prince William Sound Books / Order Form /