Icy Point Strait is the name of the cruise port located at Hoonah, AK. This is the area that the Tlingit natives were forced to flee to when the glaciers advanced quickly over the area that is now Glacier Bay. I gave information about that fast moving Ice Age when I talked about Glacier Bay.
Hoonah is the largest Tlingit village in Alaska. It is located on Chichagof Island which is the fifth largest island in the U.S. It is 30-40 miles west of Juneau and is famous for its rich indigenous culture, exceptional whale watching, and Icy Strait Point, an AlaskanNative-owned cruise destination featuring the world's largest ZipRider. (And, no we did not choose to experience this zip-line experience!) There is no connecting roadway to the mainland, so the town is reached by air service providers and state ferry system…or boat/cruise ships. About 70% of its 850 residents are of Alaska Native heritage. Its economy is heavily reliant on commercial fishing, timber, and tourism.
Pictured above is a former cannery for salmon…now turned into gift shops, restaurants, a cannery museum, and theater. The island has one of Alaska's highest concentrations of brown bears and nearby area is known as the richest humpback whale feeding grounds in Southeast Alaska.
Tourism may very well have saved Hoonah after the village saw its fishing and logging industries dwindle in the 1980s and 1090s. Icy Strait Point employs about a quarter of the Hoonah's population, most of whom are share holders in the Huna Totem Corporation.
The first cruise ship arrived in 2004 at Icy Point Strait. Presently, more than 75 ships dock annually at Icy Strait Point during the months of May-September. Tourism is helping the Tlingit people in this region keep their culture alone and thriving. As, I mentioned last night, the young lady who was one of our guides on our whale watching excursion is a native Tlingit and her name is Alaska! I belive that most of the excursions offered at Icy Strait Point are Native Alaskan run. Nice to see the Natives of this area so front and center and being able to keep their heritage alive and well and using tourism to their advantage.
To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!
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