City Of Hydaburg
History of
City Of Hydaburg;
Location
Hydaburg is located on the southwest coast of Prince of Wales Island, 45 air miles northwest of Ketchikan. It lies 7 road miles west of Hollis, site of the State Ferry landing. It lies at approximately 55° 12' N Latitude, 132° 49' W Longitude (Sec. 12, T077S, R083E, Copper River Meridian). The community is located in the Ketchikan Recording District. The area encompasses 1 sq. miles of land and 0 sq. miles of water.
Hydaburg is located on the southwest coast of Prince of Wales Island.
View Hydaburg Map
History
During the mid to late 1700s, the Haida Indians migrated to Prince of Wales, a predominantly Tlingit area, from Graham Island in the Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada. In 1911, three Haida villages combined at the present site (Sukkwan, Howkan and Klinkwan) for their children to attend school; it was designated as the Hydaburg Indian Reservation in 1912. The new village established a trading company, store and sawmill. However, the villagers were never comfortable with the arrangement, and at their request in 1926, the land was restored to its former status as part of the Tongass National Forest. 189 acres of the land were reserved for the school and townsite disposals. The first fish processing plant opened in 1927, and three other canneries operated through the 1930s. When the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) was amended in 1936 to include Alaska Natives, Hydaburg became the first village in Alaska to form an IRA Council.
Culture
Hydaburg is the largest Haida village in Alaska. Residents maintain a subsistence and commercial fishing lifestyle. A totem park, developed in the 1930s, is located in the village.
Economy
Hydaburg has a fishing-based economy. 42 residents hold commercial fishing permits. The Haida Corp. maintains a substantial timber holding, although logging was suspended in 1985 due to a decline in the timber market. The Corporation's log storage facility and sort yard are leased to Sealaska Corp., where locals are employed during logging operations. The community is interested in developing a fish processing facility, a U.S. Forest Service Visitor Center, specialty woodworking, and a mini-mall/retail center. Subsistence food sources include deer, salmon, halibut, shrimp and crab.
Transportation
The State owns and operates a seaplane base in Hydaburg, with a FAA-designated approach. Scheduled flights from Hydaburg connect in Ketchikan. An emergency heliport is also available. The City owns a dock and small boat harbor; they want to construct a breakwater and boat launch. A road leads to Craig, Klawock and Hollis, where the State Ferry docks. Weekly barges from Seattle deliver goods, and cargo also arrives on the ferry and is trucked to Hydaburg.
Climate
Prince of Wales Island is dominated by a cool, moist, maritime climate. Average summer temperatures range from 49 to 63; winter temperatures average from 32 to 42. Average annual precipitation is 120 inches, including 40 inches of snow.
Facilities
The Hydaburg River provides water, which is treated and piped throughout the City. Piped gravity sewage is treated at a secondary treatment plant, with an 800' outfall to Sukkwaw Strait. Over 95% of all homes are plumbed. Funds have been requested to construct a new dam to increase the water supply. The City provides garbage collection services, and is exploring options to improve waste disposal. Alaska Power & Telephone Co., based in Skagway, owns and operates diesel power systems in Hydaburg and Craig which provide electricity to many Island communities.
Local Government
City Of Hydaburg is a 1st class form of municipal government under the alaska statue at which has the power to administer and create an municipal ordinance to function many faucets of service it provides.
The governing body consists of a elected Mayor, and 6 councilmember that requires an municipal election on First Tuesday of October with terms set forth by its position.
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