Alaska, a land of majestic and pristine beauty, it is
here in this remote corner of wilderness where we find
abundant wild salmon as they journey along ancient
waterways toward … Yakutat.
Yakutat Alaska (population est. 800),… a traditional
native village found at the north end of the Alaska’s
southeast panhandle, rests on a narrow stretch of
mountainous terrain that connects Southeast Alaska to
the rest of the State of Alaska. Yakutat is truly one
of Alaska’s hidden jewels… surrounded by the
Wrangell-St. Elias mountain range, and boosts North
America’s second highest peak, Mount St. Elias, (18,008
feet), which provides a dramatic backdrop and towers
over the local fishing grounds.
Located on Monti Bay, the only sheltered deep-water port
in the eastern Gulf of Alaska, Yakutat is also home to
the fastest advancing glacier in the northern
hemisphere, the
Hubbard Glacier; which feeds the
majestic Russell Fjord and Monti Bay with icy, cold
glacial waters. The clean, clear, icy cold waters
produce some of Alaska’s most pristine and productive
fishing grounds. Massive Glaciers are within close
reach… as are world class salmon rivers.
With 70 miles of deserted ocean beaches, once prized for
their possibility of containing gold, now shimmer and
glisten as fisherman brave the surf and swell to capture
the wild salmon as they continue their journey to the
many local pristine rivers to spawn.
Although Yakutat is inaccessible by road or rail and can
be reached only by air and sea, the community relies on
year-round daily jet
service by Alaska Airlines, with
direct connections south to Juneau and north to
Anchorage, Alaska. Proximity and availability of
consistent and reliable daily jet connections allow YakutatWildTM salmon product suppliers to ship high
quality wild salmon to virtually anywhere in the world
in a timely manner.
The history of Yakutat is rich in culture and diversity.
The Yakutat (ya-ku-tat) area was first the home of Eyak
(ee-yak)-speaking people from the Copper River area who
were later supplanted by Tlingits (kling-gets) who
migrated northward up the Alaskan panhandle; thus
Yakutat became the northern most major Tlingit
settlement.
“Yakutat” translated from Tlingit language means "a
place where canoes rest."
In the late 18th century, the French explorer Comte de
La Perouse and the English explorer George Dixon visited
Yakutat, and were followed by Russian and Spanish
explorers.
In 1805, the sea otter trade assumed a dominant role
in the community's history when the Russian-American
Company built a fort at Yakutat; later local Tlingit war
parties destroyed the fort and repelled Russian
occupation. With the collapse of sea otter populations
and the sale of Alaska to the United States, this
industry came to an end.
In 1887, the American Commercial Company began a gold
mining operation on
Yakutat's sandy beaches. At its
height, mining yielded $40 in gold per ton of sand, but
a number of natural disasters, including a tidal wave,
stripped the sand of its gold before miners could turn a
substantial profit.
In 1889, the Swedish Free Mission Church came to
Yakutat, opening a school and sawmill.
During WWII, the United States military stationed
upwards of 10,000 U.S. troops and built defensive
positions along the coastline now affectionately named,
“Cannon-Beach”, as well as built what is now the State
of Alaska’s third longest runway; to defend against a
Japanese invasion.
service by Alaska Airlines, with
direct connections south to Juneau and north to
Anchorage, Alaska. Proximity and availability of
consistent and reliable daily jet connections allow YakutatWildTM salmon product suppliers to ship high
quality wild salmon to virtually anywhere in the world
in a timely manner.
