Cholmondeley Sound facts for kids
Cholmondeley Sound is a deep bay or inlet located on the southeast side of Prince of Wales Island. This island is part of the Alexander Archipelago in southeast Alaska. The sound is also found within the huge Tongass National Forest and connects to Clarence Strait.
The entrance to Cholmondeley Sound is between Chasina Point and Skin Island. It's about 20 miles (32 km) west of Ketchikan, Alaska. Inside Cholmondeley Sound, you'll find several smaller bays and inlets like Kitkun Bay, Dora Bay, Brennan Bay, and Sunny Cove. At its western end, the sound splits into two long, narrow inlets that look like fjords. These are West Arm Cholmondeley Sound, which is about 7.5 miles (12 km) long, and South Arm Cholmondeley Sound, about 8 miles (13 km) long. From the entrance of the sound all the way to the end of West Arm, the total length is about 16 miles (26 km).
Cholmondeley Sound and its arms are all very deep. Their shorelines are steep and covered with thick forests.
How Cholmondeley Sound Got Its Name
The name Cholmondeley Sound was given by George Vancouver on August 21, 1793. He named it after George Cholmondeley, who was an important Earl at the time.
A Look Back in Time
Long ago, there was a summer village of the Haida near the entrance of Cholmondeley Sound. This village was called Chatchini or Chat-chee-ni. It was used by the Kaigani Haida people from Kasaan. The village was probably located at Chasina Point.
In the early 1800s, American traders who were part of the maritime fur trade often visited this village and a nearby harbor, which is now called Chasina Anchorage. These traders wrote the village's name in many different ways, like Chartsena or Chatseana. The anchorage also had various spellings, such as Chuckenhoo or Kukkunuque.
Cholmondeley Sound was a popular trading spot, located just north of another well-known trading area called "Kaigani". Ships would come here to trade with the Haida people. For example, in 1811, a ship called the Otter visited. The Haida chief Kiangah even sailed on the Otter for a while. He was returned with special war dresses made of deer skins. He planned to trade these dresses with other native groups for valuable sea otter furs.
