Hinchinbrook Island (Alaska) facts for kids
Hinchinbrook Island is a cool island located in the Gulf of Alaska. It sits right at the entrance to Prince William Sound in the state of Alaska, United States. This island is quite large, covering about 172 square miles (445 square kilometers). That makes it the 37th biggest island in the whole United States! Back in the year 2000, only five people lived there permanently.
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Exploring Hinchinbrook Island
Hinchinbrook Island has some interesting spots to discover.
Important Places
On the southwest side of the island, you'll find the Cape Hinchinbrook Light. This is a lighthouse that helps guide ships safely. Also on the southwest side is a bay called Port Etches. Here, there used to be a village named Nuchek. It's not an active village anymore, but the Chugach Alaska Corporation now runs a special place called the Nuuciq Spirit Camp at this historic site.
Cold War History
During a time known as the Cold War, the U.S. Government had a secret radar site on the northeast part of the island. This site was part of a system called "White Alice." Today, this site is no longer used. All that's left is a path leading to where the antennas used to be on a small hill. Some of the old buildings are still there too.
Near this old site is the Boswell Bay Airport, which was the landing strip for the radar station. A few houses make up a tiny group of homes called Boswell Bay, just across the bay to the south. The State of Alaska also looks after the Boswell Bay Marine State Park nearby. It's a great place to visit!
A Look Back in Time
Hinchinbrook Island has a rich history with some important events.
Early Conflicts
In 1792, a battle happened on Hinchinbrook Island. It was between the Yakutat Tlingit people and a group of Russians and Kodiak Sugpiaq people. This group was led by a man named Alexander Andreyevich Baranov. The Tlingit people probably came to the island to get back at the Chugach Sugpiaq, who had attacked them the year before.
Fort Konstantinovsk
In 1797, Alexander Baranov visited a fort on the island. It was called Fort Konstantinovsk and was built by a company named Lebedev-Lastochkin. Baranov called the island "Nuchek Island" at that time. Many of the men from that company later joined Baranov's own company, the Shelikhov-Golikov Company.
Shipwreck Story
In May 1920, a large ship called the Armeria got stuck on rocks near Cape Hinchinbrook. This ship belonged to the United States Lighthouse Service. It was trying to rescue another boat, the Haydn Brown, but ended up in trouble itself. All 36 crew members of the Armeria were saved by another ship called the Admiral Sampson. Sadly, the Armeria, which was worth a lot of money, was completely lost. Some of its cargo, like coal and supplies for lighthouses, was saved.
