Pelican, Alaska facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pelican, Alaska K'udeis'x̱'e
City
Motto(s):  "Closest to the fish"
Pelican, Alaska Location in Alaska
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Census Area	Hoonah-Angoon
Incorporated	October 3, 1943
Area
• Total	0.61 sq mi (1.59 km2)
• Land	0.55 sq mi (1.42 km2)
• Water	0.07 sq mi (0.17 km2)
Elevation	217 ft (66 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	98
• Density	178.51/sq mi (68.96/km2)
Time zone	UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-8 (AKDT)
ZIP code	99832
Area code	907
FIPS code	02-59650
GNIS feature ID	1424201

Pelican (which is called Tlingit: K'udeis'x̱'e in the Tlingit language) is a small town in Alaska, a state in the United States. It's located on the northwestern part of Chichagof Island, within the Hoonah-Angoon Census Area.

In 2010, the town had 88 people living there. By the 2020 census, the population grew slightly to 98 people.

Where is Pelican located?

Pelican is found on the east side of Lisianski Inlet. This inlet connects to Lisianski Strait and Cross Sound. The town is on Chichagof Island at these coordinates: 57°57′30″N 136°13′27″W / 57.95833°N 136.22417°W / 57.95833; -136.22417.

The city covers a total area of about 0.61 square miles (1.59 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 0.55 square miles (1.42 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.07 square miles (0.17 square kilometers), is water.

What is Pelican's climate like?

Pelican has a type of climate called a humid continental climate. This means it has warm summers and cold, snowy winters.

How many people live in Pelican?

Pelican first appeared on the U.S. Census in 1940 as "Pelican City." It officially became a city in 1943. It was called "Pelican City" until 1970, when its name on census records changed to just "Pelican."

In 2000, there were 163 people living in Pelican. The population density was about 280 people per square mile. Most residents were White (72.39%), and a significant number were Native American (21.47%).

What is Pelican's history?

The Legend of a Shipwreck

Long ago, when Russian ships sailed in Alaskan waters, a legend says one ship crashed in the waters of Cross Sound. The survivors used a lifeboat to row up an inlet, which later became known as Lisianski. In a safe cove, they started a settlement. They cleared land, planted gardens, and hunted. The story tells that they built a shipyard and a new ship, which allowed them to sail back home.

When this Russian settlement was abandoned, the area returned to wilderness. Early hunters and trappers found the cleared land and discovered old iron and copper tools, along with sunken graves. They named this forgotten place "Sunnyside."

Possible Russian ship spike from the 1700s

Today, the Lisianski Inlet Lodge stands where the old Russian settlement of Sunnyside was. The lodge owners say they have seen "mounds" in the nearby trees that might be burial sites. They have also found old tools in the ground.

In the late 1970s, Paul Corbin found what looked like a spike from a Russian ship. He was digging a garbage pit near the Lodge. A few years later, Denny Corbin found a pair of eyeglasses with gold rims, blue glass, and diamond-shaped jade pieces.

Gold Mining in the Area

By 1938, the Lisianski Inlet became a place for gold miners. Hjalmar Mork, Jack Ronning, and the older Mork sons worked at the Mork mine, also known as the Goldwin Prospect.

Another gold mine, called the Apex, was located across the inlet from Sunnyside. The Apex-El Nido mine produced a lot of gold, about 18,000 ounces. Jack Koby was also developing a mine called Lucky Strike. Another mine was being worked at the mouth of the inlet. This was the Lisianski Inlet that Kalle (Charley) Raatikainen discovered when he wanted to build a new town.

Developing a Fish Processing Plant (1938–1941)

Raatikainen was an Alaskan pioneer who bought fish. He worked tirelessly during fishing season, buying fish and transporting them to Sitka. He wanted to offer better and faster service to fishermen. So, he started looking for a place to build a cold storage plant closer to the fishing grounds.

Choosing the Location

Raatikainen spoke with his friend Hjalmar Mork, who showed him a spot up the inlet near his mine on August 2, 1938. Raatikainen found a perfect harbor with deep water, land, and a large lake with a waterfall. It was located between Juneau and Sitka, which was ideal.

Raatikainen created a company and brought in a team to start building. On September 26, 1938, his boat, the Pelican, arrived with workers. One of his fish scows (a type of boat) was placed on the beach and became the mess hall and worker quarters. Another scow was anchored and used as a warehouse and living space. The town site became known as Pelican City.

Joe and Jim Paddock arrived with their equipment to drive piles into the ground. They used their engine to clear trees from the cold storage site. Hjalmar Mork and Jack Ronning also helped by moving their equipment to clear rocks.

Bringing in Supplies

The steam schooner SS Tongass arrived and dropped tons of lumber and pilings for the town. Raatikainen didn't have enough money to pay right away, so Bob DeArmond had to ask the captain to wait for payment. A sawmill and other supplies were loaded onto rafts and brought ashore. The SS Tongass was the only ship bringing supplies to Pelican for a few years.

The first building built on land had two uses. One side was a Finnish steam bath, and the other side was a store and offices for the new company. During this time, Pelican was often called "Finn Town." The town started to look like a real town when the Paddocks and Raatikainen built homes. Arthur Silverman arrived from Sitka and opened a beer parlor.

Building the cold storage, getting diesel engines, and setting up water and electricity cost a lot of money. Raatikainen went to Seattle to raise more money, but it was always a challenge. However, the town kept growing because there wasn't much winter work elsewhere during the Great Depression. Fishermen and others were willing to work for food, tobacco, and shares in the company.

Fire and Growth

There was a big problem when the bathhouse caught fire. The only way to fight the fire was with buckets of salt water from the beach. The bath/store building was quickly rebuilt. It later became Pelican's first school. One of the first major buildings was a two-story building. The first floor had a kitchen, mess hall, office, store, and later the post office. The top floor was used as a bunkhouse, and it's still used that way today.

Gus Savela, an engineer and fish buyer, supervised the building of a dam. The Paddock brothers used the sawmill to build the wharf, fish house, and started the boardwalk. When summer fishing season began, many men left to work or fish.

Work slowed down in 1939 when the Navy started building a base on Japonski Island, offering other jobs. Still, a post office named "Pelican" was opened on November 27, 1939, with Bob DeArmond as the first postmaster. Pelican's school opened with Arvo Wahto as its first teacher. He taught children for two generations until the 1960s. A sawmill was built to produce lumber for homes, making the town more permanent.

In the summer of 1940, things became busier when A. R. Breuger brought his floating cannery to Pelican. This brought new people and small fishing boats to town, creating jobs for some residents. By the summer of 1941, Pelican had another salmon cannery. The Cape Cross Salmon Company set up canning machines and processed over 17,000 cases of salmon. Later, Cape Cross built a separate cannery next to the cold storage.

Project Completion

Henry Roden, a former attorney general of Alaska, helped Raatikainen find money. Finally, Norton Clapp agreed to invest in the project. Work on the cold storage plant quickly sped up. J. P. McNeil, who had managed a cold storage in Sitka, was hired to oversee the refrigeration system. The hydroelectric power plant was finished, and a new office and store building were added to the cold storage.

In August 1942, the first fish were loaded into the sharp freezer. In 1939, Pelican had 48 people. By 1951, it had grown to 180, and later reached its highest population of 250.

Recent Times

A view of Pelican from above Salmon Way, showing the marina and First and Second Islands.

Pelican Seafoods, a fish processing business, closed in July 2008. The city took over the plant in 2010. However, by 2016, a new fish processing business called Yakobi Fisheries began operating in Pelican.

Education in Pelican

The Pelican School District is responsible for the schools in the city.

Images for kids

See also

In Spanish: Pelican (Alaska) para niños