Woody Island (Alaska) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Woody Island

Native name: Tangirnaq
U.S. Navy wireless station, Woody Island, 1915
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	57°47′N 152°20′W / 57.783°N 152.333°W / 57.783; -152.333
Archipelago	Kodiak Archipelago
Major islands	Kodiak
Area	5.04 sq mi (13.1 km2)
Highest elevation	160 ft (49 m)
Highest point	Highest Point
Administration
United States
State	Alaska
Borough	Kodiak Island
Demographics
Population	2 (2010)
Woody Island Historic Archeological District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
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Location	Address restricted
Nearest city	Kodiak, Alaska
NRHP reference No.	14001196
Added to NRHP	January 27, 2015

Woody Island (also known as Ostrof Vud in Russian) is a small island in Chiniak Bay, Alaska. It is located about 2.6 miles east of Kodiak. The island was first settled by the native Alutiiq people. They called themselves Tangirnarmiut, which means "the people of Tangirnaq." They lived on and used Woody Island for thousands of years.

In 1792, Russians started a farming settlement on Woody Island. The U.S. Post Office officially named it Wood Island in 1894. For many years, it was a main trading center along the coast. The very first road in Alaska was built on Woody Island. Today, the island is mostly empty. It is about 2.8 miles long from north to south and 1.8 miles wide.

The Woody Island Historic Archeological District is a special area on the island. It has many important historical sites. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Life on Woody Island: Early Days

The Alutiiq people used Woody Island for many activities. They hunted whales, fished, and worked with wood. They also built large houses with many rooms. Their villages had complex social structures. When Russians arrived in the 1700s, the Alutiiq people first managed to push them away.

After a short time of trading, the Russians took control. This led to difficult times for the native people. Many suffered from diseases, were forced to move, or were harmed if they resisted.

Alutiiq Traditions and Culture

In 1802, a Russian naval officer named Gavriil Davydov saw an Alutiiq winter ceremony on Woody Island. He wrote about the event:

The people watching were native inhabitants. They wore their best clothes. Women had beautiful dresses made of cloth or animal skins. Many wore bones or beads through their noses. They also had many beads on their arms, legs, necks, and in their ears. Everyone enjoyed the show very much. During the festival, women kept bringing food to people. If they looked away for a moment, a young boy might grab a dish and run. Then the women would chase them, and everyone would laugh loudly.

In 1805, a village on the east side of Woody Island had 54 Alutiiq people. A smallpox disease hit the area in 1837. The Russians then forced the survivors to live in seven larger villages, including one on Woody Island.

Woody Island's Businesses and Trade

The Russian-American Company started an ice business on the island in 1852. They built a dam on Lake Tanignak, making it much deeper. They cut ice and shipped it south to California. This company brought the first iron rails to Alaska. These rails were used to move ice. Horses powered a saw that cut the ice into blocks.

A sawmill was also built, but it made sawdust, not lumber. The sawdust was used to keep the ice cold during shipping. The first road in Alaska was built around the island. It was used to exercise the horses. In 1867, the company changed its name to the Kodiak Ice Co.

Working for the Russians

For much of the late 1800s, many Alutiiq people on Woody Island were forced to work for the ice companies in winter. In summer, the Russians made them hunt sea otters and fur seals. These animals were hunted for their valuable fur.

In 1872, a Russian Orthodox Church was built on Woody Island. The church had a strong impact on the native people. It often replaced their traditional ceremonies with church activities.

Decline of Fur Hunting

The number of sea otters and fur seals dropped quickly in the late 1800s. This was because too many were hunted. About 100,000 sea otters were taken each year, along with many fur seals. By 1911, only about 2,000 sea otters were left. Hunting them was no longer profitable.

The Fur Seal Treaty then banned commercial hunting of these animals. The Alutiiq people were only allowed to hunt them for their own food and needs.

Woody Island as a Trade Hub

By 1886, Woody Island was the main business center for the Kodiak area. It had the ice harvesting operation, a boat yard, and a mill for grinding grain. The Alaska Commercial Company (which used to be the Russian-American Company) had a dock there. The only roads in Alaska connected these businesses. In 1891, the North American Commercial Company, a fur trading business, also opened a store on the island.

Religious and Military Presence

In 1893, Ernest and Ida Roscoe built a Baptist Mission and orphanage on Woody Island. Over the next 20 years, they added more buildings. These included dorms for boys and girls, an office, a barn, a carpenter shop, a cannery, a silo, and a dining room. The mission gave homes to Alutiiq children who had lost their parents. However, sometimes missionaries brought children to the orphanage even if their parents did not want them to go.

The main mission building burned down in 1925. It was rebuilt but burned again in 1937. After this, the mission moved to Kodiak on the mainland. There, more services were available.

U.S. Navy Wireless Station

The United States Navy built a wireless (radio) station on the island in 1911. It had two large masts, each 225 feet tall. In 1912, the Novarupta volcano erupted on the Alaska Peninsula. Over 18 inches of ash fell on Woody Island. Everyone except the watchman left for Kodiak.

During the ash fall, lightning struck one of the antennas. This started a fire that destroyed most of the wireless station. Harry Martin, who survived the eruption, told a Navy radioman about it in 1924:

They didn't know that lightning or a lot of static electricity had hit the antenna. This caused a fire that destroyed most of the station, including their living areas. None of the men had a bank account in the United States. Their dresser drawer was their bank. It seemed very safe. Martin said he lost over $900, which was almost a year's pay. He got it back after many months. After Mount Katmai erupted, only bears were left. While I was there, they started bringing back ptarmigan and rabbits. In 1926, they brought in the first deer.

The wireless station was rebuilt and updated in 1914. It was closed on February 28, 1931. Soon after, the government let the Territory of Alaska use the buildings for the Longwood School.

After the mission and orphanage moved, the island's population quickly dropped. The Longwood School had 71 students in 1937 but only 20 in 1939. The school then closed permanently. Many native people moved to Kodiak. There, they could find jobs and were less dependent on hunting and gathering for food.

Air Station Built

In 1941, the Civil Aeronautics Administration built the Kadiak Naval Air Station. This included a runway and facilities to help pilots. These facilities collected and sent weather and flight information to aircraft. During World War II, up to 40 technicians and their families lived on the island. They kept the communication systems working for military and civilian planes in the North Pacific.

Around 1951 or 1952, the old Russian Orthodox Church building was torn down. It had been empty for many years. Former Navy buildings were turned into apartments. A new school was built in 1951 for the small community. The air station became automated in the early 1970s. Most of the remaining FAA buildings burned down in 1979.

Woody Island Today

In the 1950s, the American Baptist Church started a summer camp on the island. This camp is still running today. The FAA still uses a radio beacon on the island to help aircraft find their way. There is no longer any public transportation to the island.

Today, two "hermits" live on Woody Island. Two families also own summer homes there. Most of the land on Woody Island is private property. However, the Woody Island State Recreation Site is a 112-acre wilderness area. It belongs to Alaska State Parks. The island is also known as the Leisnoi Alaska Native Village Statistical Area.

Population Changes Over Time

Woody Island first appeared on the U.S. Census in 1880 as "Lesnova." It had 157 residents. Most were Inuit or Creole (mixed Russian and Native). It was not on the 1890 census. In 1900, it returned as "Wood Island Settlement." From 1910 to 1940, it was called "Wood Island." From 1950 to 1980, it was "Woody Island." In 1980, it was named an Alaskan Native Village Statistical Area (ANVSA). It did not appear on the 1990 or 2000 censuses. In 2010, it was listed as the ANVSA of Leisnoi, but it reported 0 residents.

See also

In Spanish: Isla Woody (Alaska) para niños