*Salmon running up stream. Photo by* *US Fish & Wildlife Service*.

Field of Streams

The Alaska Packers Association built its empire on a vast network of freshwater streams packed with wild salmon. Wrangell’s first cannery began inside the mouth of the Stikine River in the late 1880s, but by 1893, it moved to the north end of Wrangell Island, where it remained in operation until 1927. To fill the demand for canned salmon, Wrangell’s cannery tapped into streams miles away but close enough to ensure steamships could deliver fresh-caught salmon to the cannery dock every day. (To learn more about the site of the Wrangell cannery, read our blog post, The Cannery at Labouchere Bay).

Few topics in Wrangell history have been as controversial as salmon traps. These devices allowed canneries to produce record-volume canned salmon, but they deprived Tlingit, Haida, and other Indigenous people of the coast access to traditional salmon streams. The fight over salmon streams helped to begin the movement towards Alaska Native lands claims.

This map above is an attempt to identify the streams that provided salmon for Wrangell’s APA cannery. It is based off the APA’s own fish trap maps held at the Alaska Packers Association Records, Series VI, Sub-Series 7, Box 19: Alaska Territory Fish Trap Locations Map at Archives & Special Collections at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.

This map also features streams supplying the Wrangell cannery in government reports by Jefferson F. Moser in 1899 and 1902. The streams on this map were used at varying times, and it’s not clear when their use began or ended. There are likely more sites than are documented here. Where a salmon trap’s location is not identified by name, it is referred to only by trap number.

Fish Trap Maps

Salmon Trap No. 1 (Anan Creek)

Location: 131°48’N, 56°16’W

Of all the salmon traps in this collection, this one is identified by its Tlingit name: Anan. In Haa Aaní, Thomas Ukas and William Ukas reported “On Anan Creek there was formerly a large village which was owned jointly by the Ḵaach.ádi and the Kisk.ádi. It is apparently no longer used by the Natives.” In 1899, J.F. Moser wrote:

“At the entrance to Bradfield Canal, on the southern shore, in the angle formed by the shore line running first east from Point Wards and then north, is a stream which is fished by the Wrangell cannery, and which supplies a large number of humpbacks. The fish commence to run in the first part of July, and the stream is reported good for 300,000. In 1897 the Wrangell cannery obtained 375,000 humpbacks between July 12 and August 18.”

To learn more about the history of Anan, read Anan, Stream of Living Water by Bonnie Demerjian.

Salmon Trap No. 2

Location: 132°14’N, 55°42’W

Note: This fish trap is the same longitude and latitude as Salmon Trap No. 5.

Salmon Trap No. 3 (Ratz Harbor)

Location: 132°36’N, 55°53’W

In 1899, J.F. Moser identified Ratz Harbor as one of the principal sources of salmon for the Wrangell cannery. He wrote:

“Ratz Harbor is situated on the northeast shore of Prince of Wales Island, about 15 miles north of Tolstoi. At the northwest end of the harbor a stream enters, which is reported to yield 60,000 humpbacks, and is fished by the Wrangell cannery when the supply of humpbacks from streams nearer their route is short.”

Salmon Trap No. 4 (Eagle Creek)

Location: 132°41’N, 55°57’W

Salmon Trap No. 5

Location: 132°14’N, 55°42’W

Note: Same location as Salmon Trap Location No. 2.

Salmon Trap No. 6 (Totem Bay)

Location: 133°20’N, 56°28’W

In Haa Aaní, two Tlingit sources reported on the ancestral use of Totem Bay:

“There was formerly a camp at the mouth of a large creek at the eastern end of Totem Bay. This is now the site of a fox farm (Thomas Ukas #69). Another witness reports that about five years ago he saw a smokehouse on the west end of Totem Bay which was at that time no longer in use (Herbert Bradley #66).”

Note: Same location as Salmon Trap No. 20.

Salmon Trap No. 16 (Union Bay)

Location: 55°45’30” N, 132°15’ W

Salmon Trap No. 19

Location: 55°47’45”N, 132°28’50” W

Salmon Trap No. 20

Location: 55°10’55”N, 131°59’"08” W

Note: Same location as Salmon Trap No. 14.

Salmon Trap No. 22

Location: 56°15’00”N, 133°04’22”W

Salmon Trap No. 25

Location: 55°38’30”N, 132°12’30”W

Additional APA Fishing Areas

Stikine River Delta

Location: 56.622809°N, 132.369818°W

According to J.F. Moser in 1899, “The cannery at Wrangell uses gill nets in the fisheries at the mouth of the Stikine, but all fish obtained for this cannery in other localities are taken in drag seines.” He continued:

“It is believed that the run of all species of salmon up this river is large, and, if they could be easily captured, several canneries might be supplied; but only gill-net fishing is feasible, and on account of the wide expanse of river mouth, the numerous snags and bowlders, and strong currents, this method is not very profitable... The fishing here is carried on around the flats at the mouth of the river, in the sloughs and channels where the current is not too strong. Usually the gill nets are anchored; sometimes they are drifted. The Wrangell cannery in a good season expects to obtain from the Stikine from 4,000 to 8,000 king salmon, 30,000 redfish, and 30,000 cohoes.”

Ka-Sheets

Location: 56.522357°N, 133.123433°W

Haa Aaní quoted Willis Hoagland directly as saying:

“Kah Sheets Bay was a hunting ground. There was a little salmon creek in there, and they dried fish, hunted bear, beaver, mink, and otter. Now we hunt in there and come back home. The Ḵaach.ádi tribe owned that bay.”

The report continued that Hoagland “indicates that Totem Bay was the property of the Taalḵweidí who had a smokehouse in this area. He further states that he has hunted and seined in these areas when he was a young man.”

*A photo of two men sitting on a rock overlooking Kah-Sheets Stream from J.F. Moser’s 1899 report.*

J.F. Moser’s report identifies Kah-Sheets as one of the key sources of salmon for the Wrangell cannery in 1899. He wrote:

“At the entrance to Duncan Canal, on the western shore, in the upper end of the bouldery bay inside of Lung Island, a redfish stream was examined. Its mouth is north of a narrow tongue of land making to the eastward and to the northward of a house occupied by a number of Indians… This stream has a capacity of about 5,000 redfish. In 1897 it supplied the cannery at Wrangell as follows: Redfish July 3 to 28 (3,502), Redfish August 1 to 3 (616), Cohoes August 14 - to 28 (1,951).”

Thoms Place (Old Village)

Location: 56.177296°N, 132.146156°W

In Haa Aaní, Thomas Ukas reportedly said:

“There used to be three smokehouses at Thoms Creek at the south end of Etolin Island. These were still there two years ago, when I was last in that place. There are whites logging in that area now. The Naan.yaa.aayí people use that place now. The people used to hunt along the shores for beaver, bear, and deer. They gathered clams and berries and fished for halibut.”

In 1899, J.F. Moser wrote:

“In the southern part of Zimovia Strait, about 6 miles below Deserted Village, is a rocky bay making into Wrangell Island. At the head of this a stream, having a capacity of 15,000 to 20,000 redfish, fished by Wrangell cannery. The statistics for 1897 are as follows: Redfish June 28 to 30 (907), Redfish July 3 to 27 (13,181), August 1 to 6 (3,050), Cohoes August 6 to 31 (1,992), Humpbacks July 12 to August 18 (42,169).”

In his 1902 report, Moser identified the Tlingit name as Aw-Aw, but “better known as Thoms Stream, fished by the Wrangell and Gerard Point canneries.”

(image source: *University of Washington Archives*)

Point Barrie (Kushneahin)

Location: 56.437783°N, 133.656237°W

A chart in J.F. Moser’s book identifies this as Kushneahin, one of the incidental suppliers of fish for the Wrangell cannery. In 1899, Moser wrote:

“Point Barrie is the southwest point of Kupreanof Island, and in this vicinity is a stream said to have a capacity of 10,000 redfish, A small saltery is located here, and is operated with the fishery by Cyrus Orr. All the fish are sold fresh that can be disposed of in that way, but it is out of the track of cannery steamers. Occasionally a few are sent to Wrangell on the small mail steamer. In 1897 Wrangell received 692 redfish in that way. In 1890, when the census was taken, there was a small Indian village here and a store. Population, 89 Indians and.3 whites. The Baranoff Packing Company, of Redfish Bay, received from Point Barrie 4,467 redfish between July 9 and 20, 1892.”

Shipley Bay

Location: 56.090669°N, 133.581587°W

In 1899, J.F. Moser wrote:

“Shipley Bay is on the western side of Prince of Wales Island, and at its head has a stream which is said to yield 12,000 redfish annually. ,A small salteryon the bay is operated by Walter Kosmikoff, together with the fishery. This stream, like that at Point Barrie, is out of the track of cannery steamers, and a few salmon and salmon trout are salted and a few sold fresh. In the Wrangell cannery received 700 redfish from this fishery by mail steamer. The Redfish Bay cannery, in 1892, from July 9 to 20, took 6,762 redfish, and in 1893, from July 8 to 30, 5,295 redfish from stream.”

Whale Pass

Location: 56.100673°N, 133.123887°W

According to William Paul’s The Alaska Tlingit, Whale Pass is Tee-hit-ton land known as Oota-heen. In Haa Aaní, Willis Hoagland said “there was a camp on the south side of the island on Whale Pass.”

According to J.F. Moser in 1899:

“Whale Passage is about 5 miles to the westward of Lake Bay. The stream, which is essentially a humpback stream, is in the northwest arm of the passage. The saltery, operated here by Mr. Thomas McCauley, utilizes the fish that can not be handled at Wrangell. The stream is said to have a capacity of 200,000 humpbacks and from 2,000 to 3,000 cohoes. 1,400 half-barrels of humpback bellies were salted in 1897.”

Wrangell Narrows (Finger Point & Turn Point)

Location: 56.806949°N, 132.985330°W

The map above shows the Wrangell Narrows between Mitkof Island and Kupreanof Island. According to the labels on this map, the stream opposite Finger Point produces around 2,000 redfish, while the stream opposite Turn Point produces 8,000-10,000 humpback salmon and 5,000 coho salmon. Today, the area of Turn Point is the city of Petersburg, Alaska.

According to Willis Hoagland in Haa Aaní:

“Across from Petersburg there was a salmon creek which belonged to the Taalḵweidí. There is now a mink ranch at this location. The Taalḵweidí people use the Wrangell Narrows area for trapping mink and hunting bear.”

In 1899, J.F. Moser reported:

“Opposite Finger Point is a small stream which supplies, under ordinary conditions, 2,000 redfish. In the northern end, in the bight opposite Turn Point, is a stream which supplied Wrangell cannery in 1897, from August 18 to September 1, with 4,904 cohoes. This is also a good humpback stream.”