Kodiak (Russian: Кадьяк) is one of 6 communities and the main city on Kodiak
Island in Kodiak Island Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial
transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through
this city either via ferryboat or airline. The population was estimated at 6
228 in 2008.
Originally inhabited by Alutiiq natives for over 7000 years, the city was
settled in the 1700s by Russian immigrants and became the capital of Russian
Alaska. Harvesting of the area's sea otter pelts led to the near extinction
of the animal in the following century and led to wars with and enslavement
of the natives for over 150 years. As part of the Alaska Purchase by the
United States in 1867, Kodiak became a commercial fishing center which
continues to this day. A lesser economic influence includes tourism, mainly
by those seeking outdoor adventure trips. Salmon, halibut, the unique Kodiak
Bear, elk, Sitka Deer, and mountain goats invite hunting tourists as well as
fishermen. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game maintains an office in the
city and a web site to help hunters and fishermen obtain the proper permits
and learn about the laws specific to the Kodiak area. The city has four
public elementary schools, a middle and high school, as well as a branch of
the University of Alaska. An antenna farm at the summit of Pillar Mountain
above the city historically provided communication with the outside world
before fiber optic cable was run. Transportation to and from the island is
provided by ferry service on the Alaska Marine Highway as well as local
commercial airlines.
History
The Kodiak Archipelago has been home to native cultures for over 7000 years.
In their language, "Kadiak" means island. Their descendants still occupy the
island and are considered Alutiiq, a term used to describe both their
language and culture. In 1763, the Russian explorer Stephan Glotov
discovered the island, followed by the English Captain James Cook fifteen
years later, who first penned "Kodiak" in his journals in 1778.
In 1791, the Russian fur trapper Alexander Baranov had the post at Three
Saints Bay, which was founded in 1784, moved to a new site at Saint Paul
Harbor, today the location of the city of Kodiak. Baranov considered Three
Saints Bay a poor location because it was too indefensible. The relocated
settlement was named Pavlovskaia. A warehouse was built in what became one
of the key posts of the Shelikhov-Golikov Company, a precursor of the
Russian-American Company and a center for harvesting the area's vast
population of sea otters for their prized pelts. The warehouse still stands
as the Baranov Museum. Because the First Native cultures revered this animal
and would never harm it, wars with and enslavement of the Aleuts occurred
during this era. Eastern Orthodox missionaries settled on the island by the
end of the 1700s, continuing European settlement of the island, which
eventually became the capital of Russian Alaska. The Russian-American
Company was established as a partnership between the two countries in the
following century to continue the sea otter harvest. By the mid 1800s, the
sea otter was almost extinct and 85% of the First Native population had
disappeared from violence and exposure to European diseases.
When Russia sold Alaska to the United States in 1867, Kodiak became a center
for commercial fishing, and canneries dotted the island in the early 1900s
until global farm-raised salmon eliminated these businesses. New processing
centers emerged and the industry continues to evolve, even today. During the
presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, animals such as the mountain goat, Sitka
Deer, rabbits, muskrats, beavers, squirrels, and others were introduced to
the island and the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge was created.
As Kodiak was incorporated in 1941, the US feared attack from Japanese
during WWII, and turned the town into a fortress. Roads, the airport, Fort
Abercrombie, and gun fortifications improved the island's infrastructure.
When Alaska became a state in 1959, government assistance in housing,
transportation, and education added additional benefits. A tectonic tsunami
struck the city during the 1964 Alaska earthquake with 30-foot (9.1 m) waves
that killed 15 people and caused $11 million in damages. It also wiped out
the neighboring Eskimo villages of Old Harbor and Kaguyak. The Standard Oil
Company, the Alaskan King Crab Company, and much of the fishing fleet were
also destroyed.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Because Kodiak is an important environmental asset which affects the fishing
industry, particularly salmon fishing, and because the island is coveted by
hunters worldwide for its unique Kodiak bear and other game animals, there
are strict laws governing fishing and hunting activities as well as hiking
near spawning streams. Both the Department and the city maintain websites
and publish helpful brochures to help communicate these strictly enforced
laws. All of the city's hotels and businesses have these materials in
prominent areas for guests and licenses can be purchases in the city's main
sporting goods store as well as online.
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