Metlakatla
For visitor information contact the Metlakatla Department of
Tourism at P.O. Box 8, Metlakatla, AK 99926
Phone: 907-886-8687
Website: www.metlakatlatours.com.
Tsimshian Native Dancers perform ancient chants and dances for
visitors to the island community of Metlakatla, accessible by
ferry and air from nearby Ketchikan. The people of modern-day
Metlakatla are descendants of a Native Indian group who
migrated in 1887 from "Old" Metlakatla in neighboring British
Columbia to Annette Island, USA. (Mike Miller Photo)
About Metlakatla: The history of Metlakatla, Alaska, in the USA began in 1886 when Father William Duncan, a lay minister of the Anglican Church in Metlakatla, B.C., Canada had a doctrinal dispute with the leadership of church authorities. The dispute was sufficiently serious that Duncan traveled to Washington, D.C, representing his group of Tsimshian (SHIM-shee-ann) Native followers. He persuaded the U.S. government to give the group land in the United States. In point of fact, the government gave them an entire island – Annette Island, in Alaska – and in 1897 the group moved there from their ancestral home in Canada.
They named their new home New Metlakatla and they've been an integral part of Alaska and the United States every since. (They subsequently dropped the "New" from their community name.)
During World War II the U.S. built a large military airfield on the island and after the war it became a United States Coast Guard search and rescue base. It served as well as the main passenger and commercial airfield for Ketchikan, AK on Revillagigedo Island. Connection between the two islands and their respective communities was by large floatplanes, mostly twin-engine Grumman Goose and PBY aircraft which could take off from the airfield at Annette Island and land in the waters facing Ketchikan.
Today Ketchikan has a new airport on Gravina Island just across Tongass Narrows and the two communities, Ketchikan and Metlakatla, are now connected by light aircraft and by year-round ferry shuttle service aboard the m/v Lituya (149 passengers, 18 vehicles). The Lituya is one of the ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway System.
The ferry and flight services provide visitors with an ideal combination: airborne flightseeing over scenic wooded islands one way and waterborne sightseeing the other.
Once at Metlakatla, the options are many. Hikers can tromp Yellow Hill for picturesque viewing and photography sights and sites along the way. Feeling patriotic? Enjoy a natural profile of George Washington that is viewable and camera-ready on Purple Mountain.
Near-endless beaches reveal sea plants and shellfish in accessible tidal pools when you picnic at Pioneer Park and other such beaches. Of course, you can book passage for an afternoon of salmon fishing/sightseeing.
Totem poles and totemic art provide frequent opportunities for viewing and picture-taking. And tribal dancing exhibitions are as colorful and as authentic as you will find anywhere in Alaska.
Community-wide motorcoach sightseeing is an option and Duncan Cottage Museum is another delight. This house museum was built in 1891 by parish members for Father Duncan. It contains – among many other items – a period music box made from a treadle sewing machine(!), early telephones, medical supplies, educational material, and musical instruments. The white twin-steepled Wiliam Duncan Memorial Church and Father Duncan's gravesite are likewise frequent visitor attractions.
Metlakatla Hotel and Suites
Innkeepers:P.O. Box 670
Metlakatla, AK 99926
Physical address:
Telephone: 907-886-3456
Fax:
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Tuck 'Em Inn Bed and Breakfast
Innkeepers:P.O. Box 574
Metlakatla, AK 99926
Physical address: Hillcrest Road
Telephone: 907-886-7853
Fax:
Email:
Website:
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