Kayak Island
59°55′29″N 144°24′20″W / 59.92474°N 144.40567°W
Bering Expedition Landing Site (Eyak: Qe'yiłteh) | |
Alaska Heritage Resources Survey
| |
Location | Katalla, Alaska |
---|---|
Coordinates | 59°53′40″N 144°29′08″W / 59.89444°N 144.48556°W |
Built | 1741 |
NRHP reference No. | 77001542 |
AHRS No. | XMI-005 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | July 20, 1977[1] |
Designated NHL | June 2, 1978[2] |
Designated AHRS | February 2, 1975 |
Kayak Island (Eyak: Qe'yiłteh), is located in the Gulf of Alaska, 100 km (62 mi) SE of Cordova, Alaska Malaspina Coastal Plain, on the eastern edge of Chugach National Forest. It has a land area of 73.695 km2 (28.454 sq mi) and no population. It is historically significant as the first place a non-native first set foot on Alaska, and thus chosen in 1978 for the location of the commemorative Bering Expedition Landing Site.
Bering himself never went ashore. On July 20, 1741, the Bering Expedition's German naturalist
The island was named "Kayak" in 1826 by Lt. Sarychev of the Russian Navy, because of the fancied resemblance of its outline to the Eskimo skin canoe.
Captain
Cape Saint Elias is located on the southwest end of the island. Mount Saint Elias — about 115 miles to the ENE, and at 18,009 feet (5,489 m) the second highest mountain in both the United States and Canada — was likely named after this cape. The cape is also the site of Alaska's first confirmed tornado, which caused minor damage to the area on November 4, 1959.[4] It was the 50th and last state to confirm their first tornado since 1950.[5]
The Cape St. Elias Light is an important aid-to-navigation located on the island.
The bottle, paper and silver Captain Cook left on Kayak Island remain undiscovered.[6]
See also
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Alaska
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Chugach Census Area, Alaska
References
- ^ a b "Alaska SP Bering Expedition Landing Site". National Register of Historic Places. National Archives Catalog. July 20, 1977. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ a b "Bering Expedition Landing Site". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
- ^ Collins, Henry B. Jr. "Georg Wilhelm Steller". Encyclopedia Arctica. Dartmouth. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "Alaska F0". Tornado History Projects. Storm Predicition Center. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "All Alaska Tornadoes". Tornado History Projects. Storm Predicition Center. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ Kmm (2020-03-09). "Kodiak Maritime Museum: Captain Cook in Alaska, 1778". Kodiak Maritime Museum. Retrieved 2023-11-14.