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Klawock
Klawock is located on the west coast of
Prince of Wales Island across from Klawock Island. It is 7 miles north
of Craig, 24 miles from Hollis, and 56 air miles west of Ketchikan. It
lies at approximately 55° 33' N Latitude, 133° 05' W Longitude (Sec. 09,
T073S, R081E, Copper River Meridian). The community is located in the
Ketchikan Recording District. The area encompasses 0 sq. miles of land
and 0 sq. miles of water.
 Early
inhabitants were from Tukekan, a Tlingit winter village to the north.
Klawock was used as a summer fishing camp, and has been known as
Klawerak, Tlevak, Clevak and Klawak. The history of Klawock is closely
tied to the fishing industry. A trading post and salmon saltery were
established in 1868, and the first cannery in Alaska was built here by a
San Francisco firm in 1878. The subsequent canneries that sprouted in
the area were operated under contract with Chinese laborers. A hatchery
for red salmon operated at Klawock Lake between 1897 and 1917.
In 1929, Klawock incorporated as a
City, and a school was constructed. In 1934, Klawock received federal
funds under the Wheeler Howard Act to develop a local cannery, on the
condition that residents vote to be liquor-free. In 1971 the Alaska
Timber Corp. build a sawmill. Soon after, the Klawock-Heenya Village
Corp., the Shaan Seet Corp. of Craig, and Sealaska Timber Corp. expanded
area facilities with a log sort yard outside of Klawock and a deep-water
dock on Klawock Island. The State constructed a salmon hatchery in 1978.
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