Ouzinkie is located on the west coast of Spruce Island, adjacent to
Kodiak Island. It lies northwest of the City of Kodiak and 247 air miles
southwest of Anchorage. It lies at approximately 57° 55' N Latitude,
152° 29' W Longitude (Sec. 15, T026S, R020W, Seward Meridian). The
community is located in the Kodiak Recording District. The area
encompasses 6 sq. miles of land and 2 sq. miles of water.
Ouzinkie became a retirement community for the Russian American
Company. The Russians referred to the settlement in 1849 as "Uzenkiy,"
meaning "village of Russians and Creoles." In 1889, the Royal Packing
Company constructed a cannery at Ouzinkie. Shortly afterward, the
American Packing Company built another. In 1890, a Russian Orthodox
Church was built, and in 1927, a post office was established. Cattle
ranching was popular in the early 1900s. In 1964, the Good Friday
earthquake and resulting tsunami destroyed the Ouzinkie Packing Company
cannery. Following the disaster, Columbia Ward bought the remains and
rebuilt the store and dock, but not the cannery. In the late 1960s, the
Ouzinkie Seafoods cannery was constructed. The operation was sold to
Glacier Bay, and burned down in 1976 shortly after the sale. No
canneries have operated since.