Petersburg, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Petersburg is spoken by the Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska and Western Canada. It is a branch of the Na-Dené language family. Tlingit is very endangered, with fewer than 140 native speakers still living, all of whom are bilingual or near-bilingual in English...
: "Steamboat Canyon") is a city in Petersburg Census Area, Alaska, in the United States. According to 2009 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 2,824 full time residents.
History
The north end of Mitkof IslandMitkof Island
Mitkof Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in southeast Alaska, at . between Kupreanof Island to the west and the Alaska mainland to the east. It is about wide and long with a land area of , making it the 30th largest island in the United States.The island is relatively flat with...
was a summer fish camp utilized by Kake
Kake, Alaska
Kake is a town in Petersburg Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 710 at the 2000 census. The name comes from the Tlingit word or , which is derived from “dawn, daylight” and “mouth”, i.e. “mouth of dawn” or “opening of daylight”.-Geography:Kake is located at...
Tlingits from Kupreanof Island
Kupreanof Island
Kupreanof Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska. The island is long and wide with a total land area is , making it the 13th largest island in the United States and the 170th largest island in the world. The Lindenberg Peninsula, on the southeast side of the...
. Remnants of fish traps and some petroglyphs have been carbon-dated back some 2,000 years. Alaskan Natives began living year-round at the site, including Chief John Lot. Petersburg was named after Peter Buschmann, a Norwegian immigrant who arrived in the late 1890s and homesteaded on the north end of the island. He built a cannery (thanks to the plentiful number of iceberg
Iceberg
An iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...
s from the nearby LeConte Glacier
LeConte Glacier
LeConte Glacier is a and glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. It flows southwest to the head of LeConte Bay. It was named in 1887 by U.S. Navy Lieutenant-Commander Charles M. Thomas in honor of a California biologist Joseph LeConte...
which would provide a source for cooling fish), a sawmill, and a dock between 1890 and 1900. His family's homesteads grew into Petersburg which, by 1910 was incorporated and was populated largely by people of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n origin thus giving Petersburg the nickname "Little Norway". May 17 (Norwegian Constitution Day
Norwegian Constitution Day
Norwegian Constitution Day is the National Day of Norway and is an official national holiday observed on May 17 each year. Among Norwegians, the day is referred to simply as syttende mai or syttande mai , Nasjonaldagen or Grunnlovsdagen , although the latter is less frequent.- Historical...
) is celebrated annually in Petersburg on the third weekend in May. The cannery, along with three others have operated continuously since their completion.
A major year in Petersburg history was 1965 and the founding of Icicle Seafoods. Petersburg fishermen Gordon Jensen and Magnus Martens teamed up with managers Tom Thompson and Bob Thorstenson, Sr. to spearhead a group of fishermen to purchase the Pacific American Fisheries(PAF) plant in a then-declining seafood industry. PAF was traded on the NYSE and had been one of the largest processors in Alaska for a half century. The same, original Bushmann cannery was now in good hands. The shareholders, including Board members Fred File, Fred Haltiner, Jr., Robin Leekley, Jeff Pfundt, Aril Mathisen, Bud Samuelson and many others ( Hofstads, Otness, Petersons to name a few) set out for a journey to create, improve and institute fisheries that sustain Petersburg and many other coastal communities in Alaska today. The company was originally known as PFI but was officially changed to Icicle Seafoods in 1977.
Geography
Petersburg is located on the north end of Mitkof IslandMitkof Island
Mitkof Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in southeast Alaska, at . between Kupreanof Island to the west and the Alaska mainland to the east. It is about wide and long with a land area of , making it the 30th largest island in the United States.The island is relatively flat with...
, where the Wrangell Narrows
Wrangell Narrows
The Wrangell Narrows is a winding, 35-km-long channel between Mitkof Island and Kupreanof Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. The Wrangell Narrows is one of the six Listed narrows in Southeast Alaska. There are about 60 lights and buoys to mark it because of its winding nature...
meets Frederick Sound
Frederick Sound
Frederick Sound is a passage of water in the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska that separates Kupreanof Island to the south from Admiralty Island in the north....
. Petersburg is halfway between Juneau
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
, 190 km (118.1 mi) to the north, and Ketchikan
Ketchikan, Alaska
Ketchikan is a city in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska, United States, the southeasternmost sizable city in that state. With an estimated population of 7,368 in 2010 within the city limits, it is the fifth most populous city in the state....
, 180 km (111.8 mi) to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 46 square miles (119.1 km²), of which, 43.9 square miles (113.7 km²) of it is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) of it (4.74%) is water.
Mitkof Island is largely covered by low mountains, while the lowlands are mainly made up of muskeg
Muskeg
Muskeg is an acidic soil type common in Arctic and boreal areas, although it is found in other northern climates as well. Muskeg is approximately synonymous with bogland but muskeg is the standard term in Western Canada and Alaska, while 'bog' is common elsewhere. The term is of Cree origin, maskek...
, a type of soil made up of plants in various states of decomposition. It is approximately 20 miles from its north end to its south. The western side of the island borders the Wrangel Narrows. The Wrangell Narrows is one of the Six Listed Narrows in Southeast Alaska. The Narrows provides a somewhat protected waterway for boats, and opens on the south end of the island into Sumner Straits. Sumner Strait
Sumner Strait
Sumner Strait is a strait in the Alexander Archipelago in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is about long and wide, extending from the mouth of the Stikine River to Iphigenia Bay on the Gulf of Alaska, separating Mitkof Island, Kupreanof Island, and Kuiu Island on the north...
Mitkof Island has many creeks that empty into the Narrow, including Blnd Slough, Falls creek, Twin Creeks, and Spirit Creek.
The town is the 12th most lucrative fisheries port in the United States by volume according to the National Marine Fisheries Service
National Marine Fisheries Service
The National Marine Fisheries Service is a United States federal agency. A division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Commerce, NMFS is responsible for the stewardship and management of the nation's living marine resources and their habitat within the...
. In 2004, 103 million pounds of fish and shellfish passed through Petersburg.
Climate
On 16 January 1981, Petersburg registered a daily maximum temperature of 62 °F (16.7 °C), the highest ever recorded in the month of January in Alaska. Eleven years later, on February 27, 1992, a high of 66 °F (18.9 °C) was observed, also setting a monthly state record high.Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,224 people, 1,240 households, and 849 families residing in the city. The population density was 73.5 people per square mile (28.4/km²). There were 1,367 housing units at an average density of 31.2 per square mile (12.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.64% WhiteRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.31% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 7.20% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 2.76% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.19% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.86% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, from two or more races. 2.85% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 1,240 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 29.8% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 108.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.0 males.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1910 | 585 |
| 1920 | 900 |
| 1930 | 1,200 |
| 1940 | 1,300 |
| 1950 | 1,600 |
| 1960 | 1,500 |
| 1970 | 2,000 |
| 1980 | 2,800 |
| 1990 | 3,200 |
Personal income
The median income for a household in the city was $49,028, and the median income for a family was $54,934. Males had a median income of $42,135 versus $28,792 for females. The per capita incomePer capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $25,827. About 3.3% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
Commercial fishing is the dominant economic driver of Petersburg's economy. Petersburg has the most efficient and effective small boat fishing fleet in the world. The top producers harvest well over a million dollars of seafood each and every year. While there is a vibrant salmon troll and gillnet fleet as well as participants in the dungeness crab and dive fisheries, the main producers in Petersburg are the 58 foot limit 'seiners'. These 58 footers harvest salmon, halibut, black cod, king crab and herring. Throughout the 1960's and 1970's, the main producers included Neal MacDonald, Lloyd Peterson, Gordon Jensen, Magnus Martens, Leonard Martens, Oliver Hofstad, Jeff Pfundt, Fred Haltiner and Darryl Olson. In the 1980's and 1990's, the top producers of the 58 foot fleet changed to the next generation, led by Mark Severson and Collin Martens.
Currently making a comeback in the worldwide salmon markets, the 58 foot fleet now boasts crew jobs that exceed six figures. The sustainability of all commercially harvested resources has been a trademark of the fisheries participated in by Petersburg fishermen. Petersburg Vessel Owners Association, resurrected by Gordon Jensen in the 1980's, is the lead association that ensures that all seafood harvested by the Petersburg fleet is done so in a sustainable manner.
Tourism
Small cruise-ships (up to 250 passengers) and private yachts visit from May through September.Transportation
Since it is located on an island with no bridges, Petersburg can be accessed only by air or sea.Marine transportation
Petersburg receives service from the Alaska Marine HighwayAlaska Marine Highway
The Alaska Marine Highway or the Alaska Marine Highway System is a ferry service operated by the government of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has its headquarters in Ketchikan, Alaska....
. Petersburg is a stop on its Inside Passage
Inside Passage
The Inside Passage is a coastal route for oceangoing vessels along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific coast of North America. The route extends from southeastern Alaska, in the United States, through western British Columbia, in Canada, to northwestern Washington...
route that sees scheduled service both southbound and northbound to other Southeast Alaskan
Alaska Panhandle
Southeast Alaska, sometimes referred to as the Alaska Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, which lies west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The majority of Southeast Alaska's area is part of the Tongass National Forest, the United...
communities, Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
and Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
Canada.
Air transportation
Jet carrier Alaska AirlinesAlaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
serves Petersburg with both cargo and passenger service from the Petersburg James A. Johnson Airport
Petersburg James A. Johnson Airport
Petersburg James A. Johnson Airport is a public airport located one mile southeast of the central business district of Petersburg, a city in the Petersburg Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport has a single runway. Airline service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service...
from Wrangell and Juneau daily, with service ultimately reaching Anchorage and Seattle. There are three charter air companies.
Media
KFSKKFSK
KFSK is a non-commercial radio station in Petersburg, Alaska, broadcasting on 100.9 FM. The station airs public radio programming from the National Public Radio network, the BBC World Service, and is a member of CoastAlaska. KFSK also airs some locally originated programming.-External links:*...
is a community owned and operated public radio station. Petersburg is also served by KRSA
KRSA
KRSA is a religious formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Petersburg, Alaska, serving Southeast Alaska. KRSA is owned and operated by Sea-Christ Broadcasting Corporation.-History:...
, a religious station, based in Petersburg.
The Petersburg Pilot is a weekly newspaper established in 1974.
Culture
- Petersburg celebrates Norwegian Constitution DayNorwegian Constitution DayNorwegian Constitution Day is the National Day of Norway and is an official national holiday observed on May 17 each year. Among Norwegians, the day is referred to simply as syttende mai or syttande mai , Nasjonaldagen or Grunnlovsdagen , although the latter is less frequent.- Historical...
in a celebration called "Mayfest" locally on the third weekend in May. It is a huge celebration. There is generally 4 days of celebrations planned with the major events centering around the front end of the weekend. Little Norway celebrates the 17th of May with a longer and more enthusiastic celebration than any known Norwegian-American settlement or community. Recent Petersburg residents have traveled to Norway and have found that the Norwegian Constitution day (Norwegian: grunnlovsdag) has a longer celebration than even in Norway, where they celebrate only on the 17th of May.
- The Petersburg Marine Mammal Center is located here. a teaching center and to support research into new discoveries.
Notable residents
- Ernest J. Haugen (1916–1994) was a fisherman and businessman, including owning and operating the Pastime Restaurant for decades. He was mayor from 1955 to 1959, then represented Petersburg and WrangellWrangell, AlaskaWrangell is a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2000 census the population was 2,308.Its Tlingit name is Ḵaachx̱aana.áakʼw . The Tlingit people residing in the Wrangell area, who were there centuries before Europeans, call themselves the Shtaxʼhéen Ḵwáan after the nearby Stikine...
in the Alaska House of RepresentativesAlaska House of RepresentativesThe Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of about 15,673 people . Members serve two-year terms without term limits...
from 1965 to 1983, when the district was eliminated. The road to Petersburg's airportPetersburg James A. Johnson AirportPetersburg James A. Johnson Airport is a public airport located one mile southeast of the central business district of Petersburg, a city in the Petersburg Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport has a single runway. Airline service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service...
is named for him. - Eldor R. Lee (1920–2002) was the only delegate from Petersburg to serve in Alaska's constitutional convention in 1955 and 1956.
- Robert M. Thorstenson, Sr (1931–2009) was the leader of the group who founded Icicle Seafoods in 1965. He was very active in fisheries politics, serving four Presidents on the International Pacific Fisheries Commission during the time the 200 mile limit was instituted. In his later years he was active as the premier fishery historian for Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.