Alexander Island

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Lore & Background

The first European to visit the archipelago was Russian navigator Aleksei Chirikov in 1741, who sighted the coasts of Noyes and Baker Islands (both off the west coast of Prince of Wales Island), as well as Baranof, Chichagof, Kruzof, and Yakobi Islands. In 1774, Juan José Pérez Hernández sighted the south coast of Dall Island, while Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra entered Bucareli Bay off Prince of Wales Island the following year. In 1792, Jacinto Caamaño sighted Revillagigedo Island and the Gravina Islands, discovering Clarence Strait. George Vancouver and his men made an extensive survey in 1793 and 1794, circumnavigating both Revillagigedo and Admiralty Islands, charting the entirety of Kuiu Island, the east sides of Baranof and Chichagof Islands, and Etolin, Wrangell, Zarembo, Mitkof, and Kupreanof Islands. Within a decade, the Russians had traversed Peril Strait separating Chichagof and Baranof Islands. An 1844 Russian chart shows Kupreanof separated from Mitkof Island and Etolin, Wrangell, Woronkofski, and Zarembo Islands separated from each other. The archipelago was a locus of the Maritime Fur Trade during the early 19th century. Control of the islands passed from Russia to the United States with the Alaska Purchase in 1867. According to Donald Orth's Dictionary of Alaska Place Names (p. 64), the Alexander Archipelago received its name from the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1867, named for Tsar Alexander II of Russia. On an 1860 map of Russian America, the island group is called the King George III Archipelago.

Reader's Guide

The Alexander Archipelago stretches 300 miles along the southeastern Alaskan coast, comprising approximately 1,100 islands that are the exposed peaks of submerged coastal mountains. These landmasses rise sharply from the Pacific, creating dramatic, irregular shorelines carved by deep channels and fjords that isolate the islands from the mainland. The terrain is rugged and blanketed in dense evergreen and temperate rain forests, with abundant wildlife. Access is limited—most islands can only be reached by boat or small aircraft. The archipelago shelters the northern stretch of the Inside Passage. The largest members by land area include Prince of Wales, Chichagof, Admiralty, Baranof, Revillagigedo, Kupreanof, Kuiu, Etolin, Dall, Wrangell, Mitkof, Zarembo, Kosciusko, Kruzof, Annette, Gravina, and Yakobi Islands. The vast majority falls within the Tongass National Forest. The Tlingit and Kaigani Haida people are native to the area; the Tsimshian on Annette Island immigrated from British Columbia in the late 19th century. Ketchikan on Revillagigedo Island and Sitka on Baranof Island are the largest towns. The most populous neighborhoods of Juneau stand on the mainland, though portions lie on Douglas Island, part of the archipelago. Tourism, fishing, and logging are the main industries.

Did You Know?

• The Alexander Archipelago contains about 1,100 islands.
• The first European to visit the archipelago was Russian navigator Aleksei Chirikov in 1741.
• The archipelago was named for Tsar Alexander II of Russia by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1867.
• An 1860 map of Russian America called the island group the King George III Archipelago.
• The Tsimshian people on Annette Island immigrated from British Columbia in the late 19th century.

Geography & Physical Character

The Alexander Archipelago stretches roughly 300 miles along the southeastern Alaskan coast, comprising approximately 1,100 islands that are essentially the exposed peaks of submerged coastal mountain ranges. These landmasses rise sharply from the Pacific, creating dramatic, irregular shorelines carved by deep channels and fjords that effectively isolate the islands from the mainland. The terrain is rugged and blanketed in dense evergreen and temperate rain forests, teeming with wildlife. Access is limited—most islands can only be reached by boat or small aircraft. The archipelago shelters the northern stretch of the Inside Passage, a winding waterway that threads between the islands. The largest members by land area include Prince of Wales, Chichagof, Admiralty, Baranof, Revillagigedo, Kupreanof, Kuiu, Etolin, Dall, Wrangell, Mitkof, Zarembo, Kosciusko, Kruzof, Annette, Gravina, and Yakobi Islands. The vast majority falls within the boundaries of the Tongass National Forest.

Indigenous Peoples & Settlement

The Tlingit and Kaigani Haida peoples are the original inhabitants of the Alexander Archipelago, having lived among these forested islands for generations. The Tsimshian community on Annette Island represents a later addition to the region's human story; they migrated from British Columbia in the late nineteenth century rather than being native to the archipelago itself. Today, the largest settlements on the islands are Ketchikan, situated on Revillagigedo Island, and Sitka, located on Baranof Island. The regional capital, Juneau, is a unique case: while its most populous neighborhoods sit on the mainland, portions of the city extend onto Douglas Island, which is technically part of the archipelago. The economic life of these communities has traditionally revolved around tourism, fishing, and logging, industries that continue to define daily life on the islands.

European Exploration & Charting

The first European to sight the archipelago was Russian navigator Aleksei Chirikov in 1741, who spotted the coasts of Noyes and Baker Islands off the western shore of Prince of Wales, along with Baranof, Chichagof, Kruzof, and Yakobi. Spanish explorers followed: Juan José Pérez Hernández sighted Dall Island's southern coast in 1774, and Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra entered Bucareli Bay off Prince of Wales the next year. Jacinto Caamaño identified Revillagigedo Island and the Gravina Islands in 1792, discovering Clarence Strait in the process. The most thorough early survey came from George Vancouver, who between 1793 and 1794 circumnavigated Revillagigedo and Admiralty Islands, charted all of Kuiu Island, and mapped the eastern shores of Baranof and Chichagof as well as Etolin, Wrangell, Zarembo, Mitkof, and Kupreanof. Within a decade, Russian navigators had threaded Peril Strait between Chichagof and Baranof, and over the following decades, the straits separating other major islands were identified. An 1844 Russian chart already showed Kupreanof distinct from Mitkof and the other islands separated from one another.

Naming, Transfer & Economic Legacy

The archipelago's current name honors Tsar Alexander II of Russia and was assigned by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1867, as recorded in Donald Orth's Dictionary of Alaska Place Names. Before that designation, an 1860 map of Russian America labeled the island group the King George III Archipelago. The islands served as a focal point of the Maritime Fur Trade in the early nineteenth century, and control of the territory shifted from Russia to the United States with the Alaska Purchase in 1867. Today, the vast majority of the islands are encompassed within the Tongass National Forest, reflecting a shift from extractive fur commerce to conservation alongside continued economic activity. Tourism, commercial fishing, and logging remain the primary industries sustaining the communities scattered across this 300-mile chain of steep, forested islands.