Welcome to Klawock, Alaska

Located on the west coast of Prince of Wales Island, Klawock was founded in 1868 and incorporated in 1929. The population is made up of approximately 850 year-round residents. The town is seven miles north of Craig and 24 miles west of Hollis, where the Inter-Island Ferry docks.

History:
The town of Klawock was originally a summer fishing camp. A Tlingit Indian named Kloo-wah moved his clan there permanently hence the name. In the mid-1800's, a trading post was established and ten years later the first cannery in Alaska was built here. This paved the way for more canneries and at the turn of the century a hatchery for red salmon opened at Klawock Lake.

During the twentieth century, the first school was constructed in 1929 and in 1934, federal funds were secured to build a local cannery. The timber harvest arrived and Alaska Timber Corporation built a sawmill in the early 1970's. Klawock-Heenya Village Corporation, Shaan-Seet Corporation, and Sealaska Timber Corporation have expanded the operations and now Klawock boasts a deep-water dock and log-sort just outside of town.

The population of Klawock include Tlingit Indians and non-native residents. The totem park, which displays over 20 restored totem poles from the Tuxekan village along with a longhouse and heritage center, represent just a part of the vast cultural history of the Tlingit Indian Culture that Klawock offers to visitors.

Visitors to Klawock can fly from Ketchikan into the island's only paved airstrip or drive directly from the ferry terminal in Hollis. The trip across the island from east to west takes only about 40 minutes.