American Bay (also Amerikanskaia, 1883 name by
Etolin) is a
waterway
A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
. It is located on the east side of
Dall Island
Dall Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago off the southeast coast of Alaska, just west of Prince of Wales Island and north of Canadian waters. Its peak elevation is above sea level. Its land area is , making it the 28th largest isl ...
, facing
Long Island across
Kaigani Strait
Kaigani Strait (also, Kaigahnee, Kaigan, Kaijani) is a waterway in the U.S. state of Alaska, the southern part of the strait between Long Island and Dall Island. The Alaska Native name, as reported by Etolin is 1833, is Kalgan.
Kaigani is the na ...
.
Geography
This bay indents the Dall Island shore a little more than in a general southwest by south direction, with a width of about . On the north side of the bay, within the entrance, is a group of four wooded islets, called
Hay Islets, connected with each other and with the shore at low water. Southwest of them is Anchorage Cove, where good anchorage may be found in 15 fathoms. The shores of American Bay are free from dangers, and the water, particularly on the south side, is deep.
Northeast of the northern entrance point of American Bay, is a shoal patch measuring from 9 to 16 fathoms. Immediately opposite the entrance to American Bay a reef, showing at low water, extends nearly 1 cable to the southwest from the Long Island shore with deep water close-to. How-Kan Narrows, a name given by local navigators to the contracted passage lying above American Bay is about wide.
History
During the first decades of the 19th century American Bay was a favorite anchorage of
maritime fur traders, especially Americans sailing out of Boston.
Along with Datzkoo Harbor and the Kaigani Harbors a few miles to the south and several large
Haida villages
This is a ''list of '' Haida villages, located in Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) and Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. The following list includes material from John R. Swanton's ''The Indian Tribes of North America'', publ. 19 ...
that were in the vicinity at the time, this general area was known as "
Kaigani" to late 18th and early 19th century maritime fur traders.
It was one of the most popular fur trading sites on the Pacific Northwest Coast, where maritime fur traders would trade with the indigenous
Haida people. Over a hundred fur trading ships visited American Bay and the Kaigani Harbors in the early 19th century.
[ The buildings were still visible in 1891.
]
Geology
A deposit of schistose marble was reported on the south side of American Bay. The deposit is more than 500 yards wide, stands about vertical, strikes east, and is mostly covered by moss and timber. The marble is both fine and coarse grained and contains mica.
See also
*List of historical ships in British Columbia
The following is a list of vessels notable in the history of the Canadian province of British Columbia, including Spanish, Russian, American and other military vessels and all commercial vessels on inland waters as well as on saltwater routes up t ...
References
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Bibliography
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External links
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Bays of Alaska
Fur trade
History of the Pacific Northwest
Pre-statehood history of Alaska
Maritime history of the United States
Native American history of Alaska
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