Tuesday August 27, 2019
Icy Strait Point is a privately owned cruise ship destination outside the small village of Hoonah, Alaska. The Huna Totem Corporation, a group of about 1400 Alaskan Natives, purchased the property in 1996. The site was developed and opened to cruise ships in 2004.
A 1930s cannery was restored and converted into a museum, restaurant, and shops. I read that the cruise ship business accounted for more than half the local economy.
The main town of Hoonah is a short bus ride away from the tourist area. It’s mostly a Tlingit community of about 800 people. “Hoonah” is the adopted spelling of Xunaa which means “protected from the North wind” in the Tlingit language.
We walked around town and took photos. There were several very interesting totem poles, especially those at the Hoonah Indian Association tribal office:
Where else can you visit the”coolest rope shop in Alaska” and have a free IQ test?!
On our way out of Hoonah, we spotted a bald eagle high in a tree in the center of a residential neighborhood:
Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income for the locals.
We returned to the ship and watched as it left the dock. Another large cruise ship was behind us and moved in to visit Icy Strait Point. We relaxed aboard the Millennium and watched the scenery of Alaska as the ship cruised southbound along the beautiful Inland Passage.
