Day 20 - Kake Cannery National Historic Landmark, Alaska
📌APIA Every Day (20) - The Kake Cannery, located on Kupreanof Island in the Alexander Archipelago, played a crucial role in Alaska's Pacific salmon canning industry from 1912 to 1977. The cannery complex, consisting of over a dozen buildings, exemplifies the historical trends, technology, and labor practices of the industry. Initially employing native workers, the cannery later shifted to contracted labor, including Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Mexican, and African-American workers. The cannery, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997, fell into disrepair after its closure in 1977, but preservation efforts, including hazardous material cleanup, have been undertaken by the Organized Village of Kake (OVK). The tribe aims to rehabilitate the main cannery building for new uses, envisioning it as a hub for arts, culture, and nature-based tourism while preserving its historical significance.
The site was designated as an 11 Most Endangered Historic Place by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2013, the OVK plans to restore the cannery, construct a multi-purpose dock, and make system updates through the last decade. This continued restoration project aims to stimulate the local economy by repurposing the cannery into a cultural center, historical museum, restaurant, Tribal Transportation Office, and marketplace for native goods. The project leaders foresee the cannery serving as a gateway to Kake, attracting tourists and providing opportunities for the community's economic development. The restoration effort faces financial challenges, with an estimated $500,000 required for initial stabilization and millions needed for complete restoration, but with the help of $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2018, OVK remains determined to preserve this significant artifact of Alaska's salmon canning history.
LEARN MORE:
National Park Service: Kake Cannery National Historic Landmark (current, summary)
National Park Service: Kake Cannery National Historic Landmark (full profile)
KCAW Raven Radio: Kake cannery: one of America’s most endangered historic landmarks (2013)
Alaska Public Media PBS NPR: Kake to reuse historic cannery for tourism (2018)
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