Hydaburg Totem Park – Hydaburg AK

Description

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established the Hydaburg Totem Park in 1939 with the goal of to preserving the art of the Pacific Northwest Coast Haida people and encouraging tourism to the area. The CCC employed native carves and laborers, thus fostering a partnership between the Federal Government, local government, and Alaskan natives.

A brief history of the totem park by the National Park Service describes the role of the CCC in the development of Hydaburg and the park: “In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), supervised by U.S. Forest Service personnel, created Hydaburg Park, and several other similar parks in Southeast Alaska. CCC workers brought poles to these parks from other locations. The government then hired local Haida workers to restore these totems. When restoration was not possible, replicas were carved. Twenty-one poles were brought to Hydaburg, five of which were able to be restored. The remaining 16 were replicated between 1939 and 1942.”