Kasaan Sites

Between 1933 and 1939, crews of Civilian Conservation Corps workers built a trail from the Old Kasaan to the park, constructed a small park, restored traditional native houses, relocated totem poles from abandoned villages, and restored and reconstructed some of the poles. A registration form of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) describes the role of the CCC in the restoration of the Totem Park: “The U.S. Forest Service used the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal program, to provide jobs in Southeast Alaska during the 1930s. The program was used to develop recreational facilities in Tongass National Forest, to...

Craftsmen enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps carved a copy of the Back Potlatch Ring Pole. The pole stands 15 feet tall. The flying groundhog was replaced with an eagle in 1939.

Craftsmen enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps carved a copy of the Bear Memorial Pole. The pole stands 20 feet tall.

Craftsmen enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps carved a copy of one of two mortuary posts, called Two Eagle Memorial Pole. The pole stands 15’ tall. The original, which has burned, belonged to the Eagle Leg House in Old Kasaan. It featured a frog carved on the front and two eagle figures at the top.

Craftsmen enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps restored the original Ha’u Pole. The Kasaan Haida Heritage Foundation describes the significance of the figures represented on the pole: “Sources recount that a man from the Tlingit village of Kake carved this pole, as the owners were of Tlingit descent on their mother’s side. The pole belonged to the grandfather of Son-I-Hat who actually had the name “East.” The figures on the pole from the top are described as the “father of us all, ”Raven, killer whale, and Raven with a human figure on front, with Root on the bottom." Walter Young worked...

Craftsmen enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps carved a copy of the Killer Whale Grave Figure. The original, which no longer exists, was located on the roof of a grave house on the beach in Old Kasaan. This is the location in which it was originally photographed, before it was relocated to New Kasaan in 1940.

The Sitting Bear Grave Marker is a reproduction from an original totem from Old Kasaan, carved by native craftsmen enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps. The totem was relocated on January 30, 1939 to New Kasaan at the Whale House site, where a copy was carved. Located at the west end of the village inside a small grave house, the original Bear Grave Marker stood on top of a grave.

Craftsmen enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps restored the original Skawaal Pole. The Kasaan Haida Heritage Foundation describes the significance of the figures represented on this pole: “This pole is about 50-feet high and was one of two poles which stood in front of Chief Skáwaal's Rib House. When the pole was moved to New Kasaan, the thunderbird figure at the top was replaced and the surface was carved down to solid wood during the CCC restoration. The carved figures below the ring appear the same for each pole: Raven with the moon in its beak; Raven holding his beak...

Standing in front of the Whale House, this 50-foot pole is a reproduction of an Old Kasaan original. The pole was carved in 1939 by James Peele. Chester R. Snow, a Construction Engineer for the Civilian Conservation Corps noted that the original pole was buried 10 feet in the ground. In Tlingit and Haida societies, houses typically have a post incorporated in the façade or standing in front of it. The Son-I-Hat Frontal Pole stands on the beach, in front of the  Whale House, which faces the water.

David Peele and craftsmen enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps carved a copy of the Spencer Pole. The Kasaan Haida Heritage Foundation describes the significance of the figures represented on the pole: “The 40-foot Spencer Pole was raised by Kate Gamede, a Kasaan woman of Táas Láanas clan, as a memorial to her husband, a photographer from Victoria, BC. The image of Mr. Spencer appears at the top of the pole; below appear scroll patterns; Raven carrying the moon in his mouth; and Black Skin, the strong man, holding the sea lion. The last figure illustrates a story familiar to...

The Whale House at the Chief Son-I-Hat's Whale House and Totems Historic District was built during the 1880s at Old Kasaan. Around 1904, Chief Son-I-Hat moved from the old village to a new site at Kasaan Bay called Kasaan or New Kasaan. The Chief also moved his Whale House and entrance totem to the new site. A registration form of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) describes the role of the CCC in the restoration of the Whale House: “It is not known if Son-I-Hat or one of his sons actually lived in the Whale House at Kasaan, however it...

Between 1933 and 1939, crews of Civilian Conservation Corps workers built a trail from the Old Kasaan to the park. A registration form of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) describes the trail: "A trail, cut by the CCC, starts at the west end of the original Kasaan town site, goes through woods and, in several places, emerges close to the shore. After crossing awooden bridge over Son-I-Hat Creek, the trail passes the nine free-standing totems and the Whale House. It continues to the southern cemetery and turns north to access the northern cemetery."