METLAKATLA: A CITY IN EXPANSION.

• Author: LAWRENCE, NATASHA
• Position: Alaska - Statistical Data Included

Like other Southeast towns, Metlakatla was hard hit when its lumber mill closed, but new development is helping this community become economically self-sufficient once again.

When the Annette Hemlock lumber mill closed in 1995 in Metlakatla, its economic impact on this small island community was tremendous and it caused great hardship on over 480 families. The situation forced Metlakatla, whose main source of jobs was from the mill and in the fishing industry, to reconsider its survival skills and search for viable options with both short-term and long-term results. Determined to overcome challenging obstacles, the town has made a comeback and its progress is to be lauded. In the last five years it has launched programs to develop sources of income through mining, tourism and public works projects. Its capability to generate power for resale is also under study. Metlakatla is on the edge of a successful economic recovery.

Its name means "saltwater channel passage." Just 15 miles south of Ketchikan at Port Chester on the west coast of Annette Island, the entire area comprises 129 square miles of land and 68 square miles of water.

The community was founded in 1887 by Canadian Tsimshians from Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The native Indians were seeking religious freedom and led by the Rev. William Duncan, a Scottish lay priest from the Anglican Church of England. President Grover Cleveland eventually granted their request for land, a site picked by a search committee. In 1891 Annette Island was declared by Congress to be a federal Indian reservation--a community of 823 residents who constructed a church, a school, sawmill and cannery. It is the only reservation land in Alaska.

During WWII the army built an air base outside of town. Although it is now abandoned, it is still usable with 1.5 miles of runway. Culverts have been replaced and there are other plans to improve the airport for commercial use in the next few years.

The Baldbridge Aggregate Mining Project

Metlakatla Mayor Sol Atkinson has his finger on the pulse of the community's active economic development. Representing the pride of his community, he speaks with assurance on the main projects that describe a promising future for this town, which boasts a summer population of about 2,400.

"Annette Island has some of the hardest rock in Southeast Alaska," said Mayor Atkinson. "It's used to build airports and roads, rock jetties and boat harbors." The material is directly available...