Kake, Alaska

Kake (/ˈkeɪk/, like 'cake'; Russian: Кейк) is a first-class city in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 557 at the 2010 census.[3] The name comes from the Tlingit word Ḵéix̱ʼ (Northern Tlingit) or Ḵéex̱ʼ (Southern Tlingit), which is derived from ḵée 'dawn, daylight' and x̱ʼé 'mouth', i.e. 'mouth of dawn' or 'opening of daylight'.

Kake, Alaska
City
Location in Alaska
Coordinates: 56°58′15″N 133°56′02″W
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Census Area	Prince of Wales-Hyder
Incorporated	November 3, 1951[1]
Government
• Mayor	Lloyd Davis
Area [2]
• Total	13.51 sq mi (34.98 km^2)
• Land	7.67 sq mi (19.87 km^2)
• Water	5.83 sq mi (15.11 km^2)
Elevation	56 ft (17 m)
Population  (2010)[3]
• Total	557
• Estimate  (2019)[4]	544
• Density	70.90/sq mi (27.37/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-8 (AKDT)
ZIP code	99830
Area code	907
FIPS code	02-36770
GNIS feature ID	1422926, 2419403

Geography

Kake is located at 56°58′15″N 133°56′2″W (56.970841, -133.933751).[5] Kake is on the northwest coast of Kupreanof Island in the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.2 square miles (37 km²), of which, 8.2 square miles (21 km²) of it is land and 6.0 square miles (16 km²) of it (42.37%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	261		—
1910	232		—
1920	387		66.8%
1930	386		−0.3%
1940	419		8.5%
1950	376		−10.3%
1960	455		21.0%
1970	448		−1.5%
1980	555		23.9%
1990	700		26.1%
2000	710		1.4%
2010	557		−21.5%
Est. 2019	544	[4]	−2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

Kake first reported on the 1880 U.S. Census as the Tlingit village of Keex Kwaan[7] (not to be confused with the present Klukwan). It formally reported as Kake beginning in 1910. It incorporated in 1951.

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 710 people, 246 households, and 171 families residing in the city. The population density was 87.0 people per square mile (33.6/km²). There were 288 housing units at an average density of 35.3 per square mile (13.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 24.08% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 66.76% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.56% from other races, and 8.03% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 246 households, out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.49.

In the city the population was spread out, with 33.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,643, and the median income for a family was $42,857. Males had a median income of $44,167 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,411. About 13.2% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.7% of those under the age of 18 and 4.0% of those 65 and older.

History

Prior to Alaska Purchase

The region of Kake has been inhabited by the Tlingit indigenous people for thousands of years.

The Tlingit of the Kake region gained a reputation among early European and American explorers of being strong and powerful. Some conflicts with early explorers have been documented by historians. Some scholars believe the first explorer to enter Tlingit lands was the Briton Francis Drake, who traveled to the area near present-day Kake in 1579,[9] although other scholars dispute this theory.[10]

In the early 19th century Kake was visited by American maritime fur traders seeking sea otter skins, such as the ship Atahualpa in 1805 and Otter in 1811.[11] Kake was also visited by the Russian Golovin Expedition in 1818. Mikhail Tikhanov, an artist with the expedition, painted a watercolor of the Tlingit chief Kotlean.[11]

After Alaska Purchase

Main article: Kake War

In the February 1869 Kake War the USS Saginaw destroyed three deserted villages and two forts near present-day Kake. Prior to the conflict, two white trappers were killed by the Kake in retribution for the death of two Kake departing Sitka. Sitka was the site of a standoff between the Army and some Tlingits who refused to surrender Chief Colchika, who was involved in an altercation in Fort Sitka. While no Kake died in the destruction of the villages, except perhaps for a single old woman, some died over the winter due to the loss of winter stores, canoes, and shelter led to the death. The villages were not rebuilt, and their inhabitants dispersed to other villages or remained in the vicinity, eventually rebuilding the present day Kake.[12][13]

Kake is the site of a 128-foot totem pole, one of the world's largest, carved in 1967 for the Alaska Purchase centennial.

Government

A first-class city,[14] Kake has a mayor-council form of government which is composed of a mayor and six council members. The city also has a city manager.

Education

The Kake City School District operates the city's school.

Notable residents

• Edna Jackson, artist[15]

See also

• List of cities in Alaska

References

1. Alaska City Officials Directory 1959–1960. Information Bulletin Number 23. Palmer: League of Alaskan Cities. December 1959. p. 11.
2. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
3. "Kake city, Alaska". Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
4. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
7. "Geological Survey Professional Paper". U.S. Government Printing Office. 1 March 2018 – via Google Books.
8. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
9. Bawlf, R. Samuel (2001). Sir Francis Drake's secret voyage to the Northwest coast of America, AD 1579. Salt Spring Island, B.C.: Sir Francis Drake Publications.
10. Smith, Dinitia (9 August 2003). "Drake's Secret Trip Up the West Coast". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
11. Malloy, Mary (1998). "Boston Men" on the Northwest Coast: The American Maritime Fur Trade 1788-1844. Limestone Press. pp. 187–188. ISBN 978-1-895901-18-4. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
12. Harring, Sidney L. "The Incorporation of Alaskan Natives Under American Law: United States and Tlingit Sovereignty, 1867-1900." Ariz. L. Rev. 31 (1989): 279.
13. R., Jones, Z. ""Search For and Destroy": US Army Relations with Alaska's Tlingit Indians and the Kake War of 1869". Ethnohistory. 60 (1).
14. "Alaska Taxable 2011: Municipal Taxation – Rates and Policies" (PDF). Division of Community and Regional Affairs, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. January 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-25.
15. Susan W. Fair (2006). Alaska Native Art: Tradition, Innovation, Continuity. University of Alaska Press. pp. 218–. ISBN 978-1-889963-79-2.

Bibliography

• Dombrowski, Kirk (2001) Against Culture: Development, Politics, and Religion in Indian Alaska. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

External links

• Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs: Kake