Our History
A Place Reimagined by Its People
Icy Strait Point began with a vision: to create opportunity in Hoonah without sacrificing the cultural values that have sustained the Huna Tlingit people for generations. Built on the site of a historic salmon cannery, what was once a symbol of survival has been reborn as a celebration of culture, resilience, and self-determination. Today, Icy Strait Point welcomes the world while keeping community at its heart—sharing Native-owned tours, local cuisine, and the kind of wild Alaska experience that can only come from the people who call this place home.
Ancestral Beginnings
Before the 1800s: The Huna Tlingit, original stewards of Glacier Bay, lived for thousands of years in harmony with the land and sea. When advancing glaciers displaced their homeland during the Little Ice Age, they resettled in what is now Hoonah, meaning “where the north wind doesn’t blow.”
