Shepard Point is a mixed alluvial and colluvial fan on the eastern shore of Orca Inlet in Prince William Sound at Nelson Bay, which is an estuary mostly formed by the Rude River, about 41 miles (66 km) southeast of Valdez and 7 miles (11.3 km) north-northeast of Cordova, Alaska. The point is named after William John “Jack” Shepard and was first reported by the US Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1931. Orca Inlet is located between the mainland to the east and Hawkins Island to the west, extending about 18 miles (29km) northeast from Point Whitshed to Nelson Bay. Nelson Bay, approximately 1.5 miles (2.4km) wide, was named for the proposed townsite of Nelson, which was never developed. The Rude River drains a glaciated watershed on the southern flank of the Chugach Mountains and flows into Nelson Bay. It was named after Gilbert T. Rude, who had a distinguished career with the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. The Chugach Mountains surrounding Orca Inlet and Nelson Bay consist mainly of sedimentary rocks from the Orca Group. This group is part of the Southern Margin composite terrane, a subduction-related accretionary complex formed during the early Paleogene period. It was intruded by magma that created granitic plutons. Rocks of the Orca Group are predominantly graywacke sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone, deposited in a deep ocean trench by turbidity currents moving down the continental slope. Repeated Pleistocene glaciations largely shaped the present-day landscape of Prince William Sound. During the Last Glacial Maximum, the Cordilleran Ice Sheet advanced from the north and east, covering the coastal area and adjacent continental shelf. This ice began to retreat as early as 16,000 to 14,000 years ago. Lesser but still significant glaciations occurred during the Late Holocene, with glacier advances around 500–1000 AD and 1000–1200 AD. The period commonly referred to as the Little Ice Age spanned approximately 1200 to 1900 AD.

The archaeological record indicates that humans have occupied Prince William Sound for millennia. The Chugach Sugpiat primarily inhabited this coastal area and are the dominant Native group there. The Eyak people migrated down the Copper River, settling along the coast from the river’s mouth south to Yakutat. They often acted as trade partners with the Ahtna from the interior and the Tlingit from the south. The Tlingit traveled north from Southeast Alaska along the Gulf of Alaska coast in large war canoes to the Copper River Delta. These three groups collaborated for trading purposes during peaceful times but engaged in vigorous conflicts during wars. European contact began with Vitus Bering‘s arrival on Kayak Island in 1741, followed by explorers from Britain, Spain, France, and the United States. Russian influence grew with the establishment of Fort Saint Constantine at Nuchek in 1793. After the Alaska Purchase in 1867, the region’s mining and fishing potential attracted entrepreneurs and immigrant workers worldwide. Jack Shepard moved to Alaska in 1886 to prospect for gold. By 1900, he worked as a laborer at the Orca cannery on Orca Inlet, about 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Cordova. From 1900 to 1910, he served as the postmaster at Orca and as an agent for the Northwest Fisheries Agency. In 1912, the Canoe Pass Packing Company built a cannery at Canoe Pass in Southeast Alaska, but it never operated there. By 1915, the machinery was relocated to Cordova and installed in a rented building. Between 1915 and 1917, the company hired Shepard to construct a salmon cannery at a site later known as Shepard Point, which was probably already used for a fish saltery.

Canoe Pass Packing Company operated at Shepard Point from 1917 to 1920 but was idle from 1921 to 1922. The fish were mostly caught using fish traps. In 1922, Canoe Pass Packing Company consolidated with Carlisle Packing Company and operated from 1923 to 1924. In 1924, Canoe Pass Packing Company joined Alaska Sea Food Company to create Shepard Point Packing Company, marking the first year of this facility’s name. This strategic move helped both companies, which had canneries in the Cordova area, avoid competition for the same fish. Shepard Point Packing Company thrived for the next ten years, Ashton facility on Chenega Island in 1930. Previously owned by Franklin Packing Company and leased to Alaska Pacific Salmon Corporation, Port Ashton was sold to Shepard Point Packing Company. Blueprints and permits show that the Port Ashton cannery maintained fish traps around Evans Island and Bainbridge Island in Central Prince William Sound. In 1932, Pioneer Sea Foods Company merged with Shepard Point Packing Company to form Standard Packing Company, jointly operating Shepard Point that year. This merger lasted only a year, and the companies separated in 1933. Shepard Point alternated yearly between closure and operation from 1935 to 1945. By 1941, its facilities were considered obsolete and in need of upgrading. In 1942, the Central Alaska Packing Company leased the cannery but left it idle in 1943 and 1944 while the New England Fish Company was purchasing the facilities. They planned to operate it in 1945 while remodeling their Cordova cannery. However, on March 18, 1945, a fire destroyed most of the main cannery and wharf, leaving only six buildings. These were used by the Morpac cannery in Cordova for storing fishing gear and equipment. By 1946, the area became a logging staging ground. The lagoon was used for storage and repairs until the 1964 Alaska earthquake uplifted the shore by 6 to 9 feet (2–3 m), rendering it unusable. Currently, efforts are underway to establish an oil spill response facility at Shepard Point, featuring a deep-water dock, storage and training facilities, and a road linking to the Cordova airport. Read more here and here. Explore more of Shepard Point and Orca Inlet here: