Bay of Pillars is on the west coast of Kuiu Island and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) across between Point Sullivan to the north and Point Ellis to the south, about 52 miles (84 km) southeast of Sitka and 52 miles (84 km) west-southwest of Petersburg, Alaska. In 1883, William H. Dall of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey published the local descriptive name that refers to the abundance of obstructing rocky islands and reefs.

In 1890, the Astoria & Alaska Packing Company built a cannery on the southern shore of Bay of Pillars about 4 miles (6.5 km) northeast from Point Ellis. This cannery was burned in 1892 and the site and remaining buildings were purchased by Jack Mantle who operated a saltery in each of the Pillar Bay arms. The principal streams in this vicinity fished for commercial purposes were Kwatahein Creek, Kutlaku Creek, Pillar Bay Stream in Rowan Bay, and Kuiu Stream (or Alecks Stream) in Tebenkof Bay.

Bay of Pillars is in the Kuiu Wilderness, part of a preserve protecting old-growth temperate rainforests, coastal estuaries, and subalpine meadows. A rustic camping shelter was built in 1997 near the Bay of Pillars’ shoreline. The area is a popular destination for sea kayaking with several portages available during bad weather conditions. Read more here and here. Explore more of Bay of Pillars here: