Karluk Village is situated on the southern shore of Karluk Lagoon, an embayment formed by a barrier spit that partially encloses the mouth of the Karluk River, on the Shelikof Strait coast of Kodiak Island, about 77 miles (124 km) west-southwest of Kodiak and 44 miles (71 km) north-northwest of Akhiok, Alaska. The name ‘Karluk’ is reputedly derived from the Alutiiq Sugpiat language word for ‘fish’. The Karluk River starts from the outlet of Karluk Lake at an elevation of about 370 feet (113 m) and flows generally northwest for 24 miles (39 km) to Karluk Lagoon, draining a watershed of 106,240 acres (42,994 ha). The watershed surrounding the lagoon is formed by the Afognak pluton that developed during the Triassic. The pluton consists of hornblende diorite, quartz diorite, and tonalite and is exposed along the northwestern side of Kodiak Island and neighboring islands to the north.
Kodiak Island is within the traditional territory of the Alutiiq Sugpiat people, and the area is estimated to have been inhabited for at least 7,500 years based on thirty-six archaeological sites identified in the area. In 1785, Grigory Shelikhov dispatched an expedition consisting of four large baidarkas carrying 52 Russians and 11 Aleuts, as well as 110 Alutiiq from Kodiak Island traveling in individual kayaks. This group explored the north side of Kodiak Island, crossed Shelikof Strait, and followed the mainland as far north as Cook Inlet. On their return, they stopped at Karluk, where they remained through the winter of 1785-1786. Using Karluk as a base, the detachment traveled along the south and west coasts of Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula, obtaining hostages from Alutiiq settlements. In 1786, Karluk was garrisoned with 20 men and established as an artel, or trading post, fortified with an earthen wall. Karluk subsequently served Russian America as a provisioning post that supplied hunting parties and settlements with fish during much of the Russian colonial period. A smallpox epidemic in 1837-1839 resulted in a dramatic depopulation of the area. This was followed by the relocation of survivors to settlements under the administration of the Russian-American Company and Russian Orthodox missionaries.
In 1849, a village called ‘Nunakakhnak‘ was located on the south shore of Karluk Lagoon about 1 mile (1.6 km) inland from Shelikof Strait. The site was abandoned sometime before the late 1880s. In 1978, a severe storm with winds of 100 miles per hour (160 kph) from the northeast caused severe erosion and breaching of the spit. Following the storm, the Karluk village council chose to relocate the community to a new site near the historical village of Nunakakhnak. In 1980, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development constructed 23 houses at the new community location. Since the closure of the Karluk canneries in the 1930s, no processing facilities have been operational locally, although Icicle Seafoods currently operates a cannery at nearby Larsen Bay. Today, the primary economic activity in Karluk is sport hunting and fishing. As of 2011, six sport lodges in Karluk provide a limited number of seasonal employment opportunities to local residents. Residents also rely heavily on subsistence hunting and fishing to supplement their diets. Salmon, trout, ducks, seals, and deer are some of the primary subsistence resources utilized by local residents. Read more here and here. Explore more of Karluk Village and Kodiak Island here:
