North Entrance is a channel connecting Big Salt Lake to Shinaku Inlet at the head of San Alberto Bay on the west coast of Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska, about 66 miles (106 km) south-southwest of Wrangell and 5 miles (8 km) north of Klawock, Alaska. Another channel, South Entrance, connects Big Salt Lake to Klawock Inlet, an arm of Bucareli Bay. Big Salt Lake is separated from these inlets by an island, on both sides of which are narrow channels obstructed by ledges that dam the tidal waters, creating a ‘salt lake.’ San Alberto and Bucareli bays are partially protected from the open Pacific Ocean by San Fernando, Lulu, Baker and Noyes islands. Big Salt Lake is about 7.5 miles (12 km) long and 0.5 miles (0.9 km) wide, with a maximum tidal range of about 5 feet (1.5 m). It is fed by many small watersheds, including several salmon-spawning streams, with a total drainage area of 50,431 acres (20,409 ha). The lower elevations surrounding Big Salt Lake are mostly unconsolidated Quaternary sediment deposits, and the underlying bedrock is part of the Descon Formation of the Alexander terrane. Bedrock on the north side of the tidal lake is composed of greywacke, slate, and some andesitic volcanic rocks formed during the Silurian period, while on the south side it consists mostly of andesitic lava, breccia, and conglomerate rocks from the Devonian period. This part of Prince of Wales Island has evidence indicating early Holocene glacial retreat, but unlike other areas in Southeast Alaska, it has experienced minimal glacial activity in the last several thousand years.

Deep limestone caves at the north end of Prince of Wales Island contain the remains of early humans, and stone tools have been dated to about 10,000 years ago. These sites have prompted inquiry into whether an outer coastal route allowed early humans to migrate down the Pacific Coast and spread inland below the ice sheets near Puget Sound. About 4,000 years ago, humans buried wood stakes in the intertidal mud to channel and capture large quantities of salmon. Over the next 2,000 years, the culture and social organization associated with Northwest Coast peoples began to emerge, and by 3,000 years ago, the cultures of the Northwest Coast were largely the same as those observed at the time of European contact. In 1775, Spanish explorers entered the region from the Gulf of Alaska via Bucareli Bay but did not encounter any Indigenous peoples. In 1779, a large Spanish exploration of the area took place, but no plans were made for establishing Spanish settlements. Around 250 years ago, the Kaigani Haida migrated north from present-day Haida Gwaii. Today, the southwestern boundary of Tlingit territory on Prince of Wales Island, abutting Kaigani Haida territory, is occupied by the Tlawah kwaan and the Hinyaa kwaan, who amalgamated. The descendants of these groups now claim the village of Klawock as their homeland.

In 1868, one year after the Alaska Purchase, a trading post was established in Klawock; in 1872, a saltery was set up to preserve salmon. In 1878, the North Pacific Trading and Packing Company purchased the facility and built Alaska’s first salmon cannery on the site. The cannery—one of two, the other at Metlakatla—was operated by Tlingit labor; all other canneries in Alaska were reputedly run entirely by Chinese laborers. It had a capacity of 400 cases per day and 12,000 to 16,000 cases per season, each containing 48 one‑pound cans. By 1897, industrial fishing techniques—including fish traps, stream barricades and beach seines—had depleted the surrounding streams. A salmon hatchery was built to improve sockeye production but was abandoned in 1917. A new hatchery was built in 1976 to produce chum, coho and later sockeye salmon. It was operated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game from 1977 to 1993; by the cities of Klawock and Craig from 1994 to 1996; by the Prince of Wales Hatchery Association from 1997 to 2016; and, since then, by the Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association. In 2021, Sealaska Corporation—one of 13 Alaska Native corporations created by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971—transitioned away from logging timber and became a key stakeholder in the Sustainable Southeast Partnership, which includes, among many other initiatives, efforts to restore salmon streams in Southeast Alaska. Read more here and here. Explore more of North Entrance and Big Salt Lake here: