Point Naskowhak was once an island at the entrance to Seldovia Bay, but is now considered a “tied island“, connected to the mainland by a tombolo or spit, about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Homer and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwest of Seldovia, Alaska. The point lies on the southern shore of Kachemak Bay. The name comes from the Alutiiq word “Nasquruaq,” meaning “a head-like point,” and was first reported by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1908 as “Naskowhak.” The relatively resistant rock of Point Naskowhak is part of the Tyonek Formation. This formation consists of non-marine strata in the Cook Inlet basin, formed during the Neogene. It is exposed in Kachemak Bay, at coastal formations between Barabara Point and Coal Cove.
The Neogene is a geological period that began around 23 million years ago and ended approximately 3 million years ago. During this time, mammals and birds evolved into their modern forms, while other life forms remained relatively unchanged. Near the end of the Neogene, early hominids, the ancestors of humans, emerged in Africa. Fossils identified from Point Naskowhak reveal well-preserved bivalves in sandstones, indicating features of rapid deposition in relatively deep water. This suggests short transport paths between the shallow water source area for the fauna and the depositional site. The island’s rock primarily consists of interbedded, poorly sorted pebble conglomerate, sandstone, and minor mudstone. The tombolo connecting Point Naskowhak to the mainland is a spit formed from sand, pebbles, and cobbles eroded from sea cliffs. These sediments are transported and deposited by waves striking the coast at an oblique angle. Most spits grow in the direction of predominant longshore sediment transport and are often extensions of adjacent beaches. Some spits may deviate from the coast, aligning nearly at right angles to the prevailing wave direction. The free end of a spit may terminate at an island, such as Point Naskowhak, or wave refraction may cause it to recurve. Spits commonly occur on irregular coasts, where they can grow across bay mouths, confining bays to tidal inlets. Nearby examples include MacDonald Spit and Homer Spit. The growth of spits plays an important role in smoothing initially irregular coastlines.
The first salmon trap in Cook Inlet was built around 1885. It was modeled after the pound nets used in the Great Lakes fisheries but was significantly modified to withstand strong tidal currents and waves. This trap type became known as a pile trap because whole log piles were driven into the sandy bottoms to support the structure, and the webbing and wire netting were attached to the piles to form the walls. The initial trap was so successful that more were constructed in other areas, including Kachemak Bay, which had four traps: one on the north shore between Travers Creek and Diamond Creek, and three on the south shore at MacDonald Spit, Point Naskowhak, and near Flat Island on the mainland. By the 1930s, the fish traps were owned by the Fidalgo Island Packing Company, which also operated the cannery at Port Graham. Read more here and here. Explore more of Point Naskowhak here:
