Lituya Bay is a fjord on the outer coast of Southeast Alaska in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, about 97 miles (156 km) south-east of Yakutat and 70 miles (113 km) west-north-west of Gustavus, Alaska. The Tlingit name for the bay means “lake within the point”. It is 9 miles (14.5 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide at its widest point. The bay was first reported in 1786 by Jean-François de Lapérouse, who named it Port des Français. The Fairweather Fault is situated at the head of the bay, aligned with Gilbert Inlet to the north and Crillon Inlet to the south. It juxtaposes volcanic rocks of the Valdez Group to the north-east with a metamorphosed mélange of marine sedimentary and volcanic rocks to the south-west. Movement along this active fault has caused at least four major tsunamis: in 1854, 1899, 1936 and 1958.

According to Tlingit oral tradition, before European explorers arrived the Chilkat and Hoonah tribes made long canoe trips to Yakutat each summer to trade with the Thlar-har-yeek tribe for copper, which was fashioned into knives, spears, ornaments and the well-known tinneh, or “coppers”: shield-like pieces considered as money with a fixed value according to their size. One spring a large party from the great village of Kook-noo-ow on Icy Strait started north under the leadership of three chiefs: Chart-ah-sixh, Lth-kah-teech and Yan-yoosh-tick. Upon entering Lituya Bay four canoes were overwhelmed by waves and Chart-ah-sixh drowned. The survivors made camp and mourned their lost companions. While these ceremonies were under way, Lapérouse’s ships came into the bay. In June 1786 Lapérouse found the opening to Lituya Bay while coasting along the Fairweather Mountains in the Gulf of Alaska and sent small boats in to look for an anchorage. The following day his ships, L’Astrolabe and La Boussole, entered the bay on a flooding tidal current. He remained for 26 days, making observations, surveying and trading with the Tlingit. But the visit was most memorable for the loss of two boats and their crews of 21 officers and men in the strong currents at the bay’s mouth.

In 1958 a mega-tsunami was caused by an earthquake that generated a landslide at the head of the bay in Gilbert Inlet. The landslide created the highest recorded wave in history. The breaking wave had sufficient power to snap off all trees to an elevation of 1,720 feet (524 m) on the slope directly opposite. As the wave travelled out of the bay it overtopped much of Cenotaph Island, where three fishing boats were anchored. The Sunmore was under way and turning towards the bay entrance when it was caught by the wave, estimated to be 80 feet (24 m) high, and swept over Harbor Point. All that was found later was an oil slick marking where the boat went down; both crew members were killed. The Edrie was at anchor but the chain snapped as the boat rose to meet the wave. At the crest the captain regained enough control to steer around debris. The Badger was hit and carried over La Chaussee Spit, which nearly encloses the bay mouth, and dumped stern-first into the open ocean. The boat immediately began to sink, surrounded by acres of wood debris. The crew managed to get into a skiff and were rescued near midnight by the vessel Lumen. Read more here and here. Explore more of Lituya Bay and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve here: