History & culture in Hollis

Hollis in brief

1. Hollis began as a gold- and silver-mining town with more than 1,000 people at the turn of the 20th century; mining continued until about 1915. (maps.commerce.alaska.gov · checked Oct 16, 2026)
2. The community takes its name from nearby Hollis Anchorage, first appearing in print in a 1904 U.S. Bureau of Fisheries report by H. C. Fassett; a post office operated from 1901 until 1942. (hollisalaska.org · checked Oct 16, 2026)
3. In 1953 Hollis became a Ketchikan Pulp Co. logging camp and the base for timber operations on Prince of Wales Island until 1962, when the camp moved 45 miles north to Thorne Bay. (maps.commerce.alaska.gov · checked Oct 16, 2026)
4. A road built in the late 1960s-early 1970s linked the old camp to other island towns, Alaska Marine Highway ferries used the former logging barge ramp, and after a new dock was built at Clark Bay in the early 1980s, state land sales brought permanent residents back to Hollis. (hollisalaska.org · checked Oct 16, 2026)
5. When the Alaska Marine Highway dropped its Prince of Wales service, the community-owned Inter-Island Ferry Authority (formed 1994) began daily Hollis-Ketchikan sailings in 2002 with the M/V Prince of Wales; the M/V Stikine, added in 2006, is now the primary vessel. (interislandferry.com · checked Oct 16, 2026)