History & culture in Kake

The people and history of Kake: museums, cultural centers, totem parks and historic sites. Every fact links to its source.

Kake in brief

Kake's name comes from the Tlingit Kéex', short for Keex' 'e, meaning 'the beginning of dawn'. (sealaskaheritage.org · checked Oct 6, 2026)
Kake is a Tlingit village with an active fishing and logging trade, and traditional customs remain a key part of life there. (dot.alaska.gov · checked Oct 6, 2026)
In January 1869 the U.S. military destroyed three Kake village sites and two forts: after the USS Saginaw shelled them, troops burned the villages and destroyed canoes and winter food stores. The U.S. Navy set a formal apology in Kake for Sept. 21, 2024, hosted by the Organized Village of Kake. (sealaskaheritage.org · checked Oct 6, 2026)
Kake Cannery, now a National Historic Landmark, started canning in 1912. In 1949 the Organized Village of Kake took it over in trust through the U.S. government, under the Indian Reorganization Act. (nps.gov · checked Oct 6, 2026)

1 listed

Heritage site

Pole of roughly 130 ft raised in Kake in 1971; Sealaska Heritage and the state ferry system both call it the world's largest totem pole.

Outdoor landmark. Sources give no hours or fees.

Every business here is listed free. To add photos, your own description and a booking button, or to sit at the top of your section, see the plans.

Hours, phone numbers and even whole businesses change. If you spot a mistake, tell us and we'll check it and fix it.