History & culture in Kasaan

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

Kasaan in brief

According to Sealaska Heritage, the name Kasaan is Tlingit for 'pretty town'. (sealaskaheritage.org · checked Oct 6, 2026)
Old Kasaan, about seven miles from the present town, was settled by Haida people who had migrated north from Haida Gwaii. (discoverpowisland.com · checked Oct 6, 2026)
Today's Kasaan grew around industry: a copper mine camp, sawmill, post office and store on Kasaan Bay in 1892, then a salmon cannery in 1902 that ran on and off until 1953. (discoverpowisland.com · checked Oct 6, 2026)
Chief Son-i-Hat built Náay Iʼwáans in 1880 and lived there until 1915. In 1938 a Civilian Conservation Corps project hired local Native workers to rebuild it with traditional tools and methods. (kavilco.com · checked Oct 6, 2026)

1 listed

Historic site

Haida longhouse built around 1880, restored by CCC carvers in 1938–40 and rededicated in 2016; a 2/3-mile forest trail leads to it.

Book guided tours through the Organized Village of Kasaan (OVK), which holds exclusive tour rights jointly with Kavilco.

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.