The Excursion Inlet cannery in 1917.
Story last updated at 8/25/2010 - 12:21 pm
How many people know that 68 years ago 700 German prisoners of war were housed in Excursion Inlet, a deep, narrow inlet in the north shore of Icy Strait east of Gustavus?
What was in the inlet at the beginning of World War II? Two salmon canneries had been built in 1908 about three miles apart. Then in 1935, Pacific American Fisheries (PAF) closed its plant and purchased the larger Astoria and Puget Sound Canning Company's operations.
It must have come as a surprise when U.S. Army personnel arrived in the inlet in 1941 or early 1942 and began to examine the terrain near the shores. Because of the war, a military facility was planned. Almost every mention I have found has "secret" attached to the complex. How could it be secret with a bustling salmon cannery and fishing boats in the area?
In July 1942, the Western Defense Command received authorization to construct a trans-shipment point somewhere between the Puget Sound and the Aleutians. Faster, smaller tugs with barges from the Lower 48 would bring military supplies to Excursion Inlet. Army personnel would transfer the goods to the ocean-going vessels for the crossing of the Gulf to Kodiak and the Aleutians.
The Army commandeered and used portions of the cannery site. In order to provide space for extensive warehouses, a fill was placed on the tidelands of Excursion Inlet. This was put in without permission of PAF.
Construction began August 2, 1942 with heavy equipment moving earth; forms were put in place for concrete footings; men hauled lumber and metal; pile drivers hammered in retaining walls. At the peak of construction 2,760 civilian workmen and 860 Army men were at work. When finished, the terminal accommodated nine ocean-going vessels, six barges, two ammunition ships, and two tankers. Housing and mess halls were available for 260 officers and 4,400 enlisted men. To supply fuel for the vessels, an oil and gasoline tank farm contained 3.4 million gallons. Costs were approximately $60 million dollars!
This was a secret military installation? How did Frank E. Binns, a Portland artist, come to be there in summer 1943? The Oregonian newspaper reports Binns painted a mural for the officer's club! I asked Alec Brindle Sr., who has been to Excursion Inlet many times, if he knew if the painting was in a building taken over by the cannery after the war. He does not remember seeing the mural and said that the officer's club burned down.
The terminal opened in November 1943 as the nearby cannery continued to can salmon. In my next column, we will learn what happened to this "secret military installation."
Pat Roppel, a 50-year resident of Southeast Alaska, is the author of numerous books about mining, fishing, and man's use of the land. She lives in Wrangell. She may be reached at patroppel@gmail.com.
