What the record shows
The federal survey describes the site: on E shore of Lake Bay Creek on NE coast of Prince of Wales I., SE of Stevenson I., Alex. Arch.
"This is the site of an abandoned fishing village; shown as an abandoned cannery on current maps. In 1890 the U.S. Census Bureau (1893, p. 29) reported this fishing station to be one of the best on Prince of Wales Island; concerning the population, it was reported that ""There is a settlement here usually of about 50 natives and half a dozen white men during the fishing season, but it is wholly abandoned in the winter months."" A post office operated here from 1911 to 1921 (Ricks, 1965, p. 38)."
Lake Bayappears in the U.S. Geological Survey's place-name archive as a historical populated place — a settlement that once carried a name and no longer does. Our editors are verifying its full story against census records, newspaper archives, and county histories; this record will grow as sources are confirmed.
Before you visit
Unverified sites may sit on private land, and coordinates from historical records can be imprecise. Verify land status and access before traveling. Take photographs, leave nails — removing artifacts from federal land is a crime.
See it in context on the national atlas map.
From the field
The most valuable part of this record is the part only visitors can write.
Stamp your passport
Check in at Lake Bay — GPS-verified visits earn an inked stamp.
File a field report
Road conditions, what's still standing, what's gone — your report joins the record.
Add photographs
Credited, dated, and preserved as part of Lake Bay's permanent record.
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