Alaska's regions
Southeast Alaska -- The Inside Passage
Panhandle is a happy mixture of land, water and heritage
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The wealth of the Gulf of Alaska encourages airborne life as well. An enormous flock of eagles, perhaps 3,000 -- gathers each fall along the Chilkat River north of Haines to consume the late run of chum salmon. A slightly smaller gathering occurs along the Stikine River near Wrangell. Bears collect along the rivers as well to claim their share of the bounty.
Climate
Southeast Alaska's climate has earned its reputation for rainfall -- if not heavy, then persistent.
Summers are warm and winters are mild, thanks to the moderating effect of the Gulf of Alaska and Inside Passage.
The Inside Passage's heritage
The people who for millennia have shared the fish with the eagles and bears -- the Tlingit, Tsimshian and Haida Indians -- are honored at historical sites and museums throughout Southeast.
Totem poles and troupes, such as the Chilkat Indian Dancers of Haines, provide daily reminders of what life was like a little more than a century ago. Their dancing and artwork may be found at attractions and museums around Southeast.
Getting around
The continental highway system touches Southeast Alaska in only three places: roads to Haines, Skagway and Hyder.
The Alaska Marine Highway System sends its ferries up and down the Panhandle, connecting Skagway and Haines with Juneau and points south through Ketchikan and Metlakatla, then on to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and Bellingham, Wash. Private ferries carry passengers from the Ketchikan airport to and from town, between Juneau and Gustavus/Glacier Bay, and between Haines and Skagway, which are 350 road miles apart but only 14 ocean miles apart. Yakutat, north of Glacier Bay National Park, is reached by ferry and plane.
Air transportation in this watery kingdom is important. Jet service totes passengers and cargo to the larger cities in Southeast, with connections or direct flights to Seattle and Anchorage. Floatplane air taxis link the villages and, like charter boats, provide drop-off service to hikers and kayakers.
History
The capital of Alaska is Juneau, founded in 1880 by prospectors and now the largest city in Southeast and the state's third largest. Sitka, on Baranof Island, was the capital when the fur-seeking Russians held sway over Alaska.
The United States gave Russia $7.2 million in 1867 for Alaska, and prospectors and salmon fishermen soon became the dominant force in the colonial economy.
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