The History of Port Protection

Located on the northern tip of Prince of Wales Island, Port Protection is 145 miles south of Juneau and 98 miles northwest of Ketchikan. It lies in the Tongass National Forest. It lies at approximately 56° 19' N Latitude, 133° 36' W Longitude (Sec. 19, T064S, R076E, Copper River Meridian). The community is located in the Petersburg Recording District. The area encompasses 2 sq. miles of land and 1 sq. miles of water.

"Wooden Wheel" Johnson became the first resident in the early 1900s. His store and fuel dock, and a fish-buying scow, enabled trollers to stop on their trips north and south. In 1946, Buckshot Woolery opened the B.S. Trading Post to replace the scow. In the 1950s a warehouse was built with an eventual plan of creating a shrimp cannery. The cannery idea was never realized, and the building now stands empty. Woolery closed his trading post in 1973. State land disposal programs have enabled the area to be permanently settled.

To Community Histories Index Alaska DCCED Community Database Online

History and map graphic used with permission from the Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development