Prince of Wales Island is home to a wealth of Native American culture. Some of the largest totem pole parks are located in local communities. Prince of Wales Island is located at the southernmost tip of the Alaskan panhandle, 75 miles west of Ketchikan, and 600 miles north of Seattle. It is the third largest island in the United States, (Kodiak Island being the largest and the big island of Hawaii the second) at 135 miles long and 40 miles across and is part of the Tongass National Rain Forest.

In addition, the deepest known caves in the United States, as well as the longest, have been recently discovered at El Capitan on the northern tip of the island. The actual tour of the caves is not for the frail and elderly as access to the entrance of the cave requires climbing 355 steps. There is 990 miles of beautiful coastline and large lush green valleys that were carved by glacial ice. With only 6,300 people residing here annually, Prince of Wales Island is truly America's best-kept secret.

This island located in SE Alaska was first explored in 1775 by Don Juan Francisco Bodega y Quadra. Not too much long after the Spanish had visited the island, Captain James Cook, representing England, passed through the area during his search for the Northwest Passage in 1778. In 1790, an expedition by Captain James Vancouver documented Southeast Alaska with detailed charts, journals, and documents. From the names many of the early local inhabitants you will find areas throughout the islands named after them.

Native inhabitants have called Prince of Wales Island home for at least 8,000 years. Many of the current residents have ties to these early inhabitants. About 300 years ago, the Haida people claimed the the southern part of the island as theirs. There Tlingit tribes inhabited the northern part of the island. The Tlingit and Haida cultures were different, yet both cultures possessed highly developed social traits.

In 1907, a fish saltery was built on nearby Fish Egg Island by Craig Miller. A few years later, between 1908 and 1911, Mr. Miller constructed the Lyndenburger Packing Company and cold storage plant at the present site of of the city of Craig, which was named after Mr. Miller. In 1912, a post office, a school, a sawmill, and a salmon cannery were built and added to the city's infrastructure.

Excellent pink salmon runs led to the development and growth of the community through the late 1930s. During the 1950s, the fishing industry collapsed due to depleted salmon runs. In 1972, Edward Head built a large sawmill six miles from Craig near Klawock, which provided year-round jobs and helped to stabilize the economy. Twenty years later, Head Mill was sold in the early 1990s to Viking Lumber.

Today, Craig is mostly a fishing community comprised on non-native people who have settled here, with influences of the Tlingit-Haida culture and history. The economy is based on the fishing industry, and logging and sawmill operations. Growth has been due in part to the increased role of the community as a service and transportation center for the Prince of Wales Island communities.

Timber operations, fishing, fish processing, government and commercial services provide most employment. Deer, salmon, halibut, trout, shrimp and crab are harvested for recreational or subsistence purposes. There are several hotels, motels, bed & breakfast, lodges, grocery stores, health stores, gift shops, sporting good, bars, barber shops, a community swimmimg pool, a library, banks, laundromats and showers, a clinic, seafood and camping supplies.