Klinkwan
A historical populated place in Prince of Wales-Hyder (CA) County, Alaska, recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System.
Location Record
Names and historical notes
Recorded by GNIS. Source wording is retained; these notes have not been independently verified by Forgotten America.
GNIS description
Near E entrance to Klakas Inlet, on the SW part of Prince of Wales Island, Alex. Arch.
GNIS historical note
Tlingit Indian name recorded in 1897 by Lieutenant Commander J. F. Moser, U.S. Navy (USN). A 1951 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) map shows one building at the site of this abandoned village. According to J. R. Swanton (in Hodge, 1907, p. 714), Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE), "Klinkwan" is derived from the Tlingit "linqoan" meaning "shellfish town" or "town where they split yellow cedar bark into long strings." This is a "Haida town, occupied by the Yaku-lanas * * *" (Hodge, 1907, p. 714).
Source editions and recorded citations
Feature ID 1423106. Description/History extract: August 28, 2026. All Names extract: September 30, 2026. Retrieved October 22, 2026. Only populated fields are displayed.
GNIS citation text may identify a source series rather than a specific page. It is reproduced below without implying that its underlying documents were inspected.
- Text U.S. Board on Geographic Names Geographic Names Post Phase I Board/Staff Revisions 2000-01-01 00:00:00 Board decisions referenced after Phase I data compilation or staff researched non-controversial names.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), Historical Features.