Pyramid Island (Alaska)

Pyramid Island

Khvostof Island (left) and Pyramid Island (right)
Geography
Coordinates	51°57′50″N 178°18′43″E[1]
Archipelago	Rat Island
Highest elevation	328 ft (100 m)

Pyramid Island is an uninhabited island in the Rat Islands (Qax̂um tanangis) grouping among the Aleutian Islands. It is a caldera of a former volcano that exploded.

It received its name in 1935 from the crew of the USS Oglala due to its shape.

Doctors Aurel and Arthur Krause, who were in Alaska in 1881-1882 collected at Pyramid Island.^[2]

Pyramid Island is a small, triangular island located in the Lynn Canal, just north of Klukwan, Alaska. It is named for its distinctive pyramid-shaped peak, which rises to a height of about 100 feet.

Krause and Krause describe Pyramid Island as a "beautiful" and "picturesque" place. They were particularly impressed by its lush vegetation and its abundance of wildlife. They also noted that the island was a popular fishing spot for the Tlingits. ^[3]

Here is a more detailed excerpt from their description of Pyramid Island:

Pyramid Island, a small, sharp, conical island, rises like a pyramid from the water, and is covered with a dense forest of fir and spruce trees. On the top of the island are a few small peaks, and on the north side is a deep bay. The island is a favorite fishing-ground for the Tlingits, and they have several fishing-huts on it.

References

1. "Pyramid Island - Introduction". avo.alaska.edu. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
2. Land Mollusca of North America (north of Mexico) Vol. II Part 2 (2nd half)
3. Krause, Aurel (1981). Journey to the Tlingits by Aurel and Arthur Krause, 1881/82. Translated by Margot Krause McCaffrey. Haines Centennial Commission.