Over the long history of the Juneau area, several small towns or villages were started, all of which have died out for one reason or another. Despite this, the City and Borough of Juneau is a better place because of the pioneers and Alaska Natives who populated those small towns and villages. Those hardy ancestors carved out places in the history of Southeast that should not be forgotten. With a few exceptions those tiny hamlets have returned to the massive forest that has stood here in Southeast for centuries. The exceptions are those who have melded into the town proper.

When I decided to write about Douglas Island I asked myself who it could have been named for. The first thing that came to mind was David Douglas, the famous Scottish botanist (1799-1834) that the Douglas Fir was named after. That turned out to be wrong.

I knew that Richard Harris had mentioned Douglas Island in his 1881 writings, so the naming had to have been before that. It turns out, Douglas Island was named for John Douglas by Capt. George Vancouver.

John Douglas (July 14, 1721 – May 18, 1807) was a Scottish scholar and later became Bishop of Salisbury.

On the outer coast of Alaska, halfway between Icy Strait entrance and Yakutat, is a small bay called Lituya.

There are certain dates that most Americans, when they think of them, feel a real sense of sadness, such as Dec. 7, 1941, or Sept. 11, 2001. Here in Juneau there is a date that runs cold shivers through the minds of many old Juneuites. That date is Nov. 22, 1936, 75 years ago, a day of great tragedy and loss of property.