Gustavus

History

Gustavus, formerly known as "Strawberry Point," lies on the outwash plain formed by the glaciers that once filled Glacier Bay. Two hundred years ago, the area was primarily a single large "beach" utilized by the native Tlingit people and others for fishing, berry picking, and other similar uses. The first settlers arrived in 1914 but left shortly afterward. The first permanent homestead was established in 1917, when Abraham Lincoln Parker moved his family to Strawberry Point. Many Gustavus residents are descendants and relatives of the original Parker homesteaders. In 1925, the name "Gustavus," was adopted when the U.S. Post Office required a change for its new post office, although locals continued calling it "Strawberry Point" long afterwards. The new name came from Point Gustavus at the mouth of Glacier Bay. In 1793, George Vancouver named Point Adolphus (at the northern tip of Chichagof Island, and today a well-known humpback whale feeding area) after Adolphus Frederick, the seventh son of King George III. In 1878, during a coastal survey, W. H. Dall saw "Adolphus" on the map and assumed it was for Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus. The point across Icy Strait from Point Adolphus at the mouth of Glacier Bay was not named on the map, so Dall called it "Gustavus". Another possibility is that Dall named Gustavus for Gustavus C. Hanus, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who had extensive experience throughout southeast Alaska, and both Dall and Hanus served with the Coast Survey in Alaska. Hanus laid out the first streets in Juneau and helped quell the trouble in Klukwan in 1881. There is still a large beach at Gustavus, with many strawberries. It is surrounded on three sides by Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and bordered by water on the fourth. The area is a…

Geography

Gustavus is located at (58.416327, -135.745549). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 11.16%, are water. Gustavus is split by the Salmon River, a small waterway crossed by a bridge for the paved road running out to Glacier Bay National Park. Coho salmon, Dolly Varden, and other fish are commonly caught in this river. Within the city limits, the river is affected by tides.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Gustavus School
  Other · Gustavus · 54 students · 7.7:1 ratio