Douglas Island
Encyclopedia
Douglas Island is a tidal island
in the U.S. state
of Alaska
, just west of downtown Juneau
and east of Admiralty Island
. It is separated from mainland Juneau by the Gastineau Channel
. The Juneau-Douglas Bridge
, connecting the island with Juneau, provides a two lane road to and from the island and accommodates both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Recently, there have been plans to build a new bridge from North Douglas to the Mendenhall Valley
. Admiralty Island
lies to the west and south, across the Stephens Passage
. Douglas Island was named for John Douglas, Bishop of Salisbury
by Captain George Vancouver
. Joseph Whidbey
, master of the Discovery
during Vancouver's expedition, was the first to sight it in 1794.http://www.juneau.org/history/Preservation_Plan/backgd.php
Interesting features of the island include remnants of the Treadwell gold mine
, Sandy Beach, the only sand beach in the Juneau area (made from mine tailings), Eaglecrest Ski Area
, Perseverance Theatre
, and the Douglas Public Library. A tidal island, Douglas is connected to the mainland at its north end when the Gastineau Channel is at low tide. During low tide, Douglas Island is connected with Juneau's Twin Lakes area, the Juneau International Airport
as well as other sites.
Douglas is usually thought of as two areas: downtown Douglas 58°16′32"N 134°23′33"W (including West Juneau 58°17′42"N 134°25′46"W), containing Douglas Harbor
, Sandy Beach, the mines, the library, Gastineau Elementary, the theatre, the gas station, the few bars and restaurants, and the bridge to Juneau; and North Douglas Island, containing a tank farm
, Eaglecrest Ski Area and a heliport
.
The island has a land area of 199.243 square kilometres (76.9 sq mi) and a population of 5,297 at the 2000 census
. It is part of the City and Borough of Juneau.
Tidal island
A tidal island is a piece of land that is connected to the mainland by a natural or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. Because of the mystique surrounding tidal islands many of them have been sites of religious worship, such as Mont Saint Michel with its...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, just west of downtown Juneau
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
and east of Admiralty Island
Admiralty Island
Admiralty Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska, at . It is 145 km long and 56 km wide with an area of 4,264.1 km² , making it the seventh largest island in the United States and the 132nd largest island in the world. It is one of the...
. It is separated from mainland Juneau by the Gastineau Channel
Gastineau Channel
Gastineau Channel is a channel between the mainland of the U.S. state of Alaska and Douglas Island in the Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska. It separates Juneau on the mainland side from Douglas , on Douglas Island. The first European to sight the channel was Joseph Whidbey early in...
. The Juneau-Douglas Bridge
Juneau-Douglas Bridge
The Juneau-Douglas Bridge is located in Juneau, Alaska. Spanning the Gastineau Channel, it connects Juneau's eastern, mainland side with the cities community located on Douglas Island to the west...
, connecting the island with Juneau, provides a two lane road to and from the island and accommodates both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Recently, there have been plans to build a new bridge from North Douglas to the Mendenhall Valley
Mendenhall Valley
Mendenhall Valley is an area of Juneau in the U.S. state of Alaska. The valley, named for physicist and meteorologist Thomas Corwin Mendenhall, was formed by Mendenhall Glacier over the course of roughly three thousand years...
. Admiralty Island
Admiralty Island
Admiralty Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska, at . It is 145 km long and 56 km wide with an area of 4,264.1 km² , making it the seventh largest island in the United States and the 132nd largest island in the world. It is one of the...
lies to the west and south, across the Stephens Passage
Stephens Passage
Stephens Passage is a channel in the Alexander Archipelago in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It runs between Admiralty Island to the west and the Alaska mainland and Douglas Island to the east, and is about 170 km long...
. Douglas Island was named for John Douglas, Bishop of Salisbury
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...
by Captain George Vancouver
George Vancouver
Captain George Vancouver RN was an English officer of the British Royal Navy, best known for his 1791-95 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of contemporary Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
. Joseph Whidbey
Joseph Whidbey
Joseph Whidbey was a member of the Royal Navy who served on the Vancouver Expedition 1791–1795, and later achieved renown as a naval engineer. He is notable for having been the first European to discover and chart Admiralty Island in the Alexander Archipelago in 1794.Little is recorded of...
, master of the Discovery
HMS Discovery (1789)
HMS Discovery was a Royal Navy ship launched in 1789 and best known as the lead ship in George Vancouver's exploration of the west coast of North America in his famous 1791-1795 expedition. She was converted to a bomb vessel in 1798 and participated in the Battle of Copenhagen. Thereafter she...
during Vancouver's expedition, was the first to sight it in 1794.http://www.juneau.org/history/Preservation_Plan/backgd.php
Interesting features of the island include remnants of the Treadwell gold mine
Treadwell gold mine
The Treadwell gold mine was the largest mine of the Alaskan Panhandle and, in its time, the largest gold mine in the world. During its operation from 1881 to 1922 over 3 million troy ounces of gold were extracted. The mine was owned and operated by John Treadwell , from whom it derives its name...
, Sandy Beach, the only sand beach in the Juneau area (made from mine tailings), Eaglecrest Ski Area
Eaglecrest Ski Area
Eaglecrest Ski Area is a public ski area on Douglas Island in the U.S. state of Alaska, across Gastineau Channel from Juneau. The area has 4 double chairlifts accessing , with 34 marked alpine runs, 3 Nordic skiing loops and access to world class backcountry. Vertical drop is with an average...
, Perseverance Theatre
Perseverance Theatre
Perseverance Theatre is a professional theater company located on Douglas Island in Juneau, Alaska. It is Alaska's only professional theater and is particularly dedicated to developing and working with Alaskan artists and to producing plays celebrating Alaskan culture, history, and...
, and the Douglas Public Library. A tidal island, Douglas is connected to the mainland at its north end when the Gastineau Channel is at low tide. During low tide, Douglas Island is connected with Juneau's Twin Lakes area, the Juneau International Airport
Juneau International Airport
Juneau International Airport is a public-use airport and seaplane base located seven nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Juneau, a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska...
as well as other sites.
Douglas is usually thought of as two areas: downtown Douglas 58°16′32"N 134°23′33"W (including West Juneau 58°17′42"N 134°25′46"W), containing Douglas Harbor
Douglas Harbor
Douglas Harbor is a harbor off the coast of Douglas Island in Juneau, Alaska. The name was published by the United States Geological Survey in 1986 and entered into the Geographic Names Information System on January 1, 2001....
, Sandy Beach, the mines, the library, Gastineau Elementary, the theatre, the gas station, the few bars and restaurants, and the bridge to Juneau; and North Douglas Island, containing a tank farm
Tank farm
Tank farm may refer to the:*Alternate name for an oil depot, a facility for storage of liquid petroleum products or petrochemicals*Tank Farm, also known as 'Tuff Crater', a volcanic crater in the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand...
, Eaglecrest Ski Area and a heliport
Heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
.
The island has a land area of 199.243 square kilometres (76.9 sq mi) and a population of 5,297 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. It is part of the City and Borough of Juneau.