Fritz Cove
Encyclopedia
Fritz Cove is a bay
on the northwestern coast of Douglas Island
in the City and Borough of Juneau
, Alaska
, United States. Lying in Stephens Passage
, it is 8 miles (12.9 km) northwest of the city of Juneau.
Historically, Fritz Cove was used for fishing by Alaska Natives, especially the Auke people
. A summer camp named Aangoox̱a Yé was located at the mouth of Fish Creek. Scottish-American naturalist John Muir
camped at the bay on November 10, 1879.
The area was surveyed by the USS Jamestown
in 1880; Lieutenant F. M. Symonds named the bay after his son. The name was first published by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
in 1881, collected by the United States Geological Survey
between 1976 and 1981, and entered into the Geographic Names Information System
on March 31, 1981.
Fritz Cove and Gastineau Channel
became linked in 1960 through a United States Army Corps of Engineers
effort to dredge a navigation route.
Streams flowing into Fritz Cove include Cove Creek, Elevenmile Creek
, and Fish Creek
. Islands in the bay include Spuhn Island. Depths in the bay range from 8 to 30 fathom (14.6 to 54.9 m).
Dungeness crab
s, Tanner crab
s, and king salmon
live in the cove; molting of the male Tanner crabs in the cove has been documented since the 1970s. Scoter
s, grebe
s, merganser
s, and marbled murrelet
s can also be seen in the area.
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
on the northwestern coast of Douglas Island
Douglas Island
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...
in the City and Borough of 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...
, 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...
, United States. Lying in 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...
, it is 8 miles (12.9 km) northwest of the city of Juneau.
Historically, Fritz Cove was used for fishing by Alaska Natives, especially the Auke people
Auke people
The Auke are an Alaskan Native people, a subgroup of the Tlingit whose name for thesmelves Aakʼw Ḵwáan means "Small Lake People". The Auke lived along the northwestern coast of North America, in the area that is now the Alexander Archipelago and adjoining mainlaind of the Alaska Panhandle around...
. A summer camp named Aangoox̱a Yé was located at the mouth of Fish Creek. Scottish-American naturalist John Muir
John Muir
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...
camped at the bay on November 10, 1879.
The area was surveyed by the USS Jamestown
USS Jamestown (1844)
The first USS Jamestown was a sloop in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.Jamestown was launched in 1844 by the Gosport Navy Yard, Virginia; and commissioned there on 12 December, with Commander Robert B...
in 1880; Lieutenant F. M. Symonds named the bay after his son. The name was first published by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
U.S. National Geodetic Survey
National Geodetic Survey, formerly called the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey , is a United States federal agency that defines and manages a national coordinate system, providing the foundation for transportation and communication; mapping and charting; and a large number of applications of science...
in 1881, collected by the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
between 1976 and 1981, and entered into the Geographic Names Information System
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...
on March 31, 1981.
Fritz Cove and 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...
became linked in 1960 through a United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
effort to dredge a navigation route.
Streams flowing into Fritz Cove include Cove Creek, Elevenmile Creek
Elevenmile Creek (Alaska)
Elevenmile Creek is a river on Douglas Island in the City and Borough of Juneau , Alaska, United States. Its origin is in hills to the southeast and it flows northwest to Fritz Cove, a part of Stephens Passage; it is southwest of Entrance Point and west of the city of Juneau.The name refers to...
, and Fish Creek
Fish Creek (Douglas Island, Juneau, Alaska)
Fish Creek is a river on Douglas Island in the City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska, United States. Its origin is Cropley Lake, and it flows into Fritz Cove, a part of Stephens Passage. It is northwest of the city of Juneau....
. Islands in the bay include Spuhn Island. Depths in the bay range from 8 to 30 fathom (14.6 to 54.9 m).
Dungeness crab
The Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister , is a species of crab that inhabits eelgrass beds and water bottoms on the west coast of North America. It typically grows to across the carapace and is a popular seafood...
s, Tanner crab
Chionoecetes bairdi
Chionoecetes bairdi is a species of crab known alternatively as bairdi crab and tanner crab. C. bairdi is closely related to Chionoecetes opilio, and it can be difficult to distinguish C. opilio from C. bairdi. Both species are found in the Bering Sea and are sold commercially under the name "Snow...
s, and king salmon
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon...
live in the cove; molting of the male Tanner crabs in the cove has been documented since the 1970s. Scoter
Scoter
The scoters are stocky seaducks in the genus Melanitta. The drakes are mostly black and have swollen bills. Females are brown.They breed in the far north of Europe, Asia and North America, and winter further south in temperate zones of those continents. They form large flocks on suitable coastal...
s, grebe
Grebe
A grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...
s, merganser
Mergus
Mergus is the genus of the typical mergansers, fish-eating ducks in the seaduck subfamily . The Hooded Merganser, often termed Mergus cucullatus, is not of this genus but closely related...
s, and marbled murrelet
Marbled Murrelet
The Marbled Murrelet is a small seabird from the North Pacific. It is a member of the auk family. It nests in old-growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow...
s can also be seen in the area.
Further reading
- James, Bushrod WashingtonBushrod Washington JamesBushrod Washington James, A.M., M.D. was an American surgeon, homeopathist, writer, and philanthropist who lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Homeopathic College in 1857. He served as the secretary of the Homeopathic Medical Society of Pennsylvania and later as its...
. Alaska: Its Neglected Past, Its Brilliant Future. The Sunshine Publishing Company: Philadelphia, 1897. - Miller, Mike. Alaska's Southeast: Touring the Inside Passage. Morris Book Publishing. Eleventh edition, 2008.