Kodiak, Wilma Klass

1. Kodiak - Long-Established
Community on the Alaska
Marine Highway
Presentation subtitle

2. Kodiak - Long-Established Community
on the Alaska Marine Highway
With extensive experience as a TESOL (Teacher of
English to Speakers of Other Languages), Wilma
Klass is an avid traveler who has lived in Anchorage
for the past several years. Wilma Klass has visited
more than 90 countries worldwide and has also
travelled extensively within Alaska. Among her
recent journeys was a two-day trip through the Gulf
of Alaska via the Alaska Marine Highway ferry to
Kodiak. An integral part of life in coastal Alaska, the
Alaska Marine Highway connects towns, villages,
and road systems that would otherwise be distant
and isolated.

3. Kodiak - Long-Established Community
on the Alaska Marine Highway
A major ferry stopping point is Kodiak, which is one of seven
communities on Kodiak Island and has a population of slightly
over 6,000. This historically important community has its
roots in the late 18th century, when a Russian settlement was
established, and the community became the center of a
rapidly expanding fur trade. After the sale of the territory to
the United States in 1867, sea otter hunting continued until
the species was nearly extinct and the trade was ultimately
banned in the early 20th century. Today, Kodiak is best known
for its world-class fishery operations and for its defining role in
World War II as a military base. It also offers visitors access
to the unparalleled natural beauty and marine life of Alaska’s
coastal ecosystem.