Boarding School and Land Allotment Eras 1879-1933

1882

The U.S. Navy shells and destroys Tlingit villages

Two Tlingit letters about the bombardment of Angoon by the U.S. Navy vessel USS Adams in 1882. Image: Alaska State Library
Two Tlingit letters about the bombardment of Angoon by the U.S. Navy vessel USS Adams in 1882. Image: Alaska State Library

Following the death of a Tlingit leader employed by a whaling company, Tlingit villagers take over the station of Killisnoo. The U.S. Navy responds by shelling several villages (Angoon, Kake, and Wrangel), “smashing canoes, looting ceremonial items and threatening Tlingits” who try to resist the destruction (Native Voices, “1882: The U.S. Navy shells Alaska Native villages”).

Traumatic Event

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