Dall Island is an island in the

Alexander Archipelago The Alexander Archipelago (russian: Архипелаг Александра) is a long archipelago (group of islands) in North America lying off the southeastern coast of Alaska. It contains about 1,100 islands, the tops of submerged coastal m ...

off the southeast coast of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

, just west of Prince of Wales Island and north of Canadian waters. Its peak elevation is

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

. Its land area is , making it the 28th largest island in the United States. Dall is used economically for fishing and limestone quarrying.

Population and demographics

The 2000 census recorded 20 persons living on the island. The

Haida Haida may refer to: Places * Haida, an old name for Nový Bor * Haida Gwaii, meaning "Islands of the People", formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands * Haida Islands, a different archipelago near Bella Bella, British Columbia Ships * , a ...

are known to have inhabited coastal caves on the island two to three thousand years ago.

History

Dall Island was first called "Quadra", after Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, until 1879, when it was renamed in honor of naturalist William H. Dall. The island also had been thought to be part of Prince of Wales Island as recently as 1903. During the

maritime fur trade The maritime fur trade was a ship-based fur trade system that focused on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China in exc ...

era several harbors on southeast Dall Island, collectively known as Kaigani, were among the most popular sites for trade between fur trading ships and the Kaigani Haida.

Cape Muzon Cape Muzon is a cape located in the Alexander Archipelago of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the southernmost point of Dall Island and the headland marking the northwestern extremity of the Dixon Entrance. The boundary line separating Alaska from C ...

, the southernmost point of the island, is the western terminus, known as Point A, of the A–B Line, which marks the marine boundary between the state of Alaska and the Canadian province of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

, per the position of the Canadian government on the decision of the arbitration tribunal under the Alaska Boundary Treaty of 1903. This line is also the northern boundary of the waters known as the

Dixon Entrance The Dixon Entrance (french: Entrée Dixon) is a strait about long and wide in the Pacific Ocean at the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of Alaska and the province of British Columbia in Canada. The Dixon Entrance is part o ...

. Cape Muzon was established as the "point of commencement" of the international boundary between Russia and British North America in the

Anglo-Russian Convention of 1825 The Treaty of Saint Petersburg of 1825 or the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1825, officially the Convention Concerning the Limits of Their Respective Possessions on the Northwest Coast of America and the Navigation of the Pacific Ocean, defined th ...

. The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey charts produced in 1884 and 1894–95 laid down the boundary line with Canada from Cape Muzon through Dixon Entrance and

Portland Canal , image = Hyder Alaska IMG 0276 (22495379342).jpg , alt = , caption = Portland Canal from Hyder, Alaska , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Alaska and British Columbia , group = , coordinates ...

. In its decision on the delimitation of the disputed Alaska Panhandle boundary, the six-judge 1903 Court of Arbitration unanimously agreed that Cape Muzon was the initial point of the boundary and designated Point A as one endpoint of the A–B Line. Canada considers Point A () as part of the delimited international boundary, just like the other defined turning points set forth in 1903 for the resolved boundary. Furthermore, Canada regards the A–B line as defining Canada's internal waters within the Dixon Entrance. On the other hand, the U.S. regards the A–B line as having been defined to allocate sovereignty over the land masses within the Dixon Entrance, with Canada's land to the south of the line, while it considers the waters to be subject to international marine law.

Logging

Dall Island is also an island used for its timber resource. The island houses many logging camps. Columbia Helicopters of Oregon is one of the main companies using the island for its timber.

References

External links

* {{authority control Islands of the Alexander Archipelago Islands of Prince of Wales–Hyder Census Area, Alaska Islands of Alaska Islands of Unorganized Borough, Alaska International islands