Eldred Rock (also known as Nechraje) is an island in the boroughs of

Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...

and Haines,

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, United States. Located in

Lynn Canal Lynn Canal is an inlet (not an artificial canal) into the mainland of southeast Alaska. Lynn Canal runs about from the inlets of the Chilkat River south to Chatham Strait and Stephens Passage. At over in depth, Lynn Canal is the deepest fjor ...

, it is southeast of Kataguni Island and northwest of the city of Juneau. This island is the site of the

Eldred Rock Light The Eldred Rock Light is an historic octagonal lighthouse adjacent to Lynn Canal in Alaska. It is the last of the ten lighthouses constructed in Alaska between 1902 and 1906. It was also the last of 12 manned lighthouses that were started in Ala ...

, a lighthouse built in 1905 and staffed until the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

automated its operation in 1973. The Eldred Rock Coast Guard Heliport is also located on the island.

Wrecks and incidents

Eldred Rock has been the location of multiple maritime incidents. One of the earliest involved the '' Hassler'', the Coast Guard's first iron-hulled steamship. After being decommissioned, the vessel was sold to the McGuire Brothers for $15,700 and renamed the ''Clara Nevada''. She sailed from

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington, on January 26, 1898, with a crew of 40 men bound for

Skagway, Alaska The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,240, up from 968 in 2010. The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with the large ...

and 165 passengers heading for the Klondike gold fields. Late on February 5, 1898, the ''Clara Nevada'' left Skagway with between 25 and 40 passengers aboard. During the night she struck an uncharted rock several hundred yards north of Eldred Rock and sank immediately. There were no survivors. A tour boat struck the island on June 24, 2002, but later made its way safely to Haines.

Climate

Eldred Rock has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

Dfc).

References

Islands of the Alexander Archipelago Landforms of Haines Borough, Alaska Landforms of Juneau, Alaska {{HainesAK-geo-stub