City

 

Founding of the Community of False Pass:
There is some evidence that Native American Unangan (Aleut) occupied the present site of False Pass because several house pits and Aleut and Russian artifacts were found when the first state school was built here. The settlement was very small and most likely seasonal in character. Most of the main large Aleut villages were found on the north, Bering Sea side, of Unimak Island. The primary local historical Aleut/Russian settlement in this area was called Morzhovoi and it was located across Isanotski Strait at Traders Cove on the Alaska Peninsula. Continuous occupation began when a few settlers arrived to stay in what is now the community of False Pass in about 1905.
The town began in earnest in 1919 when P.E. Harris, Co. built a salmon cannery on this site. The cannery was later purchased from Harris by Nick Bez and re-named Peter Pan Seafoods in ?1965. The cannery operated continuously every season after its establishment, except for the years 1973-1976, until it burned in March 1981. The cannery buildings and machinery located on the wooden docks were destroyed by fire and have not been rebuilt. However, Peter Pan's shore buildings escaped the fire, the docks were repaired and fishery support facilities are still operated on the original cannery site. The fish caught locally are now processed in facilities belonging to the Company at other locations. Fishing is still the primariy economic activity but now besides salmon, local fishermen target halibut and cod.
The ethnic makeup of the community from the beginning has been primarily Native American Aleut with some mixing with Russian. A few hardy Scandinavian and other caucasians also settled here over the years so the population is now mixed ethnically.

Founding of the City of False Pass:
In the mid-1980's the State began an effort to get all unincorporated communities around the state into newly created Boroughs (counties). Until then many villages in the state were outside the Boroughs and were the direct responsibility of the state government in Juneau. One of the objectives of the plan was for the State to put the responsibility of financially supporting local public schools onto the shoulders of local citizens instead of the State. Therefore, the logical step was to change the legal status of the community from "Village of False Pass" into the "City of False Pass" so that it could levy taxes to support the new school system under the umbrella of the new Aleutians East Borough. After several years of negotiations and hard work, the City as a legal entity came into being on November 20, 1990 when it was incorporated as a Second Class City under the laws of the State of Alaska. False Pass has a Council-Mayor form of government. It is a municipal corporation and political subdivision of the State of Alaska, within the Aleutians East Borough. The City boundaries encompass 26.8 sq. miles of land and 41.4 sq. miles of water. The City's core lies at approximately 54° 51' 00" North Latitude and 163° 25' 01" West Longitude, (Sec. 34, T061S, R094W, Seward Meridian). False Pass is located in the Aleutian Islands Recording District. The first U.S. Post Office here was established in 1921. The elevation of the local airport is approximately 20 feet and the built-up community stretches along Isanotski Strait and westward up Round Top Valley.

 

Population:
The official census population does not accurately reflect the population of the community throughout the seasons of the year. This is due to the fact that False Pass has been primarily a salmon fishing community and fishing is seasonal. In 1919 the salmon cannery was established and a few families already lived here permanently. The summer fishing season population of False Pass would more than quadruple in size because of all the workers on the boats and in the salmon cannery. Of this large population, several hundred were cannery workers who would arrive mostly from the Seattle area for the salmon processing season, approximately May 15 to September 15. In addition, several dozen workers would arrive from other Aleutian Island communities to live in camp and to work in the cannery. Finally, fishing boats with their crew would arrive from nearby towns of Sanak, Akutan, Unalaska, Ikatan, Morzhovoi, Port Moller etc. for various time periods during the salmon season. So, the actual salmon season population was much larger than the official census population. This large and ethnically diverse population provided a special dynamic quality to the community.

 

Official Census Population History:
1920: 0
1930: 59
1940: 88
1950: 42
1960: 41
1970: 62
1980: 70
1990: 68
2000: 64
2003: 69 (estimate)

Population Ethnic Characteristics for 1990:
Population: 68
White: 16
American Indian: 3
Eskimo: 2
Aleut: 47
Total Native Population: 52
Total Non-Native Population: 16
Percent Native: 76.5%

Male Population: 34
Female Population: 34

 

The Name, False Pass:
It is not clear exactly when the name False Pass came to be applied to the waterway, Isanotski Strait, that borders the community. There is no evidence that the Russians called this pass anything but Isanotski Strait. Apparently the Russians heard the Aleut word Issannakh that the local people applied to this waterway and perhaps a nearby village. The Aleut term was then "Russianized" into Isanotski, but of course, there was no meaning to that name for the Russians other than the place name of the Strait. The Aleut name Issannakh means something like "other side" or "pass" and so it appears that this pass was indeed called (in translation) The Pass by the original Aleuts. So, when the English-speaking peoples arrived with their deep draught sailing vessels, they most likely heard of "The Pass" when traveling in this direction along the Alaska Peninsula, because that is the name that is still used today. When they arrived here they found they could easily enter southern Isanotski Strait that is deep and clear of obstructions. But they found the north channel into the Bering Sea narrow, difficult to maneuver and dangerous for their deep draught vessels because of the shoal water near the channel. Since their vessels depended entirely on the wind for power, they were very difficult to steer through a narrow channel with strong tidal currents. So, they called Isanotski Strait, "False Pass". This name stuck even though local fishermen and others traveling into the Bering Sea have used The Pass since earliest times. There is nothing "false" about Isanotski Strait; indeed it is The Pass. It was only during the sailing vessel period that The Pass presented navigation problems to mariners. With the disappearance of the sailing vessels and the advent of engine-driven vessels that have good maneuverability, the north entrance to The Pass can be safely and routinely navigated by all boats under about ?150 feet long. For the past ?25 years, the U.S. Coast Guard has located and maintained buoys on the north channel so that the passage is now routine if weather conditions are favorable.

 

More Information on the City of False Pass:
The Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development provides an on-line Internet Community Profile for False Pass and all other communities in the State. You can access this detailed information by clicking here. The history of the community and the area can be found in much greater depth on the History Page of this web site. Details about the modern City of False Pass, its layout, governance, services, budget, projects etc., can be found on other pages on this site under the City menu tab above.