Still More (Courtesy of Joe)

Joe found this information on the Sand Point Community Page and kindly passed it along. I will be going at the end of July. The pictures are culled from online photographs of Sand Point. We'll have to wait until July to get some first person shots :)

Location: Sand Point is located on Humboldt Harbor on Popof Island, off the Alaska Peninsula, 570 air miles from Anchorage. It lies at approximately 55d 20m N Latitude, 160d 30m W Longitude. (Sec. 08, T056S, R073W, Seward Meridian). Sand Point is located in the Aleutian Islands Recording District. The area encompasses 7.8 sq. miles of land and 21.1 sq. miles of water.

History: Sand Point was founded in 1898 by a San Francisco fishing company as a trading post and cod fishing station. Aleuts from surrounding villages and Scandinavian fishermen were the first residents of the community. Sand Point served as a repair and supply center for gold mining during the early 1900s, but fish processing became the dominant activity in the 1930s. The St. Nicholas Chapel, a Russian Orthodox church, was built in 1933 and is now on the National Register of Historical Places. Aleutian Cold Storage built a halibut plant in 1946. Today, it is home to the largest fishing fleet in the Aleutian Chain. The City government was incorporated in 1966.

Culture: Sand Point is characterized as self-sufficient and progressive, with commercial fishing activities at the heart of the local culture. There is a large transient population for fishing and cannery work.

Economy: Sand Point is home to the largest fishing fleet in the Aleutian Chain. The state provides sub-regional services through public safety, fish and game, and the court system. rident Seafoods has a major bottomfish, pollock, salmon and fish meal plant, and provides fuel and other services. Peter Pan Seafoods owns a storage and transfer station. In 1991, New West Fisheries moored a floating processor near the City dock for Pacific Cod processing. 116 residents hold commercial fishing permits. In 2000, gross fishing revenues of residents was nearly $13 million. Two exploratory mining operations are currently underway nearby, namely Battle Mountain Gold and Alaska Apollo. Locals participate in subsistence consumption of fish and caribou.

Facilities: Water is derived from Humboldt Creek and is treated. The City operates a piped water and sewer system, serving 170 households and 22 businesses, and all are fully plumbed. Trident Seafoods has first water rights. Funds have been requested to develop a new groundwater source. Relocation of the landfill is currently under design. Trident recently built its own power generation facility.

Transportation: Sand Point offers a new State-owned airport with a 4,300 foot paved runway. Direct flights to Anchorage are available. A runway expansion and airport road paving is planned. Marine facilities include a 25-acre boat harbor, with four docks, 134 boat slips, a barge off-loading area, and a 150-ton lift. A harbormaster building is under construction. A new boat harbor is scheduled to be constructed at Black Point by the Corps of Engineers. Regular barge services supply the community. The State Ferry operates bi-monthly between May and October.

Climate: Sand Point lies in the maritime climate zone. Temperatures range from -9 to 76. Snowfall averages 52 inches, annual precipitation is 33 inches.