Murder Cove

History

The waterway was named "Murder Cove" after two gold prospectors who were murdered here in 1869 as revenge for killing the brother of a Kake resident.

Commercial operations in fishing and sea hunting were established inside the bay at Point Gardner by the Tyee Company who sought to take advantage of the unexploited waters of southeast Alaska. They established their operations on Admiralty Island at Murder Cove in 1903 using the first American-built steam-powered whaler, the 97-foot "Tyee Junior", which was equipped with a harpoon gun on the bow. Consequent to a declining whale population, the company closed its operations in 1913. In 1905, the most extensive coal exploration in southeastern Alaska occurred at Murder Cove, Kootznahoo Inlet, and Hamilton Bay. The Tertiary-aged coal-bearing formations are made up of conglomerate, sandstone, and shale. The Murder Cove explorations occurred on a 5 feet (1.5 m) thick seam located 2 miles (3.2 km) from deep water. Though this deposit contains the best grade of coal in the region, further development did not proceed because of its very limited size. A lighthouse was established at Murder Cover during the fiscal year 1914.

Geography

It forms a narrow inlet 2 miles (3.2 km) in length. Just inside the entrance of the bay are several islands, beyond which the channel contracts to a width of 300 feet (91 m) and then opens to form a sheet of water which at high tide is .5 miles (0.80 km) wide and 1 mile (1.6 km) long. This bay forms a well-protected harbor for vessels of moderate size. At its rocky entrance is the Surprise Harbor, which provides safe anchorage and vistas of the area.