Island in Wrangell City and Borough, Alaska, United States
Etolin Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska , United States at 56°05′52″N 132°21′37″W / 56.09778°N 132.36028°W / 56.09778; -132.36028 . It is between Prince of Wales Island , to its west, and the Alaska mainland, to its east. It is southwest of Wrangell Island . It was first charted in 1793 by James Johnstone , one of George Vancouver 's officers during his 1791-95 expedition . He only charted its southwest and east coasts, not realizing it was an island.[ 1] It was originally named Duke of York Island but was renamed by the United States after the Alaska Purchase .[ 2] It is named after Adolf Etolin , governor of the Russian American colonies from 1840 to 1845.
The island is 30 mi (48 km) long and 10–22 miles (16–35 km) wide, with a land area of 339.03 sq mi (878.08 km2 ), making it the 24th largest island in the United States . As of the 2000 census , Etolin had a population of 15 persons.
It contains a population of introduced elk. The entire island lies within the boundaries of Tongass National Forest . The southern part of the island has been officially designated the South Etolin Wilderness .
The Etolin Canoe is a historic dugout canoe, found unfinished on the island, which is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
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