Documenting a Layered Landscape in Alaska

A Traditional Cultural Place and Mission 66 at Glacier Bay

The Bartlett Cove ethnographic landscape represents a Traditional Cultural Place (TCP) eligible for nomination to the National Register. As a traditional homeland, it is important to the past and present Huna Tlingit. Other features represent industry, homesteading, and NPS development. The multiple layers of the landscape have been documented in several Cultural Landscape Inventories, which can inform National Register Determinations of Eligibility.

Boats at anchor in Bartlett Cove

NPS

Landscapes can be layered with multiple meanings, associated with different uses and groups over time. To best evaluate and care for all the resources in complex landscapes, detailed documentation supports decision-making.

The Bartlett Cove ethnographic landscape, just north of the mouth of Glacier Bay in Alaska within the current boundaries of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, is part of the traditional territory of the Huna Tlingit. The landscape represents a Traditional Cultural Place (TCP), listed to the National Register in 2004 due to its importance to the Huna Tlingit who have occupied the area for many centuries.

Specifically, Bartlett Cove was and continues to be highly valued for its abundance of marine and terrestrial resources. It also provides the setting for the clan story of Kaasteen, which establishes the presence of the Huna Tlingit in the Glacier Bay area prior to the last glacial advance. The story historically and symbolically links all Huna Tlingit to their landscape of origin in Sit’ Eeti Geiyi, “Bay of Place of the Glacier” (present day Glacier Bay), acknowledging the Huna Tlingit ties to their homeland that holds ancestral spirits. The Bartlett Cove TCP is documented alongside an extensive supporting property history and historic context, informed by a variety of sources and studies.

The landscape contains an array of resources that are important to Huna Tlingit subsistence, including the sloping beaches, fresh water, and salmon runs. The start of the period of significance predates what is referred to as the Little Ice Age, about 1000 BCE, and continues through the historic period.

Traditional Tlingit dugout canoes arrive on the shore of Bartlett Cove.

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Glacier Bay as Homeland

The same natural resources that long attracted Alaska natives to the area made the location favorable for other development. The operation of a commercial saltery and cannery was supported by predictable salmon runs and the presence of a native work force. Homestead claims, attempts at fox farming, and NPS activities also shaped the landscape. While the locations and resources are connected, the history and importance of these features is distinct from the significance of the ethnographic landscape.

Current documentation does not capture the full breadth of the Traditional Cultural Place. The NPS is currently working towards recognizing two distinct cultural landscapes, individually documenting the ethnographic landscape and NPS Mission 66 development within Bartlett Cove.

The Glacier Bay Lodge as seen from Bartlett Cove. When the lodge was built in 1966, architect John Morse sought to create a complex that was “subordinate to the natural surroundings.”

NPS

Related Documentation

National Register of Historic Places

• Bartlett Cove Traditional Cultural Property (written in 1999/2000, concurrence in 2004)

• Glacier Bay Lodge Complex (submitted to SHPO in 2023)

Cultural Landscape Reports

• Bartlett Cove Cultural Landscapes Inventory (2003)

• Glacier Bay Lodge Complex Cultural Landscapes Inventory (2011)

Period of Significance

• Bartlett Cove landscape: 10000 BCE to present

• Glacier Bay Lodge Complex landscape: 1945 - 1973