Haines Sheldon Museum tells the story of wood in the Chilkat Valley

A new exhibit at the Haines Sheldon Museum explores the story of wood in the Chilkat Valley, from timber extraction to manufacturing and sales. The display is part of a series of exhibits to highlight work by local artists.

Wood has been an integral part of industry in Haines for generations. Tlingits of the Chilkat Valley have relied on logs to carve canoes and household items, and wood strips for firewood and weaving. In the 19th century, some Tlingits began trading wood with settlers for cash.

Not long after, small mills were built to support construction by local canneries. But it wasn’t until the arrival of John Schnabel in 1939 that the first large scale lumber operation began. Schnabel Lumber Company had a significant impact on Haines’ economy, reaching exports of 52 million board feet in 1968. Museum director Helen Alten said that by the 1990s, the mill industry tapered off due to market fluctuations and changing regulations on timber exports.

“Not just in our community, but all throughout Southeast Alaska it was a huge loss of jobs,” Alten said. 

In spite of the loss of jobs in the timber industry, Southeast Alaskans have not lost touch with their lumberjack roots.

“At the state fair, we still have sawing through logs and walking on logs and things. So this logging culture is something that’s still part of the community,” Alten said.

The decline of Southeast Alaskan sawmills has not halted wood-related industry in Haines. Several small-scale mills operate in the area, and numerous local companies use wood to create products that are shipped to customers around the world.

Artistic carvings, canoe and kayak paddles, mirrors, cabinets, and chairs are just a few of the local items on display at the museum.

“For us, manufacturing is more along the lines of a craftsman, creating the skis and the furniture—whether it’s one person or a couple people working on it—rather than a production line of people.”

The products are made in many different styles, from traditional Native to sleek and modern, to purely utilitarian.

Alten says that before there was more of an emphasis on timber export, whereas now there is a push to add as much value as possible to timber harvested in the Chilkat Valley.

“The more the log stays in our environment here, the more money it brings in,” Alten said. “You have not only the jobs for cutting the wood, but then you’ve got the jobs for processing and then taking a piece of timber and making it into something—that’s a whole other job and then selling that is another.”

From Forest to Finish was created by Alaska Arts Confluence, a non-profit dedicated to promoting art in the Chilkat Valley. The exhibit was selected by an external juror for the museum’s six-week spotlight series, which allows local artists to temporarily display their work in the Elisabeth S. Hakkinen gallery.   

“This show just appealed because it was talking about economic development, it was talking about the arts, it was talking about raw resource extraction and use. It’s extremely topical and timely now with what’s going on with the logging issue,” Alten said.

The University of Alaska has proposed a 13,000 acre timber sale in the Haines Borough. The sale aims to produce 150 million board feet over 10 years. The proposal has been met with reactions of support and resistance from residents.

From Forest to Finish opens this week at 4 pm during First Friday. It will be on display until mid-July.