The Chief Shakes Tribal House on Shakes Island is nearly empty. The intricate artwork has been taken out, as have the approximately 70-year old cedar floor beams, exposing electrical wires and the house’s foundation.
The removal is part of the restoration project expected to cost nearly $1.1 million on the tribal house, which has been described as “Wrangell’s Washington Monument.”
Restoration work began last week, and artwork and totem poles from the tribal house are now being stored the Nolan Center, where they are on display in the museum.
The floorboards are being pressure washed, said Project Manager Todd White, and many are in good enough shape that they will go back into the tribal house.
After the floor is fully removed, electrical work and any necessary improvements to the house’s foundation will take place, White said.
Restoration work is expected to be complete by early next year.
The Chief Shakes Tribal House is a replica of the original house erected in the 1800s. The replicated house has been standing on Shakes Island since 1940, and was a collaboration between the Civilian Conservation Corp, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the local Tlingit tribe.
While the house looks almost exactly as it did 72 years ago since it was completed, there is obvious wear to some of the woodwork. A new roof and sidewalls will be installed and the cedar beams inside the house will be replaced.
Wrangell Cooperative Association (WCA) will receive twelve cedar logs from the native corporation Sealaska to replace those beams.
WCA Project Developer Tis Peterman said, so far, WCA has received two State appropriations as well as money from a Department of Natural Resources grant to pay for the Shakes Island project.
WCA will also receive $450,000 from the Rasmuson Foundation, $250,000 of which will go towards restoration on Shakes Island, Peterman said.
Another portion, $125,000, will be used to build a carving facility in downtown Wrangell, where Shakes Island Totems will be restored or re-carved, Peterman said.
The approximately 40-foot-wide by 90-foot-long carving facility will be built on Front Street between the SNO Building and Campbell Drive. The facility will be large enough to store the tallest totem on Shakes Island — the 52-foot-tall Sun Totem — Peterman said.
The facility will also have a storefront where native Tlingit art can be displayed and bought, Peterman said.
WCA also recently received $50,000 from a USFS Resource Advisory Committee grant, Peterman said. And, WCA is expecting to hear by May 17 from the Murdoch Foundation if they will receive an additional $283,000 for the Shakes Island project, she said.
Peterman said WCA is grateful a number of donors, including private foundations, the State of Alaska and a federal agency, have provided support for Shakes Island.
“They have all come together to support this project,” she said.
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