A crowd of Petersburg residents turned out to North Harbor Tuesday afternoon to welcome the arrival of more than 40 paddlers aboard three large canoes. The One People Canoe Society organized the the group, some of whom started their canoe journey from Yakutat. Others started in Sitka, Juneau and Kake. They are on their way to Wrangell for the historic re-dedication of the Chief Shakes Tribal house. They were in great spirits when they arrived in Petersburg despite some seriously bad weather and the loss of a canoe under tow earlier in the trip. All were safe thanks to their support vessels.
Wilbur Brown Junior of the Southeast Alaska Regional Health consortium is one of the paddlers and did a brief interview with KFSK just after he stepped on the dock in Petersburg:
Canoes paddlers from around southeast stop in Petersburg on the way to the Sakes Tribal House Re-dedication in Wrangell
The paddlers are staying at the Petersburg Indian Association bunkhouse tonight. Weather permitting, they plan to leave for Wrangell Wednesday.
