Lake Size: 180 miles (290 km) Latitude: 61.121082 Longitude: -151.366587 Lake Level Above Sea Level: 105 meters, or 344 feet Counties: Lake and Peninsula Cities: Lake and Peninsula
Information: The inlet was first explored and settled by Dena'ina natives. In the 18th century, Russian fur hunters (promyshlenniki)were among the first European visitors. The Lebedev Lastochkin Company leader Stepan Zaikov established a post at the mouth of the Kenai River, Fort Nikolaev, in 1786. These fur trappers used Siberian Native and Alaska Natives, particularly Aleuts from the Aleutian Islands and Koniag natives from Kodiak, to hunt for sea otters and other marine mammal species for trade with China via Russia's then-exclusive inland port of trade at Kiakhta.
Other Europeans to visit Cook Inlet include the 1778 expedition of James Cook who sailed into it while searching for the Northwest Passage. Cook received maps of Alaska, the Aleutians, and Kamchatka during a visit with Russian fur trader Gerasim Izmailov in Unalaska, and combined these maps with those of his expedition to create the first Mercator projection of the North Pacific. The inlet was named after Cook in 1794 by George Vancouver, who had served under Cook in 1778. Turnagain Arm was named by William Bligh of HMS Bounty fame. Bligh served as Cook's Sailing Master on his 3rd and final voyage, with the aim to discover the Northwest Passage.
Upon reaching the head of Cook Inlet, Bligh was of the opinion that both Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm were the mouths of rivers and not the opening to the Northwest Passage. Under Cook's orders Bligh organized a party to travel up Knik Arm, which quickly returned to report Knik Arm indeed led only to a river.
Afterwards a second party was dispatched up Turnagain Arm and it too returned to report only a river lay ahead. As a result of this frustration the second body of water was given the disingenuous name "Turn Again". Early maps label Turnagain Arm as the "Turnagain River".
Few white people visited upper Cook Inlet until construction of the Alaska Railroad along the eastern shores of Turnagain Arm and Knik Arm of Cook Inlet around 1915. The natives of the Eklutna village are the descendants of the residents of eight native villages around upper Cook Inlet.
Boating
Fishing
Recreation
Miscellaneous Info
Two fishermen in one boat and others in a boat across from them, arrange the set net with anchors where they will be held in place in the Cook Inlet in the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, USA. Each set net is positioned off shore and they must be placed at least six hundred feet apart while fishing.
Set net fishing is hard work as the nets have to remain untangled with a long length of buoys attached to keep them afloat. The salmon get caught in the nets and when the fishermen real in the nets, a massive amount of fish need to be untangled and divided up.
In Alaska, salt water fishing means Pacific halibut and neighboring Cook Inlet is home to the finest Alaska halibut fishing in all the world. We are proud to offer first class fishing trips for these bottom dwelling giants. Aside from the excitement of hauling one of these mighty creatures from the deep, their savory flesh is a delicacy second to none. This full day trip is both tide and weather dependent and it is not uncommon to encounter whales, sea otters and other marine life in the prolific marine waters of Cook Inlet. Boats are spacious, powerful, and capable of carrying six passengers, not including the captain and his assistant. This is a highly recommended addition to any Alaskan vacation.
Resource:
The Cook Inlet basin contains large oil and gas deposits including several offshore fields.[5] As of 2005 there were 16 platforms in Cook Inlet, the oldest of which is the XTO A platform first installed by Shell in 1964, and newest of which is the Osprey platform installed by Forest Oil in 2000. Most of the platforms are operated by Union Oil which was acquired by Chevron in 2005. There are also numerous oil and gas pipelines running around and under the Cook Inlet. The main destinations of the gas pipelines are to Kenai where the gas is primarily used to fuel commercial fertilizer production and a liquified natural gas (LNG) plant and to Anchorage where the gas is consumed largely for domestic uses.[6]
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