HAINES, was founded in 1881 by the Presbyterian Church as a mission. In 1901 the church gave 100 acres to the government to build an army fort because of a border dispute with Canada. Because of the fort the town developed to meet the needs of the army. Today Haines has a population of 24oo and is a fishing, timber and art community.

The town is small and in fact there is a story here that a foreign Student was picked up at the airport and her host
drove her around town and asked how she liked Haines. She said that she liked the little bit she had seen. When told she had seen the whole town, she burst into tears and asked to be taken to a real American town! The town does have a Hammer Museum with over 1,700 hammers. It has Sheldon museum with native artifacts and items from early Haines.

All the white buildings above were the officer's housing in Fort William Seward, when the fort was decommissioned after World War II a group of families bought the fort, 85 buildings, and established a planned community and art center. In 1970 it became a part of the city of Haines. It is the pretty part and is private homes, restaurants, shops and galleries. I bought a book, If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name, by Heather Lende who lives in Haines and writes about the town. It gives a real good idea of life in a small town very isolated from most things. I am enjoying it. Tomorrow we take a ferry (without car) north to an even smaller town, Skagway with a population of 250. Another Adventure