Caines Head State Recreation Area | |
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Location | Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska |
Nearest city | Seward, Alaska |
Coordinates | 60°0′3.6″N 149°25′19.2″W / 60.001000°N 149.422000°WCoordinates: 60°0′3.6″N 149°25′19.2″W / 60.001000°N 149.422000°W |
Area | 6,571 acres (26.59 km2) |
Created | May, 1971 |
dnr.alaska.gov |
Caines Head State Recreation Area is 6,571-acre (26.59 km2)recreational area, embodying Caines Head cape in Resurrection Bay, Alaska. The area is located in Kenai Peninsula Borough 7 miles (11 km) south of the city of Seward. A popular tourist destination, Caines Head features spruce and hemlock forests, a variety of terrestrial and marine wildlife (including harbor seals, Steller sea lions, sea otters, orcas, humpbacks, grey and fin whales, brown and black bears, lynx, mountain goats, wolves, etc.), and the remains of Fort McGilvray – a World War II-era fortification erected in 1941–1942 to obstruct potential Imperial Japanese Army invasion.
There is no evidence that the area had any previous settlements of Native American population. On August 28, 1903 a wooden steamship Santa Ana operated by Pacific Clipper Steamship Company brought first permanent settlers to Seward, Alaska. The cape was named after Captain E.E. Caine, who was a pioneer of commercial marine transportation between the contiguous United States and Alaska as well as one of the company owners.