Point Whitshed (previously Witshed, Whitshet, and Punta de Orevilla) is a peninsula of Prince William Sound near Cordova in the U.S. state of Alaska.
Geography
Whitshed is a low, wooded peninsula, presenting a cragged appearance to the sea, and reaching within about five miles of Point Bentinck. This intermediate five miles has been described by Johnstone as "a low, uninterrupted, barren sand as far as the eye could reach." It is an extensive flat of bluish yellow mud, covered with water during stormy days at flood tide; but at low tide no water is present. From Point Whitshed to the southward and eastward, there is a long line of piled ice, with dwarf trees marking the channel of Eyak River, extending out into the flats.
History
Situated west of the mouth of the Copper River was named Witshed by George Vancouver in 1794 after Captain Witshed, R. N. It appears in the text of the original 4th edition of Vancouver's voyage, but in the accompanying atlas and in the text of the 8th edition of 1801, it is called Whitshed after Captain Whitshed. Whitshed appears to be in general use by the early 20th century. It has been erroneously printed Whitshet. The Spaniards in 1779 called it Punta de Orevilla. Fish camps were seasonally occupied by Eyak people at Point Whished.
References
- Allen 1887, p. 36.
- Baker 1906, p. 674.
- "The Eyak People". Cordova Museum. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
Bibliography
- Allen, Henry Tureman (1887). Report of an Expedition to the Copper, Tananá, and Kóyukuk Rivers, in the Territory of Alaska in the Year 1885: For the Purpose of Obtaining All Information which Will be Valuable and Important, Especially to the Military Branch of the Government : Made Under the Direction of Nelson A. Miles ... (Public domain ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office.
- Baker, Marcus (1906). Geographic Dictionary of Alaska (Public domain ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 674.
Attribution
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: H. T. Allen's Report of an Expedition to the Copper, Tananá, and Kóyukuk Rivers, in the Territory of Alaska in the Year 1885: For the Purpose of Obtaining All Information which Will be Valuable and Important, Especially to the Military Branch of the Government : Made Under the Direction of Nelson A. Miles (1887)- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: M. Baker's Geographic Dictionary of Alaska (1906)
60°26′52″N 145°52′58″W / 60.4478°N 145.8828°W / 60.4478; -145.8828
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