Kake is a first-class city in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 557 at the 2010 census. The name comes from the Tlingit word Ḵéix̱ʼ or Ḵéex̱ʼ, which is derived from ḵée 'dawn, daylight' and x̱ʼé 'mouth', i.e. 'mouth of dawn' or 'opening of daylight'.
Kake first reported on the 1880 U.S. Census as the Tlingit village of Keex Kwaan. It formally reported as Kake beginning in 1910. It incorporated in 1951. As of the census of 2000, there were 710 people, 246 households, and 171 families residing in the city. The population density was 87.0 people per square mile. There were 288 housing units at an average density of 35.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 24.08% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 66.76% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.56% from other races, and 8.03% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 246 households, out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couplesliving together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.49. In the city the population was spread out, with 33.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $39,643, and the median income for a family was $42,857. Males had a median income of $44,167 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,411. About 13.2% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.7% of those under the age of 18 and 4.0% of those 65 and older.
The region of Kake has been inhabited by the Tlingit indigenous people for thousands of years. The Tlingit of the Kake region gained a reputation among early European and American explorers of being strong and powerful. Some conflicts with early explorers have been documented by historians. Some scholars believe the first explorer to enter Tlingit lands was the Briton Francis Drake, who traveled to the area near present-day Kake in 1579, although other scholars dispute this theory. In the early 19th century Kake was visited by American maritime fur traders seeking sea otter skins, such as the ship Atahualpa in 1805 and Otter in 1811. Kake was also visited by the Russian Golovin Expedition in 1818. Mikhail Tikhanov, an artist with the expedition, painted a watercolor of the Tlingit chief Kotlean.
After Alaska Purchase
In the February 1869 Kake War the destroyed three deserted villages and two forts near present-day Kake. Prior to the conflict, two white trappers were killed by the Kake in retribution for the death of two Kake departing Sitka. Sitka was the site of a standoff between the Army and some Tlingits who refused to surrender Chief Colchika, who was involved in an altercation in Fort Sitka. While no Kake died in the destruction of the villages, except perhaps for a single old woman, some died over the winter due to the loss of winter stores, canoes, and shelter led to the death. The villages were not rebuilt, and their inhabitants dispersed to other villages or remained in the vicinity, eventually rebuilding the present day Kake. Kake is the site of a 128-foot totem pole, one of the world's largest, carved in 1967 for the Alaska Purchase centennial.
