Petersburg is nestled between the ocean and the steep Coastal Mountain Range, which also creates the border with neighboring Canada. About 3,000 people call it home. Many of them are of native Tlingit or Norwegian descent. Peter Buschmann, a Norwegian businessman, established the commercial fishing and canning industry in the area in 1898. Around town, brightly painted homes extend out over the harbors on stilts, and Norwegian flags fly alongside the stars and stripes. If it weren’t for the Indigenous Alaskan totem poles, one might think they were transported to the fjords of Norway! Life in the small coastal town of Petersburg is all about community. Community makes it possible to make a living, to find joy with family, friends, and neighbors, and to thrive in a challenging environment.
Our guests aboard National Geographic Venture had several choices of activities today in and around Petersburg. These included flightseeing over nearby glacial ice fields, touring the fishing harbor aboard our Zodiacs, biking along Frederick Bay, learning cultural history from Tlingit community members, strolling through town on a photo walk with a certified National Geographic photo instructor, or hiking trails in the Tongass National Forest to discover the wonders of the Alaskan muskeg.
