| Summary: | On verso of image: Tram on Poor Man's Mine, Karta Bay Filed in Alaska--Transportation--Tramways Karta Bay is an estuary that extends west 1 mile off Kasaan Bay, at the mouth of the Karta River, on the east coast of Prince of Wales Island. This name was originally published as "Kasa-an" in 1883 but due to a copying error, the name appeared as "Karta" on British Admiralty Chart 2431, and it has now become well established. [Source: Donald Orth. Dictionary of Alaska Place Names: Geological Survey Professional Paper 567. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1967.] Karta Bay, one of the western extensions off the head of Kasaan Bay, forms the eastern border of Karta River Wilderness on east-central Prince of Wales Island. The area includes the drainage of the Karta River system (which empties into the southwest corner of Karta Bay) and two major lakes, Salmon and Karta. Fire burned the area around the turn of the century, but second-growth spruce and hemlock stand an average of 60 feet tall. One of Alaska's most recent additions to the National Wilderness Preservation System, Karta River Wilderness is best known for large salmon runs and the scenic quality of the large river drainage system. Wildlife fills the area, including black bears, black-tailed deer, beavers, otters, minks, martens, and weasels. Trumpeter swams are commonly seen on the river. Native Americans, particularly the Haida, historically lived around the bay and utilized the rich food sources of this area. [Source: The National Wilderness Preservation System web site, http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&WID=289]
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