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Local History of Naha Bay and Loring Alaska Naha Bay was once the location of a summer camp of a Tlingit clan called Na.a'dih. (men of the distant lakes). The Na.a'dih were part of the Xetlqoan and the Naha Bay camp was used by the Na.a'dih people for subsistence fishing to provide food for the winter. Following a dispute between the Tantaqoan and the Xetlqoan, the Xetlqoan abandoned their southern holdings and migrated northwards to merge with the Stikinqoan. By the mid 20th century the Na.a'dih no longer existed as a distinct clan. The town of Loring was first settled in 1883 when Salmon Packers and Fur Co. established a salmon saltery in Naha Bay. The Loring Post Office was opened in 1885. In 1888 Salmon Packers and Fur Co. sold the saltery to the Cutting Packing Company who built a cannery adjacent to Loring. In the 1890's the cannery became part of the Alaska Packer's Association, and became one of the largest canneries in Alaska. Production continued right through the 1920's, but with declining salmon returns the cannery was closed and abandoned in 1930. The site was stripped with the timbers from Loring being used to build the growing nearby town of Ketchikan and a few remote cabins in and around Naha Bay. In 1889 the Ancon paddle steamer ran aground on rocks in Loring. One of the passengers, Albert Bierstadt recorded the events whilst waiting for the next ship south, and later completed his work, "Wreck of the Ancon" which now hangs in the Boston Museum of Fine arts. The event was also reported in the New York Times on September 13th 1889. A second artist, C Eisele, also painted the event. The boilers of the Ancon wreck can still be seen at low tide in Loring, Naha Bay After the closure of the cannery site in Naha Bay, Loring shrunk in size and today consists of a hand full of properties. Today's Naha Bay residents and property owners include a commercial fisherman, carpenters,a doctor, a librarian, small lodge and B&B owners to name a few. Today's residents include direct descendants of the early families who arrived in Loring in 1890 along with new families who now call Loring,and Naha Bay their home. Over the years a number of local writers have published articles about Loring and Naha Bay. These include David Kiffer's works titled Crusing to Alaska and A Famous Artist Runs Aground in Loring. June Allen has also written about Loring on a number of occasions. June Allen's published works about Loring and Naha Bay include The Stack's Family Long History and Loring, Once a serious Rival to Ketchikan. Local amateur and professional photographers who have published their photographs of Loring and Naha Bay on the web include Kathy Stack, and Marvin L. Scott. Another couple of sites with good historical photographs and paintings of Loring and Naha Bay can be found here, and here. Famous artists who have painted Loring include C. Eisele and Albert Bierstadt who both painted the Ancon paddle steamer which ran aground on rocks in Loring on 28th August 1889.