Ouzinkie is located on the southwest shore of Spruce Island, 10 miles north of the city of Kodiak on Kodiak Island.
About Ouzinkie (Sugpiaq: Uusenkaa)
One of the oldest settlements of the archipelago, Ouzinkie is separated from Kodiak Island by a strait named Uskiy, which means “very narrow” in Russian.
Things to do
Salmon and halibut fishing, beautiful scenery, wildlife, Native culture, and Russian history make Ouzinkie a great off-the-beaten-track experience for the adventurous traveler. Charter boat operators based in Ouzinkie offer salmon and halibut fishing and marine wildlife excursions from the village. Ouzinkie Island is wedged between Marmot and Monashka Bay, where humpback, fin, gray whales, and orcas frequently are seen passing through.
At the heart of Ouzinkie is the Russian Orthodox Nativity of Our Lord Church, built in 1898, which is a National Historical Landmark. Located in a picturesque cove, the church is a photographers' delight, while the parish is still active today with services on Saturday, Sunday, and other church holidays.
On the east end of Spruce Island is Monk's Lagoon, home of St. Herman's Chapel. The lagoon is the sacred ground of Saint Herman, the first canonized saint of the Russian Orthodox Church in North America. Every year in early August, an annual pilgrimage is held to St. Herman’s Chapel on Spruce Island.
History
The Russian American Company founded Ouzinkie as a retirement community in the early 1800s. In the late 1800s, several canneries opened, reliant on the rich fishing grounds in the area. A series of disasters over the years, including fire and a tsunami, destroyed the canneries, which were never replaced.