Welcome to Pilot Point!

Pilot Point, populated by the region's Alaskan Natives, developed around a fish salting plant established by C.A. Johnson in 1889. At that time, it was called "Pilot Station," after the river pilots stationed here to guide boats upriver to a large cannery at Ugashik. In 1892, Charles Nelson opened a saltery, which was sold to the Alaska Packer's Association in 1895. The saltery continued to expand and by 1918 had developed into a three-line cannery. Many immigrants came to work in the canneries - Italians, Chinese, and northern Europeans. Reindeer-herding experiments at Ugashik helped to repopulate the area after the devastating 1918 flu epidemic, although the herding eventually failed. A Russian Orthodox church and a Seventh Day Adventist church were built in the village. A post office was established in 1933, and the name was changed to Pilot Point at that time. The deterioration of the harbor forced the cannery to close in 1958. Pilot Point incorporated as a city in 1992.

There is a history of ethnic diversity in Pilot Point. The community is primarily of Alutiiq and Yup'ik ancestry. Inhabitants practice a fishing and subsistence lifestyle.

Local planning maps