History :

The City of Haines was incorporated in 1910 and the area was incorporated as Haines Borough in 1968. Until 2002, the first class City of Haines and the 3rd class Haines Borough were separate municipalities. In the fall of 2002, residents voted to consolidate these governments and form the Home Rule Haines Borough. This consolidated the former City of Haines with the Lutak land use Area, the Mud Bay Land use Service Area and the surrounding population centers in outlying areas that had no powers of planning and zoning. This transition and consolidation had been completed in spring of 2004. This document plan is designed to serve as a guide for citizens and civic decision-makers concerning land use, growth and development and enhancement of the quality of life for residents and voters to the community

The Haines area was originally settled by Native Alaskans of the Tlingit culture who traveled along the Northwest Coast upwards behind the receding glaciers or came down the mountain valleys from the Interior. The area was valued for its mild climate and abundance of food. The original Native name for Haines was Deishu, meaning "end of the trail". With an oral tradition, and no written history, details of Tlingit Native migrations are largely undocumented.

Many Tlingits of the Chilkat Valley can trace their families back generations to residents of local villages. There are Tlingit sites in Southeast Alaska where fish traps and basketry date from 5,000 to 10,000 years ago. Local archeological evidence shows fish traps in the Chilkoot River 2,100 years ago and remnants of houses at the Chilkoot village site date to over 800 years ago. Oral history also reflects a long tradition of Tlingit habitation in the Chilkat valley.

The Chilkats were well known as the largest and most powerful of all the Tlingit tribes. They had exclusive control of many trade routes into the interior through which they maintained their position as middleman in the fur trade and amassed great wealth.