On this day in 1898, the United States Department of Agriculture would open an experimental station on Kodiak Island to experiment with cattle breeding.

The station, authorized by the 1887 Hatch Act, would open in Kalsin Bay, 14 miles to the south of present-day Kodiak

The station’s initial mission was to assess the adaptability of Galloway cattle to the island’s conditions. Different hay grains were also experimented with.

Later, Sitka Black-tailed Deer and Roosevelt Elk would be introduced to the station, deer in 1900 and elk in 1928. While initially the elk were to be released on Kodiak Island, it was determined that the possibility of competition with the cattle for winter food meant that they would instead be introduced to Afognak Island to the north.

The Kalsin Bay Station was one of several that would be established throughout Alaska.