On May 6, 1978, a sense of unease began to settle over the communities of Hydaburg and Craig, Alaska. Victor Vane Burgess Jr., a 23-year-old male, along with four companions, had set out on a boating trip from Hydaburg with the intended destination of Craig. The group, which included Verne Edenshaw Jr., Glenn Cook, Delbert Kelley, and William Hamilton Jr., was last seen at the Waterfall Resort, a location approximately 15 miles from their final stop. The journey was one that should have been manageable, a routine trip between the two Prince of Wales Island communities. However, as time passed with no word from the five men, concern grew into a widespread fear that something had gone terribly wrong in the waters of the Alaskan Panhandle.
The days that followed the initial disappearance were filled with a desperate search and a growing sense of dread for the families and friends of the missing men. The vast and often unforgiving wilderness of the region yielded few clues, but what was discovered painted a grim picture of the boaters' fate. One of the skiffs the group had been traveling in was found submerged near Cruz Island in San Alberto Bay. The second skiff was discovered tied to a rock in a location known as Canoe Pass. These findings confirmed the community's worst fears: a boating accident had likely occurred, and the five men were now presumed to have drowned.
The disappearance of Victor Burgess Jr. and his four friends has left a lasting scar on the small, tight-knit communities of southeastern Alaska. With no survivors and only the submerged and abandoned skiffs as evidence, the full story of what happened on that May day in 1978 may never be known. The official investigation concluded that the men were victims of a tragic boating accident, presumed to have drowned in the cold Alaskan waters. The case serves as a somber reminder of the inherent dangers of maritime travel in the region and the profound loss experienced by the families who were left with unanswered questions and the enduring pain of not knowing the final moments of their loved ones. The absence of these five men created a void that has been felt for decades, a collective tragedy woven into the history of Prince of Wales Island.
Last Seen: May 6, 1978
