Benjamin Island

Benjamin Island is an island in the City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska, United States. It was named by Captain Lester A. Beardslee of the United States Navy in 1880. Located off the eastern shore of Favorite Channel, it is 25mi northwest of the city of Juneau. The name was collected by the United States Geological Survey between 1976 and 1981, and entered into the Geographic Names Information System on March 31, 1981.Benjamin Island is 1.5mi long and 0.5mi wide. It is about 0.75mi north of the Sentinel Island Light and 0.25mi south of North Island; it is one of the northernmost islands in Favorite Channel. The island is a part of the Channel Islands State Marine Park; it is used for picnicking and camping.HistoryThe Canadian Pacific Railway's SS Princess Sophia grounded on Vanderbilt Reef to the north early in the morning of October 24, 1918, in the midst of a snowstorm. The United States Lighthouse Service tender Cedar, captained by John W. Ledbetter, had taken up sheltered at a cove of Benjamin Island when it received word of the passenger liner's plight at 14:00 that day. The Cedar left Benjamin Island almost immediately but did not reach the reef until 22:00.