Some historical reports indicate an early settler to the area may be credited for the naming of Douglas Island.

In 1880 gold was discovered in Juneau, Alaska, across the narrow Gastineau Channel, drawing in all kinds of people looking to strike it rich.

Douglas, too, had businesses popping up and soon had its own school and post office.

1887, Douglas Island Friends Mission School established to forcefully assimilate Indigenous Alaska Native peoples into Western European culture.

The town sustained significant damage on March 9, 1911, when a fire started in the Douglas Grill.

It took the Douglas, Treadwell, and Juneau fire departments working together to stop the entire town from being destroyed.

In 1935, the Douglas Bridge was opened and made transportation between the island and Juneau simpler.

On February 23, 1937, the city of Douglas again experienced a devastating fire, with 600 of the 700 residents losing their homes.

Douglas has a small commercial core with several restaurants and bars, a gas station and the Perseverance Theatre, Alaska's only professional theater company.