A Spanish expedition led by Lt. Salvador Fidalgo first visited the Columbia Glacier area in 1790. Fidalgo's party mistook the thunderous booming of the calving glacier for a volcanic eruption. In 1898, gold rushers heading for the Valdez Glacier Trail to the interior gold fields, prospected the area. Gold and copper prospects and mine shafts from this era can be visited from Growler Island. In 1899 railroad magnate George Harriman, leading a scientific expedition, named the glacier after his alma mater - Columbia University. Immediately after the turn of the century, Peter Jackson established the first fox farms on Growler and other small nearby islands. These islands continued to be used as free-roaming fox farms until 1950. Remains of this activity are still visible. From 1906 until the early 1980's, Growler Island was included in the Chugach National Forest. In 1979, Stan Stephens Cruises provided transportation for a Chugach Native Corporation survey party selecting Forest Service lands under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Stan was struck by the scenic beauty of the area and the manifold recreational opportunities afforded by the site. When the Native Corporation received title to the land, Stan approached them for a permit to develop the island as a stop over for his Columbia Glacier tours. During 1987 and 1988, Stan constructed a dock, cook tent, and tent platforms creating one of the state's most spectacular tourist destinations. In 1990, after operating out of Whittier for 17 years, Alaskan Wilderness Sailing Safaris (Alaskan Wilderness Sailing and Kayaking) began operating naturalist guided sailing, kayaking and hiking in the Growler Island area.