The totem poles on both sides of the “Welcome to Haines” sign located at Picture Point are actually two sections of one pole. The original pole was carved in 1979 out of red cedar at Alaska Indian Arts .It was made for Frank Young, who grew up in Haines but then moved to the shores of Lake Tahoe. The pole was made for his new house by the lake, and it was originally 27 feet tall. Once installed, the base was removed so that the top of the pole was not so close to the ceiling when it was inside. However, the fin of the killer whale on the pole created a problem when dinner guests continually bumped their heads on it so the height was again adjusted. Haines Alaska, Totem Trot, Totem Pole, Tlingit art When Frank Young passed away, the new owners of the house did not want the pole so it was donated back to Alaskan Indian Arts. Because the house was built around the pole, a wall would need to be removed to take the totem pole out of the house, but the home owners association prohibited it. To solve the problem, AIA hired a guitar maker who lived near the Lake Tahoe house to cut the pole into two pieces, so it could be removed from the house and shipped back to Alaska.