seldovia started as a russian fur trade post by Evstratii Ivanovich Delarov in 1787 or 1788 and was originally called Aleksandrovskaia. the town was then renamed Seldevoy, meaning "herring bay", as there was a significant herring population prior to overfishing in the early 20th century. in 1964, the good friday earthquake sunk the town and the tidal movement changed to 32 feet from its original 26. this resulted in the original boarwalk, as well as many homes and businesses, becoming submerged. they were rebuilt during the time known as "urban renewal."