Beginning in the late 1700s, European and American ships began regularly visiting and trading with Kasaan and the rest of the Haida. Most early visiting ships were part of the maritime fur trade. The nearby trading site, "Kaigani", was one of the most popular on the Pacific Northwest coast. This trade brought wealth, but also disease; the first smallpox epidemic hit Kasaan in 1794. A rough census was taken of Kasaan between 1836 and 1841 by John Work of the Hudson's Bay Company. He reported 249 people living in the village. The 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic killed over 70% of all Haida people. The first official census was taken in 1880, and lists only 173 at Kasaan. In the 1880s and 1890s, Alaska Steamship Company boats regularly visited a nearby fish saltery and packing business, and sometimes Kasaan. Tourists visiting Kasaan helped spark trade in Haida artifacts and new artwork.