Ketchikan Alaska Information

"Where the Eagles' Wings Are"

KETCHIKAN (derived from the Tlingit "Kitcxan"),
Alaska is home to some of the most beautiful and distinct native culture to be found in the world; no wonder it is known in legend as "Where the Eagles' Wings Are". Nestled between Ketchikan Creek and the TONGASS NARROWS, Ketchikan boasts some of Alaska's best fishing.

 
Some of Ketchikan's points of interest include:
• Tongass Historical Museum
• Dolly's House
• The Saxman
• Totem Bight and the Totem    Heritage Center
• Art and Craft Galleries and   Shops
• Additional Activity Information
Experience craft and dance exhibitions steeped in tradition. Visit nearby Prince of Wales Island, the Metlakatla Indian Community, and British Columbia. Take in the awe-inspiring sights of the Misty Fjords National Monument. Find the perfect gift or momento in Ketchikan's broad selection of shops and galleries, located on historic Creek Street.

For centruries, people have traveled the Inside Passage and shared in the heritage of the Native people here; the skill and artistry of the ancient Tlingit, Tsimshian and Haida craftsmen. The theatrical recreation of timeless legend is very memorable, as are the handwoven Chilkat quilts. The pride and culture of old live on in Ketchikan's modern day residents.

Ketchikan History
Most historians are of the opinion that, if there were one person who initiated a changing point in the history of Ketchikan, that person would be Mike Martin. Martin, a footloose Irishman, arrived in Ketchikan Creek in 1885. Legend has it that, at the time, Martin was scouting for sites to set up canneries, having been sent by the Oregon canning industry. Martin bought a campsite from a Kwakiutl Indian named Paper-Nose Charlie. It is debated today how Charlie, a Flathead Indian from Canada, could sell the Tlingit Indians' traditional summer camp to a white settler. The U.S. District Court incorporated the town's boundaries in 1900.
Mike Martin, and those who followed him, had great plans for the Ketchikan, Alaska area. In addition to setting up a huge salmon packing and canning industry, Ketchikan Creek was considered for setting up a mechanical source of power. Here was a deepwater port, and a chance to mine the precious ores scattered over the region. Meanwhile, great steamships packed with adventurers, settlers and prospectors of every kind found their way up the coast to Ketchikan, Alaska. Martin and his partner soon set up a saltery near Ketchikan Creek in the early part of 1890. The first trading post was also constructed there. Martin was distinguished as the first mayor of the city, having been elected from the one hundred and three property-owning voters in 1900. The first Common Council met in their own homes, the Red Men fraternal hall, or in Martin's Sideboard Saloon.

In this way, Ketchikan grew quickly. Many families cut their way into the forest to build homes. The citizenry hired police. The working girls from the north end of town were moved to the south of Ketchikan Creek, to the precinct which was, for the next fifty years, the Creek Street brothel area. When Ketchikan passed the Bone Dry Law in 1917, Creek Street's layout and connections became a desired outlet for trapdoor liquor deliveries and riotous consumption.

Ketchikan, Alaska is a town that has always grown and changed with the times. Front Street was paved in 1923, the first paved road in Alaska. The brothels were shut down (to the dismay of a certain few) in 1953. In the following years, Ketchikan, Alaska integrated itself with the Natives, and the town took on a pride of its own. Ketchikan, Alaska is a place that has always greeted the adventurous and brave with open arms, and looks forward to the future.