Ketchikan's history began in 1883, when a man named Snow built a salmon saltery. Two years later, businessmen from Portland, Oregon hired Mike Martin to investigate possibilities for building a salmon cannery on the banks of Ketchikan Creek. Martin and the cannery's manager, George Clark, set up a partnership and opened a saltery and a general store. Two years later, with the fishing trade flourishing, Ketchikan was definitely in business. The town had a population of 800 in 1900 and the town was officially incorporated. With mining activities beginning in the area, Ketchikan became an important trading community, with an estimated two-thirds of miners' wages reportedly ending up in the bars and bordellos of Creek Street.
Despite a mining decline, the fishing industry and timber operations began to grow with establishment of the Ketchikan Spruce Mills early in the century. In 1954, Ketchikan Pulp Mill was completed at nearby Ward Cove, assuring jobs not only in town, but in the surrounding woods as well. Today, that industry is in trouble worldwide but the ever-resilient Alaskans are starting to focus on another mainstay, tourism. Cruise ships, the Alaska Marine Highway and Alaska Airlines, as well as many charter operators, bring thousands of visitors to town through the summer months, while across Tongass Narrows, an endless stream of jet aircraft keep Ketchikan very much in touch with the world outside.
My Day in KetchikanWaking up with the Sun Princess already in port at Ketchikan meant that after I had breakfast in the buffet, I could get off the ship so first went to the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau to get my free downtown Ketchikan walking tour map and decided to do the tour backwards as I would take care of all the hill climbing early.
I walked by Eagle Park then through the tunnel.
At Harbor View Park, our cruise ship and another boat that docked behind us.
I walked back through the tunnel then up the stairway to Pine Street and saw another cruise ship coming in.
A westward view half a block away.
Going one block east gave me a great view looking down Main Street. I turned left on Grant Street and went to Edmonds Street, where it ended.
This provided an excellent view of the harbour. The stairway took me down to Dock Street.
The totem pole outside the library and museum caught my eye.
I next went to Ship Creek.
Here I found the Cape Fox funicular that took me up 150 feet to the Cape Fox Lodge.
The view of Ketchikan from the top.
The view looking down towards the Sun Princess.
The Council of the Clans Totem Pole Circle in front of the Ted Ferry Civic Center.
I took the funicular back down to Creek Street.
Creek Street views, after which I walked back across Ketchikan Creek to Park Avenue where I followed the creek east and crossed it again. I was really enjoying my walk on this beautiful southeast Alaska morning. Once more, I traversed Ketchikan Creek and turned onto Salmon Street to the Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery and Eagle Center.
I crossed the creek for the fifth time today to the Totem Pole Center then walked on Deermount Street west to Stedman Street.
I found another totem pole before turning left on Thomas Street that took me to the Thomas Basin Boat Harbour.
I walked to the end of the breakwater then returned to Stedman Street, crossing Ketchikan Creek for the last time and returned to where I started via the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center and the Salmon Landing Market.
An amusing sign entitled "Liquid Sunshine Gauge". I stopped for postcards then found a bench and wrote them on this sunny beautiful morning before mailing them and returning to the ship, went up to the Lido Deck and sat in the sun to write this part of the story while working on my suntan. I went to lunch at 11:15 in the buffet, having some veal, before returning to my room to watch "School of Rock".
Cruising on to Juneau 8/25/2004
The Sun Princess departed on schedule as I sat at the front of the Lido Deck and we sailed north with the Gavina Islands to the west.
The ship entering Clarence Strait with Prince of Wales Island to the west and the Cleveland Peninsula to the east.
My front Lido Deck seating club!
We passed Ernest Sound with Etolin Island to the north then the Stikine Strait took off to the east as we travelled past Zarembo Island through the narrows of Snow Pass.
Snow Pass.
Here we were told to be on whale alert and were lucky.
The ship advanced northwest into the Summer Strait where I spotted more whales then returned to my room as darkness began to take hold. We went to the dining room and I enjoyed a steak as we passed another Princess cruiseship so I was able to see how our ship would look all lit up at night. As we travelled by Point Baker, it was affected by the swells of an open ocean. I turned in for the night after having spent another great day on this cruise.
During the night, the Sun Princess passed between the Cape Decision Lighthouse and Coronation Island as we turned northeast up the Chatham Straits then travelled east into the Frederickson Strait, going between Admiralty Island to the north and the Kuiu and Kupreanof Islands to the south. At "The Brothers",we turned northeast up Stephens Passage to the Gastineau Channel to Juneau.
