Downtown Juneau in Juneau Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
Changing South Franklin
Downtown Historic District
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 25, 2024
1. Changing South Franklin Marker
Downtown Juneau has been bustling with commerce since the 1880s, well before the advent of the automobile. Hillside homes were linked by stairways and boardwalks, now named and maintained as city streets. Muddy summers and snowy winters prompted the first street paving in Alaska. When automobiles rolled off the wharf, they were challenged by steep streets designed for horse and wagon or foot travel.
Downtown shops included bakeries, meat markets, groceries and general stores. Along the sidewalks, Native vendors sold smoked salmon, fresh-picked berries, and traditional handicrafts. Tlingit baskets were especially prized. Shops soon were selling Alaska curios to business travelers, excursionists and residents who wanted remembrances of this last frontier. By the 1930s, Belle Simpson's Nugget Shop had become famous as a purveyor of Alaskana. Its success led the way for the many merchants who ply that trade today.
[Photo captions, top to bottom, read]
Belle Simon's Nugget Shop. The large to pole on the left side of the picture now stands in the aim of the State Office Building.
Always bustling but not always level, this shows South Franklin Street about 1890.
Juneau has been electrified since 1893.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities
this page online
Location. 58° 17.809′ N, 134° 24.134′ W. Marker is in Juneau, Alaska, in Juneau Borough. It is in Downtown Juneau. It can be reached from Peoples Wharf. Marker is along the waterfront wharf fence. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 432 South Franklin Street, Juneau AK 99801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Alaska, in Tlingit and Haida & Tsimshian Region. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, the Inside Passage, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Corner of Front & Franklin (here, next to this marker); People's Wharf (here, next to this marker); The Early Days (here, next to this marker); Corner of Front & Seward (here, next to this marker); The History Around You (here, next to this marker); Downtown Juneau (here, next to this marker); A Capital in a Rainforest (here, next to this marker); Gold! (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Juneau.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 25, 2024
2. Changing South Franklin Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 2, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 161 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 2, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
