Downtown Juneau in Juneau Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
People's Wharf
Downtown Historic District
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 25, 2024
1. People's Wharf Marker
South Franklin Street was a recreation area catering to single men who worked in the mines. Its saloons, cafes and movie houses stayed open 24 hours a day to serve the men on all three shifts. Many of the saloons and dance halls had "feminine boarding houses" upstairs.
This part of the waterfront was known as People's Wharf. From it, a passenger ferry ran a triangular route between the towns of Juneau, Douglas and Thane. For years, this was the docking point for the Alaska State Ferry. Nearby was the Juneau Cold Storage plant, serving a fishing industry that became another major component of the town's economy. The cold storage building, unlike many less substantial ones, survived a direct hit by one of the massive mud slides that plagued downtown Juneau in the mid 1930s.
[Photo captions, top and bottom, read]
• The Lone Fisherman ferry heading for People's Wharf.
• The June Cold Storage plant, in 1913, grew to be the most complete cold storage facility on the Pacific coast.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1913.
Location. 58° 17.808′ N, 134° 24.136′ 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, in the Inside Passage, on the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Early Days (here, next to this marker); Changing South Franklin (here, next to this marker); The History Around You (here, next to this marker); Corner of Front & Franklin (here, next to this marker); Corner of Front & Seward (here, next to this marker); Downtown Juneau (here, next to this marker); L’uknax.ádi Kootéeyaa (here, next to this marker); A Capital in a Rainforest (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Juneau.
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 1, 2026
2. People's Wharf Marker
There are several markers at this location. The People's Wharf marker is seen here on the left.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 25, 2024
3. People's Wharf Marker
by visitor with red backpack
Credits. This page was last revised on September 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 2, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 236 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 2, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 2. submitted on September 13, 2026, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 3. submitted on October 2, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
