Ketchikan in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
Northern Machine Works
| | Newtown | |
Photographed by Bradley Owen, August 13, 2026
1. Northern Machine Works Marker
Businesses Flourished in Newtown with the Fleet of Fishing Boats
The old saying goes . . . A boat is a hole in the ocean where a skipper throws money
That's what made Northern Machine Works a long-lived success in Ketchikan's Newtown.
Northern Machine Works' founding date is unknown, but it was no later than 1912 when William Schlothan set up shop above a harbor where halibut boats, packers and salmon boats provided year-round demand for retail parts and service in the machine shop. Schlothan added a marine railway in 1913 to pull vessels out of the water for repairs under cover. Schlothan was involved in several Newtown businesses and in 1916 became a partner in Beegle Packing Co. next door.
Northern Machine Works' retail operation and offices were in a classic false-front building at streetside. Several structures behind it on the long pier handled machining and engine work.
The retail building moved back 50 feet in 1953, when the city widened Water Street viaduct. An upsurge in the timber industry, tied to Ketchikan Pulp Co., drove development. A downturn for the fishing industry altered the economic mix in Ketchikan. Northern Machine Works serviced fishing, freight and pleasure vessels until about 1972. The streetside building was taken over by a floatplane business. Rock fill closed around the pilings.
(Sidebars):
Barn Door
In Alaska's homely nomenclature, a barn-door halibut weighs more than 100 pounds - like the example displayed here on a hatch cover. Federal officials estimated that Ketchikan's halibut boats harvested 30 million pounds per year of the flatfish in the 1930s.
Skippers' hillside homes are lasting Newtown legacy
Hillside homes above Newtown mark a golden age for the First City's halibut fleet - perhaps the world's largest. The neighborhood was Captains Hill.
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Most of these skippers were Norwegian immigrants who left their home fjords at the turn of the century. When Prince Rupert, British Columbia, was connected to the mainland railroad system early in the 1900s, the halibut fleet won a decisive advantage: Ketchikan-based fish buyers were now just 90 miles from an efficient rail link. Halibut captains were freed from slow, costly and sometimes perilous 700-mile trips to Seattle, their iced fish losing freshness by the day. Halibut fishing became a year-round occupation and, for a good skipper, a prosperous living.
So-called Halibut Row on Water Street led to Upper Water Street - Captains Hill, where Craftsman-style homes conquered rocky steeps. Foremost among builders were Carl Foss, a transplanted Norwegian carpenter, and brothers Mel and John Wick. The names of Halibut Row
Photographed by Bradley Owen, August 13, 2026
2. Northern Machine Works Marker
Notable Captains Hill Homes
Some have been maintained in historical character
1115 Water - Built 1920s John Munson - Fishing Vessel Atlas
1129 Water - Built 1924 W.W. Carlsen - Packer Washington
1222 Water - Built 1919 Ingvald Stamness - F.V. Arctic
1227 Water - Built 1920s Hans Roning - F.V. Glacier
1234 Water - Built 1906 Roy Thompson - Packer Diamond T
1251 Water - Built 19205 Thor Hendrickson - F.V. Venus
1256 Water - Built 1920s Carl Osberg - Cabinetmaker
1263 Water - Built 1920s Marcus Ness - F.V. Republic
1269 Water - Built 1920s Emil Gregerson
1320 Water - Built 1920s Levy Matthiesen - F.V. Tyee
1400 Water - Built 1910s John Haram - F.V. North
1418 Water - Built 1925 Louis Sunderland - F.V. Sentinel
(Captions):
In a photo from about 1915, Northern Machine Works hosts halibut schooners in need of parts and service. Ketchikan's booming halibut fishery was a boon for a business that serviced hard-working boats. In an ad in the 1923 Alaska-Yukon Gazetteer, Northern Machine Works offered a menu of marine work that helped to keep the Ketchikan-based fishing fleet at work.
Northern Machine Works and other businesses shifted back on the pier when the city widened Water Street in the early 1950s. The imminent start of operations at the Ketchikan Pulp. Co. mill along Ward Cove had a lot to do with a busier scene. Beyond Northern Machine Works is Beegle Packing Co., which had been idled since 1945.
Painted in sepia or modern colors, 1418 Water Street and other homes on Captains Hill hark back to a prosperous era in Newtown.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Immigration • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.
Location. 55° 20.67′ N, 131° 39.336′ W. Marker is in Ketchikan, Alaska, in Ketchikan Gateway Borough. It is on Schoenbar Road south of Water Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 90 Schoenbar Road, Ketchikan AK 99901, 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: Historic Newtown (here, next to this marker); Beegle Packing Co. (here, next to this marker); Keeping the Catch! (approx. 0.3 miles away); Upon 'Thundering Wings' (approx. 0.3 miles away); From Planks to Pavement (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Easter Totem Pole (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Gilmore Hotel (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pioneer Hall (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ketchikan.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2026, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 7 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 24, 2026, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.
