Ketchikan in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)

Creek Flood of Time

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 2, 2026

1. Creek Flood of Time Marker

Inscription.
A Timeline of Historic Creek St. District.

Ketchikan Creek was The Cradle of the little town that grew to become today’s largest Alaska City. The creek provided pure, cold drinking water, it supplied power for electric lights and industry, and most notably – it teemed with spawning salmon. Every summer for centuries before the first pioneer settlers arrived, Tlingit natives beached their canoes on the tideflats and set up fish camps to net, trap and dry salmon for winters’ food.

In 1903, the town’s Common Council began rooting out prostitutes from other neighborhoods for relocation to shanties along the banks of the creek. The following year, Creek Street’s first 2-story buildings were built near the bridge, and the new red-light district grew around a few small factory enterprises and Ketchikan’s first powerhouse. The small power station, built in 1902, was located on the west bank just below the Harris Street Bridge falls, housing a water wheel and flume. With the 1903 organization of Citizens Light, Power & Water Co., a larger station was built upstream near the present 1912-built powerhouse. A barrel factory was built

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on Creek Street in 1904 by A.J. Inman and C. Burt with its own flume and water wheel. Its log supply was floated upstream at high tide. The factory evolved into the Inman & Dunion owned shingle mill in February 1912.

Early Settlers Recognized the Value of the creek’s resources. They beach-seined salmon until that method was outlawed in 1902, then for nearly a decade, harvested from a stationary fish trap at the creek’s mouth. This was replaced by the more efficient Heckman-designed floating fish traps. Over-fishing nearly exhausted Ketchikan Creek’s prolific pink salmon runs during the period. In 1923, a hatchery was built a mile upstream, near the site of today’s Deer Mountain hatchery. The creek was home to power flumes, fish and painted floozies, as its red-light “Line” continued to grow -coining a once-popular description: “Creek Street – the only place where both fish and fishermen go upstream to spawn.”

Nature’s Urban Renewal, in the form of floods and battering ram logs from violent storms, altered the creek neighborhood along its banks many times over the years, In the fall of 1903, the district’s first bridge was destroyed by

Buildings on Creek Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 2, 2026

2. Buildings on Creek Street

high water and rebuilt. Five years later, a September flood closed the early barrel factory by washing away its power flume. Many of the poorly built brothels collapsed in rainstorms. In more recent times the Arctic Bar was loosed from its pilings and floated away, eventually beaching 10 miles to the north. The unpredictable plod cycles recurred, as the small but wild Creek resisted man’s efforts to tame her through damming and developments.

The salmon, however, continue to exhibit their incredible strength as they jump the whitewater falls to reach their spawning beds in the gravel beds of the upper creek.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels • Women. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1912.

Location. 55° 20.538′ N, 131° 38.568′ W. Marker is in Ketchikan, Alaska, in Ketchikan Gateway Borough. It is at the intersection of Creek Street on Creek Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Totem Way, Ketchikan AK 99901, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast

Salmon Run on Creek Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 2, 2026

3. Salmon Run on Creek Street

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: In Defiance of the Dry Squad (here, next to this marker); 'Cat' Houses & Sporting Women (here, next to this marker); Star House (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Star House (within shouting distance of this marker); Chief Johnson Totem Pole (within shouting distance of this marker); Yak'éi Haat Yeey.aadí. (within shouting distance of this marker); Chief Johnson Kootéeyaa (within shouting distance of this marker); Raven Stealing the Sun Kootéeyaa (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ketchikan.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Chief Johnson Totem Pole (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).

More about this marker.

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The top of the marker contains a photograph of “Primitive spear fishing – Circa 1901.” and a Circa 1915 view of Creek Street from atop Boston Smith Heights. And a newspaper article with a headline of “Fish Ladder to be Constructed”. Elsewhere are photographs of “Beach seining at Ketchikan Creek mouth – Circa early 1900’s”; “Inman Shingle Mill & water wheel – Circa 1905”; and “October 2, 1930 – one of the Creek’s worst floods on record. Dynamite was needed to break up the jam of buildings at Stedman Street bridge. Under this is a map of Ketchikan from November 1914.

Regarding Creek Flood of Time. Marker is located in the parking lot neear the Creek Street entrance.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2026, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 11, 2026, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.