Near Creek Street (Alaska Route 7) north of Stedman Street.
For half a century, this house, like so many on the Creek, was part of Ketchikan’s notorious red light district where both fish and men came upstream to spawn… the fish once, many of the men repeatedly.
Its most infamous resident was . . . — — Map (db m112041) HM
A totem pole, freshly carved, painted, and newly erected, has only just begun to take on its shape. Through Wind & Rain After years of exposure to the Southeast Alaskan climate, the poles at Totem Bight have been continuously carved by nature, . . . — — Map (db m311067) HM
Eight stars of gold on a field of blue - Alaska’s flag may it mean to you; The blue of the sea, the evening sky, The mountain lakes and the flowers nearby; The gold of the early sourdough’s dreams, The precious gold of the hills and streams; The . . . — — Map (db m311104) HM
On Schoenbar Road south of Water Street, on the right when traveling south.
Before the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897, there was the Silver Rush: a fierce contest on the North Pacific Coast for glittery, meaty Alaskan salmon. In the late 1880s, nearly 40 canneries operated in Alaska. They flooded the market and barely a . . . — — Map (db m308944) HM
Near Mill Street, on the left when traveling east.
The cultural traditions and stylistic glories of Northwest Coast Native artists go back centuries. But the historical period of (obscured) and curating — mainly by non-Natives — is relatively short. Totem poles by tradition were private . . . — — Map (db m182030) HM
Ketchikan's notorious Creek Street, early Alaska's most infamous red-light district, still retains traces of the gaudy rouge of a half-century of speakeasies and sporting women. Here the fame of Black Mary, Thelma Baker and Dolly Arthur . . . — — Map (db m182103) HM
On Dock Street at Mill Street, on the right when traveling north on Dock Street.
Kootéeyaa (totem poles) are carved to honor ancestors, commemorate significant events, and to proclaim the lineage of a clan. They were never worshipped as religious objects. This totem pole, carved by Tlingit master carver Israel Shotridge . . . — — Map (db m310703) HM
On Dock Street at Mill Street, on the right when traveling west on Dock Street. Reported missing.
Totem poles are carved to honor deceased ancestors, record history, social events, and oral tradition. They were never worshipped as religious objects.
This totem, carved by Israel Shotridge and raised in 1989, is a replica of the Chief . . . — — Map (db m79703) HM
If you look in the distance to the tall, salmon-colored building, you will see the Chief Johnson totem pole. This masterpiece of the carver's art tells the story of Fog Woman and her role in the annual return of salmon. Carved in 1989 by Israel . . . — — Map (db m258172) HM
Totem poles are carved to honor deceased ancestors record history, social events, and oral tradition. They were never worshipped as religious objects.
This totem is the second replication of the Chief Kyan Totem Pole. The original pole was . . . — — Map (db m70746) HM
Near Totem Bight Road south of North Tongass Highway, on the right when traveling south.
By the 1800's the Tlingit and Haida Indians of Southeast Alaska had developed a very sophisticated and highly stratified society. This clan house, in a natural setting similar to historic Tlingit and Haida villages, along with the surrounding . . . — — Map (db m307819) HM
Natives throughout the Pacific Northwest used giant trees from this rainforest to build impressive winter homes. These houses provided comfortable shelter from the cold, rainy winter and protection against attacking enemies. Making Materials . . . — — Map (db m311007) HM
Although it may seem as if these totem poles have been simply left here, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Totem poles are carved with an understanding that few will stand longer than 75 years in the rainforest climate of Southeast Alaska, . . . — — Map (db m311014) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m310675) HM
Near Bawden Street, on the right when traveling north.
Ketchikan Creek is the central thread of town in both location and meaning: it is the reason we are here today. Tlingit people, the first in the area, traditionally came to the creek as a summer fish camp. Taant’a Kwáan Tlingit – who have . . . — — Map (db m310682) HM
On Creek Street at Stedman Street ( Route 7) on Creek Street.
Ketchikan’s notorious Creek Street, early Alaska’s most infamous red-light district, still retains traces of the gaudy rouge of a half-century of speakeasies and sporting women. Here the fame of Black Mary, Thelma Baker and Dolly Arthur . . . — — Map (db m112039) HM
Near Mill Street east of Bawden Street, on the left when traveling east.
The Christian cross was planted in Ketchikan's shoreline in 1897, when the settlement was only a creekside collection of Native homes and a trading site for the first white businessman in the area. The missionary priest who staked an ecclesiastical . . . — — Map (db m182004) HM
On Stedman Street north of Thomas Street, on the right when traveling north.
Laws restricting Chinese and Japanese immigration in the 1920s resulted in a wave of Filipinos coming to work in Ketchikan's booming canneries. These “Alaskeros,” as they called themselves, began to live here permanently and make long-lasting . . . — — Map (db m182101) HM
Near Creek Street (Alaska Route 7) north of Stedman Street, on the right when traveling north.
Dolly Arthur… one of the Creek’s longest “working” residents
This house was the home of Dolly Arthur, Ketchikan’s most famous “sporting woman.”
From 1919 through the 1940s, it was also her place of business.
Dolly, whose given name . . . — — Map (db m112038) HM
On Main Street at Grant Street, on the right when traveling north on Main Street.
500 yr. old cedar from Ketchikan, Alaska
carved after ancient Tsimshian culture
By David K. Fison (Nadáam 'Nłomsk)
of the Tsimshian Killer Whale Clan
Anchorage, Alaska April 28, 2001
—————————————————————
Completed in 2001
The . . . — — Map (db m258207) HM
On Main Street at Dock Street, on the left when traveling north on Main Street.
Baker John Koel arrived in Alaska in 1901, bringing a sizable savings and keen business sense. He started out with his "OK Bakery" restaurant and rooming house and in 1911 built Alaska's
first reinforced concrete building on his corner lot for . . . — — Map (db m258182) HM
On Front Street at Water Street, on the right when traveling south on Front Street.
At the turn of the century, Ketchikan's pioneer townsite sprouted up from the base of a rugged, uncleared rocky mountainside where it meets deep tidewater. The downtown business district was literally built upon pilings and planked decking, with . . . — — Map (db m181910) HM
On Front Street, on the right when traveling north.
Tailor Pat Gilmore left Ireland in the early 1900s to seek his fortune in Alaska. He wisely invested his "grubstake" in the "Men's Emporium" on Dock Street in 1905. Within a year, he
brought his sweetheart Elizabeth "Lizzie" Guinan over. They . . . — — Map (db m181928) HM
Traditionally, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian relied on gifts from the sea. Much of their subsistence activity consisted of catching several species of fish, collecting an array of foods from the intertidal zone and hunting marine mammals. The bounty . . . — — Map (db m310931) HM
On Schoenbar Road south of Water Street, on the right when traveling south.
Frontier on the Frontier
You're standing on the sleek and seamless urban waterfront of Ketchikan. But in pioneer times of 1900 to 1910, this site was a rugged outpost for the industrious few - a sort of frontier on the frontier. . . . — — Map (db m308870) HM
Clan members return to their clan houses for the winter after spending the rest of the year at hunting, fishing and berry picking camps. Clan houses not only protect against weather and enemies, they also provide a framework for this complex . . . — — Map (db m311003) HM
The Politics of Prohibition pitted the U. S. Constitution's well-meaning 18th Amendment — which banned the manufacture, sale or transportation of liquor — against the ingenuity of the moonshiners and bootleggers who found ways to satisfy the . . . — — Map (db m182102) HM
On Dock Street at Main Street, on the left when traveling east on Dock Street.
When 20-year old J.R. Heckman arrived from Nova Scotia in 1886, Ketchikan was just a dock, salmon saltery, general store, post office and scattering of small, rough houses. Nearby Metlakatla (pop.823), Klawock (287) and Loring (200) were bigger; . . . — — Map (db m258180) HM
On Creek Street at Stedman Street, on the right when traveling north on Creek Street.
In spite of its more respectable Stedman Street address, this building — along with its Creek Street neighbors — was one of the earliest houses of prostitution, built soon after the Town Council banned prostitution to this side of the Creek. . . . — — Map (db m182042) HM
On Front Street at Water Street, on the right when traveling south on Front Street.
Shipments of iced halibut from Ketchikan to outside markets was pioneered by F.J. Hunt and H.C. Strong, following similar successful methods with salmon, and a thriving business was built through the construction of two large cold storage . . . — — Map (db m181914) HM
Near Bawden Street, on the right when traveling north.
This landscape design and construction is by local resident and Eagle Scout Joey Karlik. Tongass Historical Museum, Tongass Historical Society, and the City of Ketchikan extend their sincere gratitude. As Ketchikan was becoming established, so too . . . — — Map (db m310697) HM
On this site over 100 years ago, a 22-foot waterwheel turned, creaked, and groaned to power the Ketchikan Shingle Mill. It was an ingenious creation of pioneer Austin “Ott” Inman.
Inman and his partner, Charles Borch, first used the mill as a . . . — — Map (db m182074) HM
On Spruce Mill Way 0.1 miles west of Main Street, on the right when traveling east.
Ketchikan Spruce Mills from the air. 1954
Paulu Saari Photo Courtesy of Ketchikan Museums
Established in 1903, the Ketchikan Power Company operated a spruce mill at the mouth of Ketchikan Creek in Thomas Basin
located on a 14 acre site . . . — — Map (db m282542) HM
Near Front Street at Mission Street, on the right when traveling south.
The Revenue Cutter McCulloch is docked near Northern Machine Works (left) and a Japanese barkentine is at anchor on the south end of the wharf near the Ketchikan Spruce Mills (right) to purchase fish. Also visible is St. John's Episcopal . . . — — Map (db m181984) HM
Twenty to fifty closely related clan members lived together; working, eating and sleeping under one roof. Lets look back a couple hundred years and see what life was like inside a clan house. Watch Your Head As we step through the low, narrow . . . — — Map (db m310989) HM
On Stedman Street south of Creek Street, on the left when traveling south.
Stedman Street was a congenial place for Japanese immigrants and their families up to the 1940s. Japanese-born miners, fishermen, laborers and entrepreneurs settled across the creek from downtown and founded families. Japanese-Americans from the . . . — — Map (db m182058) HM
On Stedman Street south of Creek Street, on the right when traveling north.
Adventurous Japanese-Americans George and Yayoko Shimizu immigrated to Ketchikan in search of opportunity. Around 1903, they opened the New York Café on downtown Front Street.
Ketchikan was divided racially then. Whites lived north of Ketchikan . . . — — Map (db m182073) HM
On Schoenbar Road south of Water Street, on the right when traveling south.
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 . . . — — Map (db m308970) HM
On Stedman Street south of Creek Street, on the left when traveling south.
Around 1900, adventurous Japanese pioneer George Ohashi came to Ketchikan and opened the New York Café on Front Street. This was the beginning of a three-generation Ohashi family career of entrepreneurial activities.
In 1907, Ohashi built this . . . — — Map (db m182044) HM
The art displayed here at Totem Bight is that of the Tlingit and Haida. Debate continues about how and when the ancestors of those people arrived in the area. From Where Did They Come? According to oral narrative, Southeast Alaska Natives have . . . — — Map (db m311083) HM
Near Totem Bight Road, on the right when traveling south.
Northwest Coast Natives traditionally decorated items ranging from the most utilitarian objects to the grandest totem pole. They used natural colors and distinctive design elements on totem poles, canoes, dishes, ceremonial garments, bentwood boxes . . . — — Map (db m310969) HM
On Main Street at Pioneer Alley, on the right when traveling south on Main Street.
Pioneer Hall, the oldest building in the Downtown Historic District, is a survivor. Most historic wood frame buildings have been lost to fire, deterioration, or replacement. It started out as the US Customs House. Its prominent site overlooked . . . — — Map (db m258229) HM
Today, the value of Totem Bight’s magnificent carvings is self-evident, but not long ago, things were different. Culture in Crisis For untold generations, totem poles were the largest and most visible symbols of the Tlingit, Haida and . . . — — Map (db m311066) HM
On Front Street at Mission Street, on the right when traveling south on Front Street.
For thousands of years, water has been the common highway for all Northwest Coast Natives. Living at the edge of dense rain forests of great cedar, spruce, and hemlock along one of the world's richest sea coasts, their dependence upon seafood . . . — — Map (db m181977) HM
[Totem pole effigies, top to bottom]
• Yeil (Raven)
• Sun
• Chief's Daughter
• Chief wearing a tall hat. Baby's face in the hat suggests Chief's Raven-ness
The Raven Stealing the Sun kootéeyaa (totem pole), commissioned by the . . . — — Map (db m258178) HM
Near Mill Street, on the left when traveling east.
A city arose at the mouth of Ketchikan Creek early in the 20th century, where Native people had camped for uncountable centuries to fish and hunt, houses, stores, hotels and sawmills uprooted the rainforest skyline in a sort of land-rush flurry of . . . — — Map (db m182027) HM
On Front Street at Mill Street, on the right when traveling south on Front Street.
[Left side, top to bottom]
(Top photo) Illegible
The young city of Ketchikan (remainder illegible)
The Sideboard Saloon was operated by town co-founder Mike Martin from early in the century until 1917, when the . . . — — Map (db m181993) HM
On Front Street at Spruce Mill Way, on the right when traveling south on Front Street.
E pluribus funum
Independence Day was a bang-up community affair in early-day Ketchikan. In the midst of busy summertime, the Stars and Stripes provided a common denominator for diverse frontier folk. July Fourth inspired considerable . . . — — Map (db m181996) HM
On Front Street at Mission Street, on the right when traveling south on Front Street.
Hundreds of proud sailing vessels once plied Alaskan waters, but the passing of the wail was swift & complete. As the new Era of the Steamship began to dominate the sea lanes in the late 1890's, Alaska's booming early salmon trade inspired the . . . — — Map (db m181943) HM
This property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior Star House 5 Creek Street 1903 — — Map (db m310673) HM
One of Ketchikan's oldest buildings and the Territory of Alaska's only registered brothel.
Infamous owner “Black Mary” Thomas added a dance hall with an inlaid star in the floor, giving the building its name.
Thelma Baker Graham bought the . . . — — Map (db m182087) HM
Near Front Street, on the right when traveling south.
Steamship Mariposa takes on freight at the Alaska Steamship Co. Dock, 1912 Steamship arrivals and departures were frequent in early 20th century Ketchikan, and each one was an important event, as this photo illustrates. Townspeople line the . . . — — Map (db m311324) HM
On Stedman Street south of Creek Street, on the left when traveling south.
Across the great divide: Stedman started apart
Ketchikan Creek formed a dividing line in Ketchikan in the early 1900s. To the north, white pioneers' homes, schools and churches stair-stepped up the hill and businesses crowded the waterfront. . . . — — Map (db m182050) HM
Totem Bight State Historical Park exhibits totem poles and a clan house typical of three Native groups: Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian. These three groups were unique as they incorporated their distinctive art into totem poles. The Civilian . . . — — Map (db m307814) HM
Near Totem Bight Road, on the right when traveling south.
Symbols and customs glue society together. Potlatch ceremonies reinforce social structure through storytelling and oratory, totem pole raising, feasting and gift giving. Potlatches are symbols of wealth, often lasting for days. They can take years . . . — — Map (db m310962) HM
On Stedman Street at Thomas Street, on the right when traveling north on Stedman Street.
Kichirobei (“Jimmy”) Tatsuda and his wife, Sen Seike, started a combination grocery store, pool hall, tobacco shop and boarding house in 1910.
In 1916, the Tatsudas opened their first grocery store in a nearby building. It was truly a family . . . — — Map (db m182093) HM
Near Bawden Street, on the right when traveling north.
For the past 15,000 years – as the area’s glaciers have melted – untold numbers of salmon have made their way up Ketchikan Creek each summer, driven by deep biological forces to spawn in the grounds from which they came. Salmon you see here in . . . — — Map (db m310684) HM
On Spruce Mill Way at Main Street, on the left when traveling east on Spruce Mill Way.
The nearest vessel is either an English or Norwegian freighter at the coal dock, located about where the Tongass Trading Company dock store now stands on Berth 2. Next is the U.S. Army cable ship Burnside, and the third vessel furthest . . . — — Map (db m258231) HM
Native carvers took huge western red cedar and transformed them into magnificent totem poles. Respect for the Totem Tree Highly respected, commissioned artists usually carved totem poles. The carver generally selected red cedar because of its . . . — — Map (db m311075) HM
On Totem Bight Road, on the right when traveling south.
The Pacific Northwest Coast Natives have a strong sense of belonging to the land and water, which reflects the spirit and substance of their culture. The rainforest provides raw material for shelter, fuel, fiber, transportation, and food such as . . . — — Map (db m310927) HM
On Front Street at Spruce Mill Way, on the right when traveling south on Front Street.
Our fire department: From buckets to pumpers
Ketchikan Fire Department started in 1900 with a bucket brigade. You were a member if you had a bucket and could carry it full of water. Such rudimentary protection was inadequate in a bustling . . . — — Map (db m181985) HM
Near Totem Bight Road, on the right when traveling south.
Contrary to early missionary belief, totem poles were never worshipped. Some served to record stories and family histories, proclaim wealth and status, or honor the dead. Others grace house fronts or serve as posts that support the clan houses. . . . — — Map (db m310975) HM
Totem poles tell stories. The owner presents the pole and tells its story, usually at a potlatch. The figures or crests in the pole help witnesses remember the story. How many figures can you identify using the clues here? Totem Pole figures . . . — — Map (db m311011) HM
On Spruce Mill Way 0.1 miles west of Main Street, on the left when traveling west.
This historic anchor was discovered in 2020 while removing an underwater rock formation.
Time and oxidation have given this iron anchor the appearance of driftwood. The top is broken off where the "stock", a wide
crossbar, was once . . . — — Map (db m284690) HM
On Front Street at Water Street, on the right when traveling south on Front Street.
“Thundering Wings” — the title of local master carver Nathan Jackson's magnificent cedar monument, depicts the Tlingit native origin of Ketchikan's name, as told by Chief Reynold Denny of the Beaver Clan:
“About three hundred years ago the . . . — — Map (db m181908) HM
On Totem Bight Road, on the right when traveling south.
Along with other cultures, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian have long used rainforest plants for food and medicine. This wildflower garden contains many of them. The Native people have spiritual ties to these plants and great knowledge of their . . . — — Map (db m310922) HM
A bight is a bend in the shoreline that forms a shallow bay.
It looks as if a giant creature took a bite out of it. Natives
favored bights for village sites since they are often protected
from fierce weather and have sandy beaches good for . . . — — Map (db m307974) HM
On Front Street at Mission Street, on the right when traveling south on Front Street.
Prior to the 1870s, only a hardy handful of explorers, traders, whalers and sealers worked Alaska's rugged coastline. Following the 1867 purchase of the Territory from Russia, regular boat service from U.S. ports to Sitka began on a monthly . . . — — Map (db m181965) HM
WELCOME
You are standing in the traditional lands of the Taant'a Kwáan Tlingit, who have cared for this place from earliest human time. It would not survive in its richness and beauty without their stewardship. We are grateful for . . . — — Map (db m258175) HM
