Explore Ketchikan

As I stepped foot onto the pier off of the ship, I looked up and my eyes were in awe of the sighting of a bald eagle. It flew past me into the surrounding forest. It was early morning and there wasn’t much traffic in the area. Kenny and I were enjoying the sun and the 60 degree temperature as we walked toward downtown Ketchikan.

There were two ships docked at the harbor and three more ships were expected to dock within the next hour or two. It was early and there weren’t as many tourist wandering around. We headed to the downtown area. One of the first things that we saw was Eagle Park with a carving of an eagle which had been carved by Nathan Jackson. Across the street was the Welcome Arch which says “Ketchikan,

Ketchikan is Alaska’s First City on the cruise line and The Salmon Capital of the World”. There are five different species of wild Pacific salmon that are found in the Alaska waters surrounding this area. The different salmons are chum, sockeye, king, silver and pink.

Of course, let’s not forget the famous “rain gauge”. It had all the weather information that you would want to know about Ketchikan. Average rainfall is 12 1/2 feet a year; January average temperature is 32.6 degrees; July average temperature is 57.5. In 1949, this area received 202.6 inches of rain. With as thick as the forest is, an area would need this much rain.

As we walked around the area, we talked with the locals and we found out that the population for the city is approximately 8,000 and the surrounding area is about 14,000. Ketchikan comes from the the Tlingit Indians name for the creek. A lot of people also don’t realize that Ketchikan is an island. The airport is on another island and they have to use a ferry to get there.

From the Arch, we walked towards St.John’s Episcopal Church. It is one of the oldest buildings built in 1902. Two minutes from the church is Whale Park and Chief Kyan Totem Pole. The totem pole was carved in 1993 and is the replica of a pole raised in 1898 for a Tlingit chief.

About ten minutes up the road is the fish ladder. This is where the salmon struggle back to their native streambed, fighting lower falls and then using a concrete fish ladder to avoid the roughest white water. We continued to walk down the stream looking at the salmon jumping out of the water.

As we got down to the end of the stream, we entered into Creek Street Historic District. This is where the red-light district was back in 1902. There were more than 30 houses of "working girls" in this area. Bootleggers rowed into this area at night to deliver booze. The city outlawed prostitution in 1953 and the Creek Street became a residential and commercial area.

Our morning was filled with lots of walking. Getting hungry, we located a restaurant "Ketchikan Crab & Grill", which was close to the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. The Discovery Center provides exhibits and activities about the ecology, economy and culture of southeast Alaska and its temperate rainforest ecosystems. The restaurant was very busy. They had two seats available at the bar and we sat there. Our seats were where the orders were being placed. It was very entertaining watching the manager make sure that all the orders were filled and everything was coming out in a timely manner. In talking with the manager, we found out that this restaurant is only opened from the first of May to the end of September. This is when the cruise ships are in town. The manager lives in Florida during those months that the restaurant is closed. By the time that we finished our lunch and started heading back to our ship, the town was definitely buzzing. All five cruise ships were in town. I would say that these five cruise ships had approximately 16,000 passengers on board. As soon as the ships head out back to sea, all these shops and restaurants close for the day.

This small town does have three grocery stores. One of the supermakets, Tatsuda's, has been in operation for over 100 years. At 18 years old, Kichirobei "Jimmie" Tatsuda, left his home in Yawatahma, Japan for America in search of new opportunities and adventure. He settled in Ketchikan and did odd jobs. He eventually opened up the grocery store. When WWII came about and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Jimmie and his family were placed in a camp. The community of Ketchikan kept the grocery store going. When the war was over and Jimmie and his family returned back to Ketchikan, the people handed over the keys and every penny that was made during that time. The Tatsuda family have always been grateful for all that the community did for them during this time.

There is so much more to do, such as attending the Lumberjack Show; taking a sea-plane into the Misty Fjords National Monument and exploring the Rainforest Sanctuary. You definitely want to get off the ship when you get to Ketchikan.