Ketchikan is the salmon capital of the world, and a paradise for fishermen and nature-lovers alike. The canneries bustle year ’round, while the rustic boardwalk on Creek Street and the stilt-buildings in the harbor preserve a distinct pioneer feel. The little town of 14,500 is built right over the water in many places—the steep hillsides making construction extremely expensive. Established originally as a fishing camp, Ketchikan today bustles with activity. Commercial fishing enterprises, growing tourism and the Misty Fjords National Monument to the east make Ketchikan a great place to live or visit.

Our beautiful town is located on the western coast of Revillagigedo Island, near the southernmost boundary of Alaska. It is 679 miles north of Seattle and 235 miles south of Juneau. The 2.2 million acre Misty Fjords National Monument lies 22 air miles east of Ketchikan.

It is the first Alaska port of call for northbound cruise ships and State ferries. It lies at approximately 55° 20′ N Latitude, 131° 38′ W Longitude. The area encompasses 3 sq. miles of land and 1 sq. miles of water. The area lies in the maritime climate zone noted for its warm winters, cool summers, and heavy precipitation. Summer temperatures range from 51 to 65; winter temperatures range from 29 to 39. Ketchikan averages 162 inches (13.5 feet) of precipitation annually, including 32 inches of snowfall.

An outstanding collection of totem poles make a visit to Ketchikan essential for anyone looking for someone interested in Native art. Ketchikan’s name supposedly comes from the native term “Katch Kanna”, which roughly translates: “spread wings of a prostrate eagle”. But lest you think eagles are creatures of the past, look carefully along the water line, both north and south of town, and you’re likely to see many bald eagles on waterside perches.

Although the town appears to have grown in topsy-turvy fashion, it almost seems today to have been built for its visitors: The big jet airport (its runways built on three levels), is located on Garvina Island just a short ferry ride across Tongass Narrows.

Ketchikan’s history dates back to 1883, when a man named Snow built a salmon saltery. Two years later, businessmen from Portland, Oregon, hired Mike Martin to investigate possibilities for building a salmon cannery on the banks of Ketchikan Creek. By the early 1900’s, Martin and the cannery’s manager, George Clark, had set up a partnership and had opened a saltery and a general store. Two years later, with the fishing trade flourishing, Ketchikan was definitely in business. And by 1900, with a population of 800, the town was officially incorporated.

With mining activities beginning in the area, Ketchikan became an important trading community, with an estimated two-thirds of miners’ wages reportedly ending up in the bars and bordellos of Creek Street.

Despite a mining decline, the fishing industry and timber operations began to grow with establishment of the Ketchikan Spruce Mills early in the century.

In 1954, Ketchikan Pulp Mill was completed at nearby Ward Cove, assuring jobs not only in town, but in the surrounding woods as well. Today, that industry is in trouble worldwide but the ever-resilient Alaskans are starting to focus on another mainstay, tourism. Cruise ships and Alaska ferries, bring thousands of visitors to town through the summer months, while across Tongass Narrows, an endless stream of jet aircraft keep Ketchikan very much in touch with the world outside.