Cowbright: Ketchikan, Alaska

We could not have asked for better weather in Alaska! Today was another sunny day with gorgeous weather. Located in the Tongass National Forest, Ketchikan is known as Alaska’s “first city” due to its location at the Southern tip of the Inside Passage. It is also known as the “Salmon Capital of the World.” That’s because the town was founded as a salmon cannery site in 1885. Ketchikan was incorporated in 1900; however, Alaska did not become a State until 1959.

The name Ketchikan comes from the native words “kitsdhk-hin” which mean “the thundering wings of an eagle”. In addition to the fishing industry, logging also became an important industry. However, these days Ketchikan’s biggest industry is tourism.

With a population of 8,000 people and lots of natural beauty, Ketchikan is a popular tourist destination. Our driver told us that there are 3 ways to get here – by boat, by plane or by birth. All foods must be delivered here by barge. The city has 7 fire stations (it had 8, but one burned down!) It has a nice size medical facility for every day type stuff, but if one needs really serious medical treatment they go to Juneau or Seattle.

shops and eateries in downtown Ketchikan

grizzly from scrap metal

close up of parts

spark plug elephant

Our first stop was to downtown Ketchikan for a lumberjack show. I was wondering how watching men chop wood might be entertaining. The audience was divided into 2 teams to make it a bit more competitive but I must say the chopping contests themselves were not terribly exciting.

sawing logs (literally)

log rolling contest

Ketchikan also boasts the largest number of standing totem poles in the world. Some are more than 100 years old. So our tour today was all about logging and totems. There was little time for shopping and browsing but the cruise terminal itself offers plenty of shopping with clothes, food, gift items and souvenirs of all types. There were several other cruise ships in port today besides ours.

After the lumberjack show, we were taken to Saxman Native Village to learn more about the history of totems, visit an authentic Clan House and watch native carvers at work. You can even order your own totem pole, but on average they cost up to $3,000 per linear foot, not including the cost of the log, of course. Believe it or not, they do get special orders. However, they must be authentic in meaning and the Saxman Village refused to build a Star Wars totem for a hopeful customer.

Saxman Native Village Clan House

young dancers

each section with different meaning

custom order your own!

native dancers, various ages (rowing dance, below)

Back on the ship at dinner, we were able to eat outside on the back deck while the chefs cooked up fresh halibut and salmon to order. All in all, we had a very nice day in Ketchikan!