Ketchikan

Ketchikan is Alaska’s southeastern most major settlement.

Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic District.

With a population of 8,000+, it is the fifth-most populous city in the state, and tenth-most populous community. The surrounding borough, encompassing suburbs both north and south of the city along the Tongass Highway (most of which are commonly regarded as a part of Ketchikan, albeit not a part of the city itself), plus small rural settlements accessible mostly by water, registered a population of 13,477 in that same census.

Incorporated on August 25, 1900, Ketchikan is the earliest incorporated city in Alaska.

“Ketchikan” comes from the Tlingit name for the creek, Kitschk-hin, the meaning of which is unclear. It may mean “the river belonging to Kitschk”; or “Thundering Wings of an Eagle”. That seems perfectly illogical to me.

We spent my birthday here with Dorothy and Mark, picked up a map and spent time on a walking tour around the town.

The Ketchikan Historic Society has created a fabulous Free Ketchikan Walking Tour Map. The map includes 64 points of interest, all located in Downtown Ketchikan or on the West End. You can visit the Ketchikan Visitor’s Bureau along your travels to get your own copy or it can be downloaded ahead of time.

Ketchikan has two self-guided walking tours. The first is the downtown walking tour, which takes about two hours or more, depending on how many times you stop to shop or take photos. This walking tour covers the parks, museums, churches, and historic downtown areas like Creek Street. It starts at the Visitors Centre and ends just on the other side of the tunnel at the Casey Moran Harbour.

The second walk starts at the Harbour View Park (near the end of the downtown walk,) and continues mostly along the waterfront. This tour is longer, and takes at least 2.5 hours, passing by historic homes and businesses. Until 1953, historic Creek Street was lined with bordellos frequented by the loggers and fishermen who worked in Ketchikan. Today the over 30 wood-frame houses built on stilts along the creek are renovated restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Located about three blocks from the cruise ship pier, Creek Street is an easy walk to the downtown area.

One of the oldest buildings is Dolly’s House Museum. Dolly Arthur was Ketchikan’s most famous “Madam,” and the interior of the house looks much like it did in the 1920s.