First Non-stop Flight from Seattle to Alaska Arrives in Ketchikan, 1929

Elliot L. Fisher

The "Juneau", a Lockheed Vega belonging to Alaska-Washington Airways arrived in Ketchikan on April 19, 1929, having completed the first non-stop flight from Seattle to Juneau only days earlier. Sitting atop the plane is pilot Anscel Eckmann. Jack Halloran served as the mechanic and Bob Ellis as the navigator on the flight. The plane continued to fly in Southeast Alaska until April of 1930, when it was deemed beyond repair and scrapped. Ellis went on to establish Ellis Air Lines, headquartered in Ketchikan in 1936.

Ketchikan Museums: Tongass Historical Society Collection, THS 61.8.1.551