Ketchikan is...
Ketchikan is... a story of resilience, independence, and the resourcefulness to not only to survive, but to thrive.
It all started with the creek. Kichxáan (Ketchikan) began as a Tlingit summer fish camp around the mouth of Kichxáan Héeni (Ketchikan Creek). Ketchikan remains the home of the Taant'a Kwáan (Sea Lion Tribe) of the Tongass Tlingit.
From our origin as a summer fish camp, Ketchikan has been a mining center, fishing port, cannery town, timber town, and a tourist destination. It has been called a variety of names, from "The Salmon Capital of the World" to the "Wickedest City in Alaska." Through it all, our town has been friendly, resilient, independent, resourceful... and proudly Alaskan.
Explore the rich history and inspiring stories of our town from the perspective of those who call this place home.
Links to additional sections of this Virtual Exhibit
- Water in Abundance Makes us Fearless
- Can't Escape the Land
- Where the Sea Returns to Land
- When Industries Emerge
- An Island Mind
- Noble Vice
- Where We Gather
- Where the Trees Come to Dance
- Capturing Time Through the Lens
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