Title:
Northern Commercial Company Building, 126 Washington Street
Photographer:
Paulu T. Saari
Description:
Like much of Ketchikan's industrial infrastructure, the Ketchikan branch of Northern Commercial Company expanded as a result of the pulp mill development. Originally located on the waterfront at 1405 Tongass, Northern Commercial Company opened this larger facility in January 1953.
Ketchikan Daily News article, 1/15/1953
"Northern Commercial Co. In New Quarters Tomorrow
Evidence of the growth enjoyed by Ketchikan and the bright future of this community is shown by the opening tomorrow of the new quarters of the local branch of the machinery department of the Northern Commercial company: Truman Sage, general manager of the machinery department of Northern Commercial, and Mel Roe, manager of the local branch, state that NCCo has great faith in continued Ketchikan progress and the company's expanded facilities are for the purpose of keeping pace with the increasing machinery needs of this area.
Formerly located on Tongass avenue, Northern Commercial purchased and has completely renovated and remodeled t h e building formerly occupied by J. M. Wick and Sons company at 126 Washington street: Approximately 8000 square feet of floor space will be devoted to office and shop together with parts facilities and display area for the many machinery lines which the company represents in Ketchikan.
FOUNDED IN 1791
This Step puts NCCo. in a position adequately to serve equipment requirements of the greatly increased activity of the lumber industry which can be anticipated upon the completion of the Ketchikan pulp mill, as well as the machinery needs of other local industries such as fishing and construction.
Northern Commercial traces its origin back to 1791. The company, as it is constituted today began July 1, 1922 when Volney Richmond, formerly general superintendent of the company, and his associates purchased the interior Alaskan and Yukon Territory trading posts.
Today's far-flung activities include mercantile, machinery, automotive, and aviation operations.
The mercantile division has 21 branches, in Alaska and four in Yukon Territory. These range in size from large department stores in Anchorage and Fairbanks--- the Anchorage store is the largest department store on the continent north of Edmonton, Alberta---to a sub-post in Black River, where one man "runs the show."
MACHINERY BRANCHES
Machinery branches are located at Ketchikan, Juneau, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Nome in Alaska and Whitehorse a n d Dawson in Yukon Territory. There is also a marine store in Seattle. New equipment, replacement parts and service facilities are offered by these stores for the logging, fishing, contracting, farming, mining and transportation industries and governmental accounts.
The company is distributor for Alaska and the Yukon Territory for Caterpillar as well as many other famous machinery lines such as Blaw-Knox, Broderick and Bascom, Bucyrus-Erie, DeWalt, Hyster, Goodyear, John Deere, Kohler, Lincoln, McCulloch, Rex, Willard, Wisconsin and Witte, to name a few.
The new quarters for the Ketchikan machinery branch will be open to the public tomorrow. Truman Sage from Seattle and Mel Roe, as well as other NCCo personnel will be present to welcome friends and customers and to conduct all who come through the expanded facilities. Everyone is welcome."
Ketchikan Daily News article, 1/15/1953
"Northern Commercial Co. In New Quarters Tomorrow
Evidence of the growth enjoyed by Ketchikan and the bright future of this community is shown by the opening tomorrow of the new quarters of the local branch of the machinery department of the Northern Commercial company: Truman Sage, general manager of the machinery department of Northern Commercial, and Mel Roe, manager of the local branch, state that NCCo has great faith in continued Ketchikan progress and the company's expanded facilities are for the purpose of keeping pace with the increasing machinery needs of this area.
Formerly located on Tongass avenue, Northern Commercial purchased and has completely renovated and remodeled t h e building formerly occupied by J. M. Wick and Sons company at 126 Washington street: Approximately 8000 square feet of floor space will be devoted to office and shop together with parts facilities and display area for the many machinery lines which the company represents in Ketchikan.
FOUNDED IN 1791
This Step puts NCCo. in a position adequately to serve equipment requirements of the greatly increased activity of the lumber industry which can be anticipated upon the completion of the Ketchikan pulp mill, as well as the machinery needs of other local industries such as fishing and construction.
Northern Commercial traces its origin back to 1791. The company, as it is constituted today began July 1, 1922 when Volney Richmond, formerly general superintendent of the company, and his associates purchased the interior Alaskan and Yukon Territory trading posts.
Today's far-flung activities include mercantile, machinery, automotive, and aviation operations.
The mercantile division has 21 branches, in Alaska and four in Yukon Territory. These range in size from large department stores in Anchorage and Fairbanks--- the Anchorage store is the largest department store on the continent north of Edmonton, Alberta---to a sub-post in Black River, where one man "runs the show."
MACHINERY BRANCHES
Machinery branches are located at Ketchikan, Juneau, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Nome in Alaska and Whitehorse a n d Dawson in Yukon Territory. There is also a marine store in Seattle. New equipment, replacement parts and service facilities are offered by these stores for the logging, fishing, contracting, farming, mining and transportation industries and governmental accounts.
The company is distributor for Alaska and the Yukon Territory for Caterpillar as well as many other famous machinery lines such as Blaw-Knox, Broderick and Bascom, Bucyrus-Erie, DeWalt, Hyster, Goodyear, John Deere, Kohler, Lincoln, McCulloch, Rex, Willard, Wisconsin and Witte, to name a few.
The new quarters for the Ketchikan machinery branch will be open to the public tomorrow. Truman Sage from Seattle and Mel Roe, as well as other NCCo personnel will be present to welcome friends and customers and to conduct all who come through the expanded facilities. Everyone is welcome."
Collection:
Ketchikan Museums: Paulu T. Saari Collection, KM 2003.2.63.989
Click to Enlarge
Northern Commercial Company Building
Northern Commercial Company Building