Artifact of the Month: August 2021

Ketchikan at the Fair

Coming out of the Great Depression, Ketchikan hosted the first Industrial Fair in 1935 as a way to both lift community spirits and promote the economic activities of our growing town. The four-day event held over Labor Day weekend included a parade down Main Street to the fair building at City Park, music, dancing, and of course exhibits. On entering the fairgrounds, people were treated to a special display of buoys from the Lighthouse Service (now Coast Guard) and a timber display created by the U.S. Forest Service. Other displays included canned salmon, livestock, furs, locally grown produce, totem poles, art, and textiles. The Industrial Fair attracted 7250 attendees, and its popularity spawned fairs in 1936, 1937, and 1939.

August's featured artifact is Minnie Harvie's crazy quilt, which took first place at the Ketchikan Women's Club exhibit of crafts and handiwork at the 1935 Fair. Crazy quilts are known for their beautifully busy design including irregular shapes, haphazard fabrics, and meticulous embroidery.

Minnie made the baby quilt and a matching pillowcase around 1885 for her daughter Millie (Harvie) Finzel's baby carriage. The Harvie family brought these items with them when they moved from Wisconsin to Ketchikan around 1920. Minnie's first place blue ribbon remains attached to the quilt at the lower right corner.

Quilts are still a popular feature at today's fairs. Be sure to stop by the Tongass Historical Museum to see Ketchikan's submissions to the Southeast Alaska State Fair in a special exhibit titled Ketchikan at the Fair. The special exhibit runs from August 13 to September 4, and features modern quilts made by members of the Rainy Day Quilters, a variety of other textiles, and wood work. August's featured artifact is also on display in the main gallery.

Ketchikan Museums: Tongass Historical Society Collection, THS 81.7.1.1