Artifact of the Month: August 2026

Made for Market

The first half of the twentieth century was a time of thriving agricultural experimentation and enterprise in the Ketchikan area. As the population grew, so did the demand for fresh food products. Industrious dairymen and farmers, some of whom built large-scale operations, pushed the limits of what could be raised and grown in Ketchikan. Most producers sold directly to the consumer, and some sold their products to grocery stores, bakeries, and meat markets where the raw ingredients would be turned into other desirable goods.

Raising cattle in a rainforest environment presented many challenges. Hardy cows were hand-selected and brought to Ketchikan by steamship from Washington and Oregon. The constant rain often led to contagious bacterial infections, like hoof rot. Grazing land was limited, and when cattle ate seaweed or from the muskeg it made their milk unappetizing. Feed needed to be imported and unreliable shipments created problematic shortages.

Two Swiss immigrants, Ernest Anderes and his brother Walter Anderes, were among the earliest dairymen in Ketchikan. Ernest arrived in 1917 from Wisconsin. Eventually he bought out dairy interests on Gravina Island and opened the Ketchikan Dairy near Carlanna Creek, close to where Napa Auto Parts is today. Walter followed his brother to Ketchikan and assumed operations of the Model Dairy near Saxman.

For a few years, the Anderes brothers competed with each other. Ultimately, they consolidated their business interests into the Crystal Dairy in late 1930. A milk bottle crate from the Crystal Dairy is this month's featured artifact. The Crystal Dairy produced fresh milk, cream, butter, and ice cream until 1953 when a feed shortage the year prior forced the brothers to sell off their cattle. The Crystal Dairy continued to distribute dairy products from out-of-state into the 1970s.


Object ID #: THS 86.1.16.1