Description:
Glimpse of Cannery Life
Located about 36 miles southeast of Ketchikan is the deep, glacially formed fjord, Boca de Quadra, named after the early Spanish explorer and naval officer Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra Mollinedo. The fjord boasts a rugged coastline, with numerous waterfalls flowing over sheer cliffs and densely wooded mountainsides. Enormous runs of salmon made Boca de Quadra an ideal location for commercial fishing activities. The most productive period of commercial use was between 1883 and the early 1930s and included fish traps, canneries, salteries, and a fish hatchery.
This month's featured artifact is one of three brass ladles found in the 1920s in ruins of a Chinese bunkhouse at one of the canneries in Boca de Quadra. The records do not identify which cannery, though there are a few possibilities. The first cannery to operate in the fjord was the Cape Fox Packing Company which ran from 1883 to 1885 or 1886 when the operation moved to Ketchikan. Near the head of Mink Bay was the Quadra Packing Company, which was built in 1896 and changed ownership several times before shutting down in the early 1930s. Near Kestrel Island, a one-line cannery was built in 1918 and operated for about a decade before closing.
Ladles of this type were used by Chinese workers, who came in droves to Southeast Alaska from West Coast hubs like San Francisco, the Columbia River area, and Seattle to work in the salmon canneries. Demand for workers, though seasonal, was steady. Much of the work required little knowledge but was strenuous. Most cannery sites, like the ones in Boca de Quadra, were in remote locations. This meant that workers were trapped for several months during the salmon season, with little to do other than work, eat, and sleep. While not much is known about the actual people that worked in the canneries, this humble cooking tool serves as a reminder of their presence.
Ketchikan Museums: Tongass Historical Society Collection, THS 68.6.6.1
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