In 1883, a man named Snow built a salmon saltery where Ketchikan now stands. Two years later, businessmen from Portland, Oregon, hired Mike Martin to investigate possibilities of building a salmon cannery on the banks of Ketchikan Creek. Martin and the cannery’s manager, George Clark, formed a partnership and opened a saltery and a general store. Two years later, with the fishing trade flourishing, Ketchikan was definitely in business and by 1900, with a population of 800, the town was officially incorporated.
With mining activities beginning in the area, Ketchikan became an important trading community, with an estimated two-thirds of miners’ wages reportedly ending up in the bars and bordellos of Creek Street.
Despite a mining decline, the fishing industry and timber operations began to grow with establishment of the Ketchikan Spruce Mills early in the century.
In 1954, Ketchikan Pulp Mill was completed at nearby Ward Cove, assuring jobs not only in town, but in the surrounding woods as well. Today, that industry is in trouble worldwide but the ever-resilient Alaskans are focusing on another mainstay; tourism.
Ketchikan is a bustling community backed by forested hills and surrounded by a waterway busy with floatplanes, fishing boats, ferries and cruise ships. The little town of 12,000 is built right over the water in many places. Commercial fishing enterprises, growing tourism and the Misty Fjords National Monument to the east make Ketchikan a great place to visit.
The best way to explore Ketchikan is on foot. Start at the busy City Dock with a stop at the Visitor Bureau to pick up a Ketchikan Walking Tour Map. The new Southeast Alaska Visitor Center, maintained by the U.S. Forest Service, is an impressive facility. Three huge totems greet you in the lobby while a school of several dozen silver salmon suspended from the ceiling lead to the exhibit hall and a slice of rainforest.
Ketchikan is home to the world’s largest collection of totem poles. South of Ketchikan, Saxman Native Village shares a glimpse into the traditions of the Tlingit culture. The Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary combines a walk through the rainforest and shoreline area with an overview of early timber operations in the area. A few miles further south, the George Inlet Cannery tour offers an historical perspective of the fishing industry as visitors walk through the site’s original buildings and display of equipment used in the 1940s.
Totem Bight State Historical Park is ten miles north of Ketchikan via the North Tongass Highway. There you will find houses restored and re-carved totems as well as a colorful community house. Heading north along the Tongass Highway, a visit to Potlatch Park and the Totem Bight State Park showcase the traditions and culture of the Native peoples.

Ketchikan Map (PDF)

History
In 1883, a man named Snow built a salmon saltery on the spot where Ketchikan now stands.  Two years later, businessmen from Portland, Oregon, hired Mike Martin to investigate  possibilities for building a salmon cannery on the banks of Ketchikan Creek. Martin and the cannery's manager, George Clark, set up a partnership and opened a saltery and a general store. Two years later, with the fishing trade flourishing, Ketchikan was definitely in business. And by 1900, with a population of 800, the town was officially incorporated.

With mining activities beginning in the area, Ketchikan became an important  trading community, with an estimated two-thirds of miners' wages reportedly  ending up in the bars and bordellos of Creek Street.

Despite a mining decline, the fishing industry and timber operations began to grow with establishment of the Ketchikan Spruce Mills early in the century.

In 1954, Ketchikan Pulp Mill was completed at nearby Ward Cove, assuring jobs not only in town, but in the surrounding woods as well. Today, that industry is in trouble world wide but the ever resilient Alaskans are starting to focus on another mainstay, tourism. Cruise ships, the Alaska Marine Highway and Alaska Airlines as well as many charter operators bring thousands of visitors  to town through the summer months, while across Tongass Narrows, an endless stream of jet aircraft keep Ketchikan very much in touch with the world outside.