Travel Tuesday - North To Alaska - Day 8 - Ketichican

Welcome to second last post about my trip with my mom to Alaska this past summer. 

Our last port before ending the cruise in Vancouver was Ketchikan Alaska. Home just over 8000 people, it is the oldest surviving city in Alaska, officially founded in 1900. It is also known as the first city because of its strategy position in the inside passage. Historically, this area was a fishing spot for the Tlingit peoples. 

Our ship was in port outside the town so we had to take a shuttle bus to town. It was a lot of waiting. From town, we took another bus to meet our local guide and go on an almost private tour. One other woman from our ship has also booked this off ship tour. 

It was here while waiting for the second bus, I realized, I had been in Alaska for a week and had no pictures of seaplanes! Many people in Alaska have planes as there are often not roads connecting towns. There are 12 planes for every 1000 people.  

Nice to see women represented in statues

The first stop on our tour was a fish ladder. The salmon were running late this year and there were many that just didn't show up well in the picture. What is a fish ladder you may ask? It is a human made structure that helps fish migrate by creating passages over or around obstacles. 

Our next stop was to a hatchery to look for bears. If you guessed we didn't see a bear, you are correct. But we did get to see a juvenile bald eagle,

a seal,

the eagle and the seal together,

and this little bird,

while being surrounded by this. 

Next we had a quick stop at Rainbow Falls. 

Our last stop was Saxman Totem Pole Park, which has the largest collection of standing totem poles in the world.

Totem poles had different purposes. There are some that are memorial totems and mortuary ones (they contain the box with the ashes). These 'parts' were from a memorial totem to a great chief. 

There are shame or ridicule totems. 

This one is of US Secretary of State Seward. He had been invited to a potlatch (ceremonial feast where the hosts give gifts to all invitees) and had not returned the generosity to his hosts. It was customary, that when you held your next potlatch, you would give more than you had received. If in his life time Seward had made amends, this pole would have been burnt down. In more recent times, his dependents had looked into righting this wrong. However, it was estimated, in today's dollars to return the generosity from the potlatch, would be several million dollars. The family did not want to pay that, so he remains on the pole.

Then there are poles that commemorate events. This pole recognizes two clans coming together when white men arrived. Ab Lincoln at the top, was the model for the white man.

There are poles that tell legends and past down history.

The park is also home to a long house. 

We arrived at Saxman's at the end of the day so did not get to see the master carvers, who are keeping this beautiful and amazing tradition, at work. 

Mom and I did ask the woman who was with us to take a picture together. Unfortunately, even with a phone, this was too much for the lady and we did not get a picture! Our guide was kind enough to drive us right back to our ship, so we skipped the shuttle buses.

Come back next week while we wrap up this adventure!