Category: Alaska’s Historic Canneries

Thu, December 17, 2015

Rebuilding Alaska: Breathing New Life into Kake’s Historic Cannery

Reconstruction project to incubate business and stimulate rural Alaska economy By Bethany Goodrich Published: December 10, 2015 by Alaska Business Monthly [caption id="attachment_4249" align="alignright" width="300"] The Kake Cannery near Kake, Alaska had a significant role in the history of salmon canning in Alaska during the first half of the 20th century. It is currently threatened by the loss of the canning industry and its deterioration over time. (From historythruhistory.com, America's Most Endangered Places.)[/caption] "It was approaching dusk in April when... (Read More)

Sat, December 12, 2015

Updates on the Canneries Initiative

Greetings, What a busy month for fisheries history. The Pacific Marine Expo was very successful. AHS shared a booth with the Kodiak Maritime Museum, and not only did this save money on booth fees, it was necessary to have at least two people at the booth at all times due to the traffic. Hundreds of people stopped by each day to share stories, ask questions, and over a dozen individuals became members. Special thanks to Katie Ringsmuth for designing the... (Read More)

Mon, December 07, 2015

Summer Ferries and Winter Watching at False Pass

by Anjuli Grantham This summer, I ventured on the M/V Tustumena from Kodiak to Dutch Harbor, prepared with Dramamine and ample reading material for the three day sail. Not once did I pop a seasickness pill, and only a few pages were read in my book, as we voyaged through waters I know so intimately through historic accounts but had never seen with my own eyes. [caption id="attachment_4235" align="alignleft" width="300"] Old P.E. Harris/ Peter Pan cannery at False Pass.[/caption] We... (Read More)

Mon, December 07, 2015

Salmon Labels Tell History

History can come in all shapes and sizes. University of Washington PhD student Ross Coen was in Ketchikan in mid-November to give a presentation on the history of the canned salmon industry in Alaska, and to research a subject he’s passionate about, salmon can labels. Ross Coen admits that he’s a “nerd” when it comes to his interest in salmon can labels. Just like someone might collect baseball cards, there are those who collect labels from fish packers. Coen was... (Read More)

Mon, December 07, 2015

Iron Men of Bristol Bay

by Bob King Old time fishermen are often described as “Iron Men in Wooden Boats.” It honors their hard work in the days before motors and hydraulics. Last spring I went to Bellingham’s Center for Pacific Northwest Studies to look through the archives of the Alaska Packers Association (APA), the largest of Bristol Bay’s historic salmon canners. Among other things, they had several boxes of 4 by 6 inch cards: the company’s records of their Bristol Bay fishermen from 1908... (Read More)