Fun Facts
Ketchikan was named “One of the Top 100 Arts Communities in the U.S.” Ketchikan’s abundance of Alaskan Native culture, local artists and arts inspired special events and activities contributed to the title.
An estimated 19% of community residents are of Tlingit, Haida and/or Tsimpshian Indian descent.
Bald Eagles sit in tree tops to watch fishing activity. They attempt to catch small fish that are caught and released by anglers.
Ketchikan’s original musical melodrama, The Fish Pirates Daughter is performed each July by local actors. The story weaves humor, history and music into the performances set against the backdrop of the early commercial fishing industry.
If you stop by the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, you may meet O’reanna, the bureau’s mascot. A pure bred Siberian Husky, O’reanna sits by the door and greets guests during the fall-winter-spring. In the summer she spends her day on a horse trolley touring the sites with visitors.
Ketchikan has several streets consisting of wooden walkways- no vehicles allowed. The most famous is Ketchikan’s Creek Street but several wooden staircases are also designated as “streets”. Look for them downtown near the tunnel, next to the Ketchikan Daily News building and at the corner of Kennedy and Water Street.
Ketchikan’s International Airport is located on an island separated from the town by water, requiring a 5 minute ferry ride. Ferries depart every 30 minutes to deliver travelers back and forth.
Float planes are called “air taxis” because they provide transportation to and from Ketchikan and outlying communities.
Ketchikan’s Blueberry Arts Festival includes a unique event- the annual slug race. Local children gather slugs from their yards and bring them to the festival. The first slug to slime its way across the raceway wins. In warm weather, the slugs are kept cool with mists of water- and of course no salt is allowed within the race area!
Most sports events are not called due to rain. Most outdoor fields for soccer, baseball and football are composed of a sand/clay mixture to aid in drainage. In Ketchikan’s early days, baseball was actually played on the tide flats during low tide; and yes games were called when water began covering the fields!