Page 332 - Vacation Country Travel Guide

suites, three of which are in the oldest and most
Boardwalk connects historic neighborhoods, people of all ages and mobility.
cruise ship berths and maritime harbors. As if to
provide a ‘front porch’ to the City’s four historic
districts and preserve their stories, the Boardwalk
offers local artwork, benches to rest and socialize,
easy connections to retail stores, attractions and
museums, and safe comfortable recreation for downtown, The Inn at Creek Street offers several
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notorious houses of ill repute. Check in is at the
Bayside Hotel, where the concierge will escort
guests to their rooms, suites or lofts.
Experience world-class exhibits and award-
winning audiovisual programs at Southeast Alaska
Discovery Center, where you can view Tsimshian,
Haida and Tlingit totem poles, stroll through the
rainforest room, discover a Native fish camp scene,
learn about Southeast Alaska’s ecosystems and
listen to people who work in the timber, fishing,
mining and tourism industries. The Center houses
seven exhibit rooms and a trip planning room,
located one block from the cruise ship dock in
downtown Ketchikan at 50 Main Street. Open
daily from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM May to September.
Tongass Historical Museum offers changing
exhibits of local history and culture. “The First
People” is a permanent exhibit on Tlingit, Haida
and Tsimshian culture. Over one hundred objects,
Creek Street, Ketchikan from pre-contact stone tools to art objects created
photo by:
Mary Stephenson by contemporary Native artists are displayed in this
comprehensive exhibit of Southeast Alaska Native
artifacts. Located in the Centennial Building at 629
Dock Street; (907) 225-5900.
Ketchikan provides a variety of accommodations The Metlakatla Reservation on nearby Annette
ranging from the youth hostel to bed and breakfasts, Island is home to descendants of Tsimshian natives
hotels and motels, many featuring restaurants and who immigrated to the Island by canoe in the late
lounges on premises, fishing lodges and world- 1800s from British Columbia. Poised on the shores
class resorts. Conveniently located in the heart of of the Tongass Narrows at the site of a fish camp
established by the Tlingit, Ketchikan is home to
a greater concentration of Native Alaskans than
anywhere else in the state. The world’s largest
collection of totem poles can be viewed at several
major locations.
In 1938 the US Forest Service began salvaging
overgrown and weather-damaged cedar totem poles
that were left behind when southeast Alaska Native
peoples abandoned villages in the early 1900s, in
response to the growth of non-Native settlements
and the decline of a barter economy. When skilled
carvers were hired from among the older Natives,
young artisans learned the art of carving totem
poles, and totems found rotting in the woods were
repaired or duplicated. The model clan house at
Totem Bight State Historical Park and new totem
poles were constructed in traditional fashion using
pre-European contact tools. Samples of paint were
created from clam shells, lichen, graphite, copper
pebbles and salmon eggs, then the colors were
duplicated with modern paints. The Totem Bight
site, located 9.5 miles north of Ketchikan, was
added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1970.
In nearby Saxman Native Village, located about
two miles south of Ketchikan and home to about
two dozen totem poles, Cape Fox Tours offers
visitors the opportunity to watch traditional master
carvers such as National Heritage Fellowship
recipient Nathan Jackson at work, and view
performances by Tlingit dancers dressed in full
regalia.
Visitors to Cape Fox Lodge on Venetia Way are
greeted by a large circle of six beautifully carved
modern totem poles. The “Council of the Clans”
Totem Circle poles were carved, painted and inlaid
by Eagle Clan member Lee Wallace, a Tlingit,
Haida and Tsimshian Native Alaskan. Subject
matter includes Raven Stealing the Moon and
Stars, Raven Stealing the Sun, Eagle Dancer, Giant
Clam, Brown Bear and the ceremonial mediator
figure Naa Kaani. Located on Deermount Street
near City Park, the Totem Heritage Center also
conserves some of the totem poles rescued from
old villages.