Saturday, February 25, 2023

Ketchikan, Alaska

I have a late addition to today's post! Yesterday there was some discussion about guys with long hair back in the 1970s, and how our grandfathers and other people felt about it at the time. GDB friend Grant McCormick sent along a photo of him and his future wife (isn't she pretty?) circa 1976. Grant looks like a lot of guys I went to school with, though his mustache is better. I joked with him that he looked like a Doobie Brother, which I meant as a compliment, since I loved the Doobie Brothers. 

So hey! If any of you out there are feeling adventurous, and are willing to share photos of yourself from the past, I'm sure it would be fun for everyone to see them! 


On to our regular post... today I have some scans of some vintage photo prints, shared with us by Brad Abbot. He's probably not a familiar name to most Junior Gorillas, but he is lurking. ALWAYS lurking! 

The snapshots were taken in Ketchikan, Alaska. As you can see from the map, it is pretty far south, as Alaskan cities go. In fact it... is the state's southeastern most major settlement.


I love this first scan, with an archway announcing that Ketchikan is an "All American City". With a population at the 2020 census of 8,192, up from 8,050 in 2010, it is the sixth-most populous city in the state, and thirteenth-most populous community. While these photos are undated, I am guessing that they are from around 1962-ish. Maybe a bit later. Does that white car help with the date?


I'm guessing that this photo was taken from a cruise ship... I visited Ketchikan on a cruise ship many years ago (my grandma wanted to go to Alaska), it's one of the four major stops (including Juneau, Skagway and Anchorage, at least on my cruise).

Incorporated on August 25, 1900, Ketchikan is the earliest extant incorporated city in Alaska, because consolidation or unification elsewhere in Alaska resulted in the dissolution of those communities' city governments. Ketchikan is located on Revillagigedo Island, so named in 1793 by Captain George Vancouver.


From Wikipedia: Ketchikan is named after Ketchikan Creek, which flows through the town, emptying into the Tongass Narrows a short distance southeast of its downtown. "Ketchikan" comes from the Tlingit name for the creek, Kitschk-hin, the meaning of which is unclear. It may mean "the river belonging to Kitschk"; other accounts claim it means "Thundering Wings of an Eagle". In modern Tlingit, this name is Kichx̱áan.


Thank you, Brad Abbot! Brad is working on a book about Disneyland lessees, and I am very much looking forward to reading it when it comes out.

21 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-
That "white car" is a 1959 Ford, probably in Colonial White. Parked in front of it is a Ford Econoline Van - its first year was 1960 - which could be the year of that van.

The 'dark gray' car is a 1950 Chrysler Windsor, probably in Gunmetal Gray.

Thanks to Brad for sharing these images.

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, I have also been to Ketchikan, Alaska, with my grandparents and on a cruise ship. They were going on the cruise for their 50th wedding anniversary, and they wanted the family to come along with them. I remember visiting "Dolly's House." She was a "madam" who's house was built on pylons over the water. During prohibition, they would float booze in the water, and then bring it up through a trap door in her house. The house had become a gift shop, but the trap door was still there. I also remember being driven out to see some local totem poles and a potlatch house, too.

Thank you Brad, and Major, too!

JB said...

Thanks for sharing your personal photo, Grant, and Mrs. Grant. You both look like you have friendly souls; and that's not a bad thing to have.

Main Street USA, Ketchikan edition. Where are the horse-drawn carriages? Where is the omnibus? Where is the pinkish slurry? They don't need those things here; they've got their own style.
I can't figure out what that huge structure is, up in the foothills outside the city on the left. It looks like a giant grain elevator. The shape seems too regular to be a natural formation. And what are those dark streaks in front of it? Dirt on the photo? Maybe it's Noah's Ark?

In #2, everybody is dressed in their finest duds. Maybe they're cruise ship passengers on their way back to the ship.

The last photo would seem to confirm my "cruise ship passengers" theory. Back then, everybody dressed to the nines for everything: Her, "Honey, would you take this sack of garbage out to the trashcan, please?" Him, "Sure dear, just let me slip into my suit and tie and put on my dress shoes... have you seen my cummerbund?"

Thanks for the photos, Brad and Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

I forgot to thank Grant, too, for sharing his groovy pic with us. Thanks, Grant!

JB, that structure and the dark streaks aren't up on the hill. They are all a part of the sign over the street (the dark streaks are the outline of a fish). Here's a current view of the sign:

https://www.google.com/maps/@55.3412952,-131.6468571,3a,24.1y,59.52h,92.65t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPCNG8PanRhJlx86l6FosXA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

And in that last pic, the yellowish beige house on the hillside, just above the man's head, can be seen in this current view. The house is painted a dark brick-red color, now:

https://www.google.com/maps/@55.3425785,-131.6484316,3a,49.2y,305.29h,98.93t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8KydWUSspoToyLqr8lLUQg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Chuck said...

Grant, thanks for sharing that photo. Agree with JB - it has “friendly soul” written all over it. And, wow - those are some luxurious locks! I mean that as a compliment. As my scalp follicles become more and more tired, I appreciate long hair more and more.

“Salmon Capital of the World.” That’s a big deal. And I’m suddenly reminded of seeing this advert on the telly.

Nanook, “Gunmetal Gray” is an awesome name for a color. Ranks up there with “Chairwood Brown” and “Curbconcrete White.”

JB, I was confused by that same shape until TM! Set us straight.

TM!, thanks for the additional links!

Bu said...

Hippies! They are TAKING OVER! Girls love the long hair though...from what I've heard anyway...I don't get it...don't you want your boys to look like boys? I am officially become my grandfather. Culture Club was a big band when I was in Disneyland...one of my fellow Tour Guides said to me as we were listening to Boy George in the TG Lounge..."ya know, she would be kind of pretty if SHE didn't wear so much make up."...like the cigarettes Virginia Slims: we've come a long way baby! I thought Ketchikan either came from ketchup, or "Catch me if you can". Looks like it's from neither, thanks for the clarification. If you wanted anything mail ordered to you just a few short days ago it was "the most amazing things ever shipped to YOU!" "WE DO NOT SHIP TO HAWAII OR ALASKA" "EXCEPT HAWAII AND ALASKA". I felt bad for the peoples of Hawaii and Alaska. It kind of sounds like "and Fantasyland is closed". There was a kid from Nome, AK in my journalism class in High School. I always thought...wow...he's totally normal being from that place that is practically the USSR. I was fraught will envy as at 15 he had a full beard and a mustache. His hair WAS approaching hippie-ship....but was relatively contained. I did not like Salmon as a kid, but now I quite enjoy it when I can afford it. Why oh why is fish so expensive? It's kind of crazy to me. Is it expensive in Alaska too since it's so plentiful and is the capital of fish-dom? I can smell the teak decks from there on the stern. I reluctantly took a cruise a few years ago and was expecting to smell that familiar woody scent...they did have one TINY piece of teak decking near the pool...and it was not exaggerating: TINY. It must have been a creative choice as it was too random for all the other faux decking. When I worked on the Queen Mary they had to clean the very old decks very specifically...but sometimes some "non-pro" would have the cleaning team out there with a bucket of bleach water...which is no bueno, and the bleach smell lasted for days and days after. I was dismayed to see that they have now sealed the teak decks and they have lost all of their original look. I suppose I should be grateful that the ship hasn't succumbed to the bottom of the harbor as the news reports say is imminent. Thanks Brad for the photos, enjoy your lurking, looking forward to your Club 33 book (do lessees count as sponsors?), and thanks to Grant for the Hippie Madness. Hippees are not Yippees BTW. More on that later. Select all images of bicycles and Fantasyland is closed.

JG said...

Grant, thanks for the pic, good looking folks!

Brad, thanks for the Alaska pics! Waiting on that book!

Like the others, my visit to Ketchikan was a cruise ship stop in the early 70’s. I remember the totem pole park and the steep streets, one house had a door in the ground floor on one street and another in the second floor opening on the street behind. Surprised to learn many homes had no domestic water service, depending on roof runoff into a rain barrel. I can’t imagine that much rain, where a 3 day dry spell is practically a drought and you can’t shower or do laundry.

I wore a flattop cut well into the 70’s, very convenient and easy-care. Grew it out fairly long in my 40’s for some reason, and now it’s just sort of blah regular hair-colored hair haircut because I’m a dull person.

Chuck and Nanook, what about “brick red” or “olive green”?

JG

Melissa said...

I am totally jealous of both Grant's hair and Mrs. Grant's. Mine never looks that good when I let it grow long!

The couple in the photos look like they're having a great time. My mother's always wanted to go on an Alaskan cruise, but I'm a terrible sailor. I got so seasick on a whale watching cruise that I can't even watch Star Trek IV without feeling a little wobbly.

Grant said...

Great photos of Ketchikan. It looks a lot like Nanaimo on Vancouver Island did when I was there in the early 70s.

That Canada road trip was not long before the photo of me and the wifey was taken, which was only a couple of weeks after we started dating. Still together 47 years later. :)

I agree with Major, I know we'd all love to see back-in-the-day photos of other Jr. Gorillas, be it five years or fifty years they would be fun to see!

Thanks Brad and Major!!

Brad Abbott said...

Thanks Major, "always lurking" sounds pretty ominous, but it's about right!

For some additional background, these came from a photo album I picked up at a flea market few years back, containing vacation photos of an older couple from California from 1958-1978.

This was an Alaskan cruise in May/June 1963, leaving from Vancouver, Canada on board the SS Prince George. They made sure to take a vacation pretty much every year, so it's a pretty fun time capsule of the period.

Appreciate the shout out on the sponsors book, I can't wait to share it with everyone as well!

Bu -- The book covers both sponsors AND lessees, so they will definitely be included.

JB said...

Tokyo!, haha. Now I feel silly. It's a pretty good optical illusion though! The same trick used in countless movies and TV shows (and Disneyland).

Chuck, that commercial is hilarious! The fact that it's a British ad makes it even more so, because of their prim and proper stereotype.
Glad I wasn't the only one mistaking that sign for Noah's Ark. I was ready to mount an expedition into the rugged foothills above Ketchikan.

Bu, I agree. Why is fish so expensive? Fish is "OK", but I don't really consider it 'meat'. Meat is meat; fish is fish. I do enjoy a good fish 'n' chips meal now and then... with lots and lots of tartar sauce.

JG, a flattop? "Well into the '70s"?... Yer weird. ;-p

Melissa, then you must get absolutely bilious when you watch Free Willy.

Anonymous said...

Grant...I envied to have hair like that back then. But even more so today! Doobie Brother...yeah I think you'd pass for one too. I had business connections in Ketchican, and flew in for visits annually which gave me an opportunity to experience it. A rainy place so when it was dry, you felt lucky. KS

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, as always, your car knowledge is very impressive!

TokyoMagic!, I remember that one of the things you could find in all the gift shops in Ketchikan was repros of tokens that were supposedly used in brothels. For a free rootbeer, I’m sure! “Dolly” later invented a small snack cake called a “Zinger”. I love the ingenuity of folks during prohibition, have you seen the famous bootlegger’s shoes that had cow hooves carved on the bottoms so that the Feds would just think that cattle had walked through a field?

JB, knowing that Grant and his wife have stayed together all this time makes that photo just that much more special, I have no doubt that they are both friendly souls! It does seem like it might be a good idea to make Ketchikan a “no cars” city, but then again, people actually live and work there, so maybe it’s not practical. Still, couldn’t they build a nice monorail? ;-) I’m not sure what you mean by a grain elevator… you mean those buildings in the distance to the left? I went crazy on our Alaska cruise, Princess Cruises wants you on the boat as much as possible, which meant that the time ashore was VERY limited. I guess I’m not a cruise guy. I think it’s safe to assume that most visitors to Ketchikan have arrived via cruise ship, it’s a big industry!

TokyoMagic!, OH, I see what JB meant. It’s almost like the “hanging matte paintings” that were used for so many years. Kind of an interesting illusion! Thanks for the link to a more recent view.

Chuck, I wonder what the fishstick capital of the world is? I love fish sticks! Nice and crunchy, with plenty of tartar sauce. Maybe put them on a bun with a slice of American cheese. A meal fit for a king! My shirt is “Grasslawn Green”. Thanks for the link to that commercial!

Major Pepperidge said...

Bu, back in the days of the Civil War and the Old West, plenty of men had long hair, and nobody seems to say a peep about it. Buffalo Bill? He looks like a pretty gal! Well maybe not. I don’t know, I guess I don’t give hairdos that much weight. I used to go to punk shows, and there were skinheads who were terrible people, but you couldn’t say they had long hair. Boy George, what an artifact of a specific time. I had forgotten that Culture Club had so many hits. Who owns an original Boy George doll? Not me! On our Alaska cruise I wanted to send a letter from the 49th State, and thought that it might cost more to get mail all the way down to the Lower 48. One of the Princess Cruise employees loved to inform me that “Alaska is part of America”. Gee, really? I had no idea! Meanwhile, at one point in Alaska we were on a train, and as we went over some rivers you could see that they were FULL of sockeye salmon. By the way, I think the ship we were on was the Pacific Princess, wasn’t that the same name as The Love Boat?

JG, I’m ashamed to admit how much I have forgotten about my Alaska trip, other than the fact that I felt like a prisoner on that ship. I was not interested in drinking or gambling, and it was too chilly to swim in the tiny pool. We played lots of shuffleboard! And saw some “so-so” live entertainment. That IS surprising that homes depended on roof runoff, I wonder if that is still the case. You’ve met me in person, so you already know that my hairstyle can best be described as “Little Lord Fauntleroy”.

Melissa, I’ll bet both Grant and his gal used “Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific” shampoo.That’s why their hair is so full, and yet manageable. And no split ends! I am grateful that I don’t seem to suffer from motion sickness, because I know people who do, and it really seems debilitating. When I was on a ferry to one of the Greek islands, there was something wrong with the propeller, and the whole vessel shook like you wouldn’t believe.

Brad Abbot, hey, Batman lurks, and he’s a good guy! I remember seeing full photo albums at flea markets and antiques shops years ago, but now they seem to be desirable for folks to pick apart to resell on eBay. Seems kind of sad. Thank you so much for sharing these photos with me and the rest of the Junior Gorillas! I can’t wait for your book.

JB, if feeling silly is the worst thing that ever happens to you, you’re lucky. It happens to me on GDB about twice a week. I remember watching a documentary about somebody who was searching for Noah’s Ark (maybe it was an episode of “In Search Of….”?), and guess what? He never found it. I agree with you, tartar sauce makes everything better. I like to put it on ice cream. I think I saw guys with flattops in the 1970s but I think many of them were ex-military. They always wanted to know what my major malfunction was!

KS, I wish I had had more time to really explore the cities we visited on our cruise (including Juneau and Skagway of course), as I said, I found the whole cruise thing to be very frustrating. I did a cruise with friends to Ensenada, and the trip would have only taken a short time, so the boat literally just stopped out in the ocean. I would have much rather used that time in Ensenada!!

JB said...

Major, "They always wanted to know what my major malfunction was!" Ohhhhh, so that's where you got your username. Now we know!
Also, I'm pretty sure that every school in America is the "fishstick capital of the world".

Anonymous said...

Loving these comments.

After searching all afternoon, I finally located my patent leather pumps, so now I can take out the trash.

Major, that Buster Brown hairdo looks good on you, it really sets off the leopard skin jumpsuit.

JG

Chuck said...

Major, in all the years we stocked fish sticks in the freezer for snacks for the boys, I must confess I never considered putting fish sticks on a bun. Sounds like a great and simple way to make a fish fillet sandwich, just with narrower fillets. That means more delicious breading, which is fine by me! Mrs Chuck is allergic to fresh fish but can eat processed canned and frozen fish (no idea what causes that; of course she has no problems with expensive fresh lobster or crab). I think I will try making this. But with bacon. And horseradish. And maybe a touch of anise.

JG, that sounds like a really fancy pump. I’d be worried about scuffing it up every time I put air in my tires.

Melissa said...

Chuck, I've made fishstick sandwiches in hot dog buns. Tasty and super-classy!

"Lou and Sue" said...

Love the photo of Mr. and Mrs. Grant. On GDB, we only have happy hippies...not the ones who try to 'overtake' DL.

Thank you, Brad, for sharing your Alaska photos. I know that you do comment every once in a while (you just commented recently), so we know that you don't just lurk. Looking forward to seeing (and hearing) more from you.

Thanks, Major, for a fun Saturday.

Bu said...

Love, exciting and new...and Pacific Princess WAS the original "Love Boat" Major and was built as the "Sea Venture" 1971 until it became Pacific Princess in 1975 operated by Princess who was actually: P & O lines. There were other ships used in the series, but the set was built after the Pacific Princess and the name appears as such in the series. As I did a bit of recon..I discovered a familiar face who's company did the production of the 50th Anniversary actual Love Boat cruise with the original cast: a former DL TG.

Brad Abbott said...

Lou and Sou -- Thanks, I try to sneak in every once in awhile! The photos that you provide are always great, and typically provide a unique and different prospective from what we usually see!