Tongass and Cape Fox Tlingits were some of the first settlers of Ketchikan. They named it "kitsch-khin" which means "thundering wings of an eagle." White settlers arrived in the 1880s and built a salmon saltery at the mouth of Ketchikan Creek. By 1936, Ketchikan was one of the largest exporters of salmon in the world.
Ketchikan is also famous for its totem poles, San Franciso-steep streets, and rain. The city put up a Liquid Sunshine Gauge to mark the rainfall day by day. The average annual rainfall is about 160 inches, often topping 200 inches in really rainy years.
Creek Street was once the red-light district. During Prohibition, there were many speakeasies and more than thirty houses of prostitution.
The buildings on Creek Street are built on pilings over the stream in which salmon swim up during spawning season.
At least one of the buildings is a residential home, one has been converted into a museum, and the rest have been restored as shops.
Totem Bight State Historical Park is located on the former site of a native campground called Mud Village or Mud Bight Village. In addition to fourteen totem poles on display, there is a replica of a traditional chieftain's house, or clan house, in the park.
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