It’s been a heck of a year in Ketchikan. We saw record-breaking tourist numbers and, like much of the Southeast, a fair share of landslides. Across public forums, the community passionately tackled topics from housing costs to library books to mental health resources.
A canoe from Hawaii landed on the shores of Ketchikan. A tour bus landed in Ketchikan Creek.
2023 was also a big year for the landscape of Ketchikan. The Three Bears grocery store opened in Saxman, adding a third major grocery option to the island. Soho Coho, the long-time home of Ketchikan artist Ray Troll, announced its closure. The local Trident plant went up for sale.
Maybe most notably was the loss of the American Legion, which burned in early September. The tragedy sent shockwaves through Ketchikan.
Rebuilding the historic post became a cause that united the city. There were other causes that the community stood divided on in 2023. One that dominated the public conversation was library books.
Public forums across Ketchikan were filled with voices speaking out for and against the placement of a book in the teen section of the library. Beginning in earnest in February, book bans remain an ongoing debate going into 2024.
Censorship is only one issue that brought community members up to the podium at city and borough meetings, town halls, and elsewhere. Homelessness and the housing crisis also prompted debate.
Local government worked with residents to come up with solutions. It is too soon to tell when or how those ideas will be put into practice but in 2024, the city, the borough, and Saxman are working together to build $4.5 million worth of new affordable housing units. Through it all, the community began to gather again. Many events suspended during Covid came back – arts fairs, the Monthly Grind. The community mourned the losses of Klawock police chief Terry Stonecipher and Haida elder Fred Hamilton Sr., but also found many reasons to celebrate – especially the renaming of the town Arendelle in honor of the Kayhi Drama Kings and the high school debut of the musical Frozen.
Hear how 2023 will be remembered in our other Southeast Alaska communities:
KFSK’s Shelby Herbert reporting in Petersburg
KCAW’s Katherine Rose reporting in Sitka
KSTK’s Collette Czarnecki reporting in Wrangell
Get in touch with the author at jack@krbd.org.
