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In the early 1900s, Waterfall Cannery was the largest salmon packing plant on the west coast of Prince of Wales Island. Salmon were caught in fish traps or aboard seiners, and cured in a light brine before being packed in handmade cans and shipped to New York and throughout Europe. Like most canneries in Alaska, this remote operation on the Ulloa Channel was a complete, self-sufficient, temporary community. When the season was over, all but a few workers departed and Waterfall passed out of existence until the next summer’s migration.
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In 1936, Waterfall Cannery produced 310,000 cases of salmon, then the record for any cannery. But the first salmon processing camp operated on a much smaller scale. In 1911, the Alaska Fish Company started a floating cannery on an old sailing ship, the Glory of the Seas. It was the first company to pack salmon aboard a ship. The venture proved so successful that the company towed the boat to the west coast of Prince of Wales Island. A year later in 1912, Seattle-based Oceanic Packing Company constructed the canning facility. The two companies became one and the machinery from Glory of the Seas was transferred to the cannery at Waterfall. This marked the beginning of its climb to becoming the largest, most efficient cannery on the west coast of Prince of Wales Island.
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Innovation set Waterfall apart from other canneries of this era. At a time when wireless radios were practically unheard of, Waterfall coordinated shipping logistics between the remote cannery and Ketchikan, relying on carrier pigeons to send messages about crew changes and shipments. As a safety measure, each boat leaving Ketchikan or Waterfall took one of these pigeons on-board. If the boat needed assistance, a bird was released and in less than one hour help was dispatched.
In 1920, the cannery had several setbacks, causing it to close its doors for the first time. The market was shaky. One of the key partners died and other business relationships dissolved. It was not until 1922 that the cannery reopened and by 1923 a major change had occurred at the cannery: Waterfall was sold to Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, the owner of the nationwide chain of A&P Stores. Nakat Packing Corporation, a subsidiary of A&P, would operate the cannery for the next 43 years.
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Many of the present buildings which stand at Waterfall were constructed in the 1930s as part of a major expansion that started in 1932. A warehouse, marine way, oil dock and cable house, webbing and trap cables were built. The company also built four new seine boats and a fish tender called Quaker Maid. A store and office building with upstairs living quarters, a new machine shop and storage room were added, along with a mess hall and bunkhouse for inside hands and another for the mechanics and other staff. A new dam and power lines throughout the plant completed the major expansion.
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One of the highlights of these upgrades was a new fish house that incorporated the newest ideas for fast, sanitary fish handling. In 1937, the building that housed the canning lines was expanded. Five separate lines of canning equipment were set up within the building. The cannery and outbuildings were considered the finest in Southeast Alaska and cost the company $145,000.
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During World War II, Nakat tried freezing fish on an experimental, non-commercial basis. The output in 1946 was 80% Coho Salmon and the rest was Halibut and Ling Cod. The freezing operation was dropped after the 1946 season.
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With Alaska statehood came the abolishment of the floating salmon trap. Canneries such as Waterfall had to depend on seine-caught salmon, a fishery that was heavily regulated by the state. By 1970, the salmon harvest was too unpredictable to gear up for the summer pack. After that season, Waterfall Cannery never operated again.
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In 1973, the cannery and surrounding 34 acres of land were sold to the Des Moore family and they converted the cannery into Waterfall Cannery Resort. In 1980, Waterfall Group, Ltd. purchased the operation and has been running Waterfall Resort ever since. The white clapboard buildings that once provided lodging for cannery workers have been renovated and today provide comfortable accommodations for guests from all over the world.
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In the early 1900’s, Waterfall was the largest salmon packing plant on the west coast of Prince of Wales Island. Like most canneries in Alaska, this remote operation on the Ulloa Channel was a complete, self- sufficient, temporary community. When the season was over, all but a few workers departed until the next summer’s migration.
“For the last 17 years, Waterfall Resort
has been our incentive/business destination of choice.”
-Rich de Frank,
Ford Motor Co.
“Waterfall Resort is one of those special places that words could never adequately describe.”
-Bob Morris,
American Express
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