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Ketchikan is located on the western coast of Revillagigedo Island,
near the southernmost boundary of Alaska. It is 679 miles north
of Seattle and 235 miles south of Juneau. The abundant fish and
timber resources attracted non-Natives to Ketchikan. In 1885, Mike
Martin bought 160 acres from Chief Kyan, which later became the
township. The first cannery opened in 1886 near the mouth of Ketchikan
Creek and four more were built by 1912. The Ketchikan Post Office
was established in 1892. In the late 1890s, nearby gold and copper
discoveries briefly brought activity to Ketchikan as a mining supply
center.
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