Welcome to Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska A Proud Part of the Genealogy Trails Group Welcome to the Genealogy Trails website for the Ketchikan Gateway Burough, Alaska. Our goal is to help you track your ancestors through time by transcribing genealogical and historical data and placing it online for the free use of all researchers. This is a continuation of our original Illinois Trails History and Genealogy Project and we are excited about this opportunity to expand into other states. We welcome your feedback and comments, and of course, your data contributions. If you have transcribed data that you would like to have posted on this website, please send it to us. If you would like to be kept informed of our state and county website updates, subscribe to our mailing lists This Site is Available for Adoption! We are looking for a coordinator for this site.... folks who share our dedication to putting data online and are interested in helping this project be as helpful and useful to researchers as it can be. If you are interested in joining our group as host of this site, view our Volunteer Page for further information and contact Kim. Cities and Towns Ketchikan (borough seat) Saxman Location and Climate The Ketchikan Gateway Borough is located near the southernmost boundary of Alaska, in the Southeast Panhandle. It is comprised of the Cities of Ketchikan and Saxman.It lies at approximately 55.333330° North Latitude and -131.633330° West Longitude . The area encompasses 1,233.2 sq. miles of land and 520.8 sq. miles of water. The area lies in the maritime climate zone noted for its warm winters, cool summers, and heavy precipitation. Average summer temperatures range from 46 to 59; winter temperatures range from 29 to 48. History, Culture and Demographics Tongass and Cape Fox Tlingits have lived in the area historically. The abundant fish and timber resources have attracted non-Natives to Ketchikan. The population of the community consists of 19.1% Alaska Native or part Native. The majority of Tlingits indigenous to the area live in Saxman. Economy and Transportation The Borough's economy is dependent upon tourism, fishing, fish processing and the wood products industry. Retail trade and government services also provide employment. 401 borough residents hold commercial fishing permits. Several processing and cold storage facilities support the fishing industry. Cruise ships bring over 650,000 visitors, and another 50,000 independent travelers visit Ketchikan each year. Regularly-scheduled jet services offer three northbound and three southbound departures daily. The airport lies on Gravina Island, a 10-minute ferry ride to the waterfront. Ketchikan is a regional transportation hub, with numerous air taxi services to surrounding communities. There are four float plane landing facilities. Ketchikan is the first port of call in Alaska for cruise ships and Alaska Marine Highway vessels. Harbor and docking facilities include five small boat harbors, a deep draft dock, a dry dock and ship repair yard, and a State ferry terminal. Online Data Biographies Births Cemeteries Census Data Deaths History Obituaries Marriages Military Data Newspapers  Passport Applications Email Us Website Updates: May 2012: obit for SEMAR 1905 Ketchikan Report to the Governor of Alaska; Passport Applications of Ketchikan Residents   Adjacent boroughs and census areas Prince of Wales - Outer Ketchikan Census Area, Alaska Copyright © 2007 by: Genealogy Trails Submitters retain all copyrights