SAXMAN TOTEM PARK

Ketchikan has been called the totem pole capital of the world. Saxman Village's Totem Park is home to nearly 25 authentic replicas of these towering spiritual works, once abandoned in villages when the natives moved to the cities. We love to see them erected in this beautiful life-size forest setting. It is also possible to take a walk in the forest and see eagles. The art of totem pole carving reached its peak between the mid-18th and late 19th centuries. When the fur trade gave the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian a new sense of wealth, they took time to focus on totem pole art. Then symbols of cultural and economic wealth, they told glorious and comprehensive stories about the people and legends of the land. A true encyclopedia! In the late 1800s, Tlingit people from the old villages of Cape Fox and Tongass excavated the Saxman site to build a school and church. In 1929, they settled there. Today, thousands of people visit Saxman each year to view the totem poles. One of the totems represents a grizzly bear and is made of marble.
In the shed, you will have the opportunity to see and talk directly with the carvers at work on commissioned totem pole projects using traditional techniques and tools. A souvenir store is located on site.