MV Kalakala, what a life you had
Posted February 4, 2015 at 5:49 am by Tim Dustrude
The San Juan Historical Museum shares this history column with you…
With news of the historic ferry Kalakala’s final journey to a scrap yard last month, we bring you a scene from its glory days as it arrived at Roche Harbor in 1935 or 1936.
In this image we see a group from a Masonic lodge conference in Seattle, here to attend a salmon bake. At the time, the Kalakala was the largest and fastest ferry (not to mention noisiest) in the Black Ball Line fleet. A futuristic, art deco design made the ship the state’s most photographed object. It completed its service as a Washington State Ferry in 1967, then served in Alaska for many years as a floating fish processor and finally a cannery.
To see a YouTube video of the Kalakala’s inaugural voyage in 1935, click here. The photograph taken at Roche Harbor is found in Richard Walker’s Roche Harbor book from the “Images of America” series, for sale at the San Juan Historical Museum.
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Categories: Around Here
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