Creek Street

Ketchikan’s tide range must be12-15 feet, at least. A waterfall marks the head of tide on this small stream mouth estuary. The stream gradient is steep, so when the tide is low it’s a fast flowing stream with muddy sides.

In southern Puget Sound, drowned stream mouth estuaries result from rising sea level flooding valleys carved thousands of years ago when sea level was lower. Here, where I suspect the coastline is rising out of the sea, the estuary is probably formed by a steep stream cutting a ravine into the uplifted shoreline as it tries to reach low tide.

Creek Street was brothels and bars 100 years ago when the prospectors sailed north to find gold. Now it’s souvenirs, native crafts, and t-shirts with cutesy slogans about fishing towns, tourists, and historic professions.