| |
On the mainland side of the
Channel two great mills were created in the early 1900’s,
the Alaska-Juneau at the south end of Juneau and the Alaska-Gastineau
at Thane, further south. The opposite side of the channel
is the shoreline of Douglas Island, home of the world-renowned
Treadwell Gold Mining Company.
In the height of the industrial boom an
aviation hub was born on the downtown waterfront. Roy Jones
was the first man to bring an airplane to Southeast Alaska
with the express purpose of starting a commercial airline.
With Ketchikan as a home base, operations began the summer
of 1922. He flew into Juneau on May 3, 1923 with a salesman
from the Hills Brothers Coffee Company and landed at the
waterfront. The flight aboard the Curtiss MF called the
"Northbird" became the first commercial flight
to Juneau. |
On April 15,
1929 Anscel Eckmann flying a Lockheed Vega (NC-432E) called
the “Juneau” arrived in Juneau non-stop from
Lake Union in Seattle, Washington and upon touching down
Alaska-Washington Airways was formed. AWA operated a number
of Lockheed’s from their home base at Lake Union to
Juneau. Their fleet of aircraft was given Alaskan names,
the “Wrangell”, “Sitka,” “Skagway,”
“Petersburg,” and “Taku.” This great
attempt to establish a “class act” airline ended
in March 1932 when the Seattle papers carried a notice of
receivership. Although the Alaskan portion of the business
was financially successful the stateside operation was directly
effected by the Depression and other financial strains. |
|
|
On April 5, 1932, Nick Bez an Alaskan Cannery
czar, purchased two of the Alaska-Washington Airways planes
and started Alaska-Southern Airways. For two years this
was a very viable airlines, until the unfortunate loss of
one of the aircraft closed operations.
Shell Simmons, an electrician at the Alaska-Juneau
Gold Mine had a passion for flying. Simmons flew part time
for Panhandle Air Transport, a one-plane operation out of
Juneau. After the departure of the main pilot Simmons became
the full time pilot flying their Stinson SM2A (NC-452H).
When the plane suffered severe storm damage at Kimsham Cove,
C. V. McKay, the owner, disgusted with aviation, negotiated
with Simmons and sold him the plane for $1.00. With the
acquisition aviation in Juneau was here to stay.
|
 |
|
In 1935, the Stinson with
a new blue and yellow paint job, and a new name, Alaska
Air Transport began business in Juneau. Shell soon realized
that to make money they would need to offer year round service,
he would have to fly the winter months. In 1936, he purchased
a Lockheed Vega (NC-47M) from Irving Airways. Then he added
a Bellanca Skyrocket that he purchased from the Rockefeller
family on the East Coast.
In 1936, Alex Holden started Marine Airways
in Juneau and Robert E. “Bob” Ellis started
Ellis Air Transport in Ketchikan. They were followed in
1937 with Petersburg Air Service, owned by Tony Schwamm,
a former stunt pilot who had starred in “Hells Angels”.
Both Ellis and Schwamm started flying into Juneau. All landed
at the waterfront seadrome. |
In 1939, Alaska Air Transport and Marine
Airways merged forming a new company Alaska Coastal Airlines.
Alaska Coastal flew during World War II with a number of
planes, two Lockheed Vega’s (NC 47M & 49M), a
Bellanca Pacemaker (NC-196N), a Curtis Kingbird (NC-622V),
a Waco. In 1945, after the war, they purchased their first
Grumman Goose, adding several more over the next two years.
In 1949 they purchased a Consolidated PBY, the “Catalina.”
In
1962, Ellis Airlines and Alaska Coastal merged to become
Alaska Coastal-Ellis Airlines. They had the largest fleet
of Grumman Goose aircraft in the world. In 1968, Alaska
Airlines purchased the company opening the seadrome to several
organizations, including “Southeast Skyways”,
Taku Glacier Air and the current Alaska Coastal Airlines
company dba Wings Airways.
|
|
|
|
