Signs of Alaska
I grew up in a sign-painting family and worked in the industry for a number of my early years. Back then, the zoning boards and code enforcers did everything they could to tamp down signage in the visible landscape. Urban planners said signs were, “just a means of indexing the environment.” Well such ‘planning’ was certainly not the case in frontier Alaska. Walking around the townscapes of Southeast, I can’t help but notice what cultural artifacts the signs really are. Here are some of my favorites:
Even the daily grind is a bit fishy.
Sitka parking lot denizen.
Chips anyone?
Not just any Tom, Dick or Harry can park here. Only Stan, Dave and Gary.
Wild Rainiers seen here
The fur trade is still ongoing. Only the traders have changed.
Mounted on the gangway. This half-model puts the lure right on the fishermen.
She doesn’t speak Norwegian. . .
Tolls are steep in Alaska too.
What do Teddy Roosevelt, Warren Harding, and Franklin D. Roosevelt have in common? Skull & Bones? Nope, all were members of this fraternal order that time has passed by.