Fishing and canneries

Japanese Americans found work at salmon canneries along the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington, and their labor was welcomed in Alaskan towns such as Ketchikan and Petersburg as early as the 1890s. They traveled by ship to the cannery towns, where they slowly developed small communities whose population swelled with the yearly arrival of workers. Issei (Japanese immigrant) entrepreneurs started the oyster industry from scratch in Puget Sound. Japanese American oyster farms became thriving businesses before World War II.

Industry and employment (588)
Fishing and canneries (279)

Related articles from the Densho Encyclopedia :
Takahashi v. Fish and Game Commission

Filters

Facilities

Format

Genre

Usage

Use <Ctrl> or (⌘) keys to select multiple terms

Gallery view
List view

279 items

img Man wearing cannery uniform (ddr-densho-540-85)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-85/

img Ship docked at harbor (ddr-densho-540-57)

Caption on page: "American Can Co's yacht cameo" in white ink.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-57/

img Large containers of fish docked at pier (ddr-densho-540-69)

Caption on page: "Unloading fish from scows" in white ink.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-69/

img Men working labeling machine at cannery (ddr-densho-540-80)

Caption on page: "Labeling 'hack'" in white ink.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-80/

img 5 men wearing cannery uniforms (ddr-densho-540-46)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-46/

img Ships docked at harbor (ddr-densho-540-56)

Caption on page: "Cannery tenders" in white ink.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-56/

img Photo Album (ddr-densho-540-26)

Photo album documenting life at the Taku Cannery in Wrangell, Alaska.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-26/

img Man working at cannery (ddr-densho-540-73)

Caption on page: "Butchers Hack" in white ink.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-73/

img Men assembling boxes at cannery (ddr-densho-540-82)

Caption on page: "Catching can and Box Glueing" in white ink.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-82/

img 2 men working at cannery (ddr-densho-540-78)

Caption on page: "Slimers / Dehorn Nomio / Kaunchkaz-Mako Tom" in white ink.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-78/

img Large container of salmon (ddr-densho-540-70)

Caption on page: "Humpy salmon" in white ink.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-70/

img Man working at cannery (ddr-densho-540-72)

Caption on page: "Tyke" in white ink.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-72/

img Men working assembly line at cannery (ddr-densho-540-79)

Caption on page: "Filler / Fleasy Okazaki" in white ink.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-79/

img Men relaxing around pier (ddr-densho-540-42)

Caption on page: "10 minutes before work time" in white ink.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-540-42/

doc Letter from Koby to Kim Fujii (ddr-densho-433-3)

Koby, who refers to himself as "that jerk" and "Joe College," writes to Kim Fujii about work, college, and women.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-433-3/

img Tsutomu Ikemura engineer of vessels license (ddr-densho-37-1509)

Front of engineer of vessels license. Included annotation: C-605, Tsutomu Ikemura, Engineer License. See also ddr-densho-37-1510.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-37-1509/

img Tsutomu Ikemura engineer of vessels license (ddr-densho-37-1510)

Back of engineer of vessels license. Included annotation: C-606, Tsutomu Ikemura, Engineer License. See also ddr-densho-37-1509.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-37-1510/

vh Nobu Suzuki Interview I Segment 4 (ddr-densho-1000-84-4)

Father brings oyster seed from Japan

References are made to several of Nobu Suzuki's personal papers, which are currently available for public perusal at the University of Washington's Manuscripts and University Archives.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-1000-84-4/

vh Nobu Suzuki Interview I Segment 5 (ddr-densho-1000-84-5)

Father starts the New Washington Oyster Co. in Willapa Bay, Washington

References are made to several of Nobu Suzuki's personal papers, which are currently available for public perusal at the University of Washington's Manuscripts and University Archives.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-1000-84-5/