Some of the best visual records of Ketchikan’s early years were made by semi-professional photographers who printed their photos as postcards for sale to tourists and towns-people.  David “Scotty” Nicoll was such a photographer.  

Not much is known about Nicoll.  He came to Ketchikan as a prospector in 1897.  Until his death in 1937, he was involved in various mining claims on Prince of Wales Island.  He also had a number of “sidelines.”  He owned some downtown commercial property, and he was the projectionist at the Dream Movie House from about 1915 to 1925.  Late in his life, he tinkered with radios.

Nicoll’s most important contribution to Ketchikan history, however, was his photography. As far as can be deter-mined, he was active as a photographer for just six years, from 1912 to 1918.  He photographed only subjects that he thought would be of interest to buyers of postcards: ships and boats, Native cultural subjects, streetscapes, neighborhoods, new buildings, noteworthy events, etc.  They sold well and, fortunately for us, many have survived.  They offer a glimpse of our town as it was almost a century ago.