The Star (Ketchikan, Alaska)
historic building in Ketchikan, Alaska, United States
The Star is a historic commercial building at 5 Creek Street in Ketchikan, Alaska, United States. It is the only one of a once-numerous collection of brothels that famously lined Creek Street to retain its historical integrity, and was one of the largest in the city.
History
The Star's origins (like those of other brothels on Creek Street) lay in a 1903 city ordinance banning brothels from the city center, after which those businesses began building in "Indian Town", in what is now Creek Street on stilts over the north bank of Ketchikan Creek. Winding into the hills above Creek Street is Married Man's Way, a trail used by patrons of the brothels to escape raids. Its name derives from the star inlaid in the center of the wooden dance floor.
The Star was built as a modest gable-roofed structure in 1903, not long after the ordinance was passed, and was enlarged in 1910 and again in 1917 to achieve its present size, probably whilst owned by Mattie Wilkes. The extensions included a dance hall.
"Black Mary" bought the house in 1917 for $4,000. Mary was a large woman who was affectionately known as "mama". She had owned a brothel in Petersburg, Alaska before buying the Star.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “The Star (Ketchikan, Alaska)” as historic building in Ketchikan, Alaska, United States. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as historic building in Ketchikan, Alaska, United States. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q20679839. Authority coordinates are 55.343, -131.643. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1903, 1910 and 1917.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “The Star (Ketchikan, Alaska)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow The Star (Ketchikan, Alaska) primary sources, The Star (Ketchikan, Alaska) archive and Star research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “The Star (Ketchikan, Alaska)”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “The Star (Ketchikan, Alaska)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.