Historic Hood River
Jet-Propelled Fish Packer
7-16-2026
Notes
This clipping is from a collection shared with us by a member of the Nichols family. We don’t have any additional information about this craft. Hopefully someone can educate us about what a “fish packer” is and why it would be a good idea to build one with jet power.
Kalley
I just had to read up on the fish packer. It was created for Alaska’s rocky and shallow rivers. Can’t use an engine with a propeller so these were a hydo-jet engine. A quick pickup of fresh catches from remote fishing grounds made these boats easy to get the catch back to the canneries before the fish spoiled. Cool history of this boat!
Thorn
I cast my net elsewhere.
First, I learned Elliott Bay is the Seattle Harbor, originally Duwamish Bay and home to the Duwamish People. Although it was named by the 1841 Wilkes Expedition, which included the USS Oregon, the Elliott namesake is uncertain.
Second, photographer Tom Carson worked in early 1960’s, including some shots in this article on the 1962 Seattle World Fair, also known as Century 21 Exposition. A great photo album of this era and event…
https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/seattle-worlds-fair-today-history-15216968.php