Frank B, Flat Scow, Tally Scow, Naknek, AK

This photo is from 1932 and shows the oil dock in the foreground of the photo. You will notice that it is covered with 53 gallon drums. There were no bulk fuel tanks (other than crude/bunker oil at canneries for their boilers) until Standard Oil came in about 1946.

Out in the river you can see the tug Frank B moving two scows. The flat scow is astern and a tally scow is parallel to the tug. It is probably the beginning of the season and the tug is taking the tally scow out to its mooring. The tally scow stayed at the mooring all season and the tug would move the flat scows back and forth to the canneries for emptying, as the fish came in.

The tally scow usually had a crew of four (a cook, two tally men, and a boss) and included a mess hall for fishermen and quarters for its crew. The boss of the tally scow sometimes got in trouble with fishermen (and sometimes fired) for moving fish from a fisherman's ticket and selling them to others!!

©Photo by the Monsen Family Collection

The picture used on this page is COPYRIGHTED.