Bill Welsh Hoonah Cannery 1950

Bill Welsh was the son of R.D. and Jeanice Welch. According to Patricia Roppel's article in the Alaskan Southeaster Magazine in 2001, "In 1943, R.D. Welch passed away and his wife Jeanice Welch took over Bellingham Canning Company and its subsidiary, Icy Straits Salmon Company. In addition she continued to raise six children Not only did she actively participate in the operation of the Hoonah cannery, nut she also leased the Demmert cannery at Klawock. Jeanice Welch was the only woman executive in Southeast Alaska's salmon industry at that time. In 1946, she purchased the majority ownership in Icy Straits Salmon Company and became its president. It was still a family business; the vice presidents were her sons, R.A. Welch and W.E. Welch. The Welch family's association with the Hoonah cannery lasted through 1953, the last year the cannery in Hoonah operated."