Curious Juneau

In Juneau, quirky people, untold stories and little mysteries are as abundant as the rain. For the things about Juneau you can’t Google, why not work with a KTOO reporter to satisfy your curiosity?

Introducing a new KTOO news feature: Curious Juneau. Starring you and your questions.

Curious Juneau is a recurring news feature driven by questions and reporting from our audience.

Are you curious about Juneau? The history of Alaska’s capital city, its places and its people? Or if you just like to ask questions, then ask away!

Nathan Brooks sprays seawater into the sand at the beach near Sheep Creek in Juneau on May 15, 2019, while his pitbull King watches. The slurry gets pumped to the top of his sluice box.

Is there gold in them thar beaches?

One Curious Juneau listener has noticed janky-looking rafts and unnatural pits proliferating in recent years at his go-to fishing spot. So we asked one of the raft owners what they’re up to.

Does Juneau really have the smallest Costco in the world?

Sure it's small, but is it the smallest? When inside, do you shop clockwise or counterclockwise? And what's up with ToshCo in Gustavus?

The alder trees -- and the peace sign among them -- at the end of Commercial Boulevard in Juneau are about 10 years old, pictured here on Jan. 8, 2019. The slope was cut and stabilized as part of the construction of the Home Depot.

Volunteers get thumbs up on spruced-up peace sign redesign

The plan is for volunteers this summer to prune some encroaching vegetation, and to plant spruce seedlings in the footprint of the peace sign. Eventually, they expect the spruce will outgrow and contrast with the existing alders on the hillside.

Norah Jones performs on tour in 2010 promoting her album "The Fall."

Curious Juneau: Why do Norah Jones tickets cost over $500?

Professional ticket reselling is rare for events in Juneau. A longtime local event organizer says the nine-time Grammy Award winner's upcoming concert in Juneau has caused the biggest stir she can think of.

How a mischievous Home Depot surveyor turned this hill into guerrilla art

Theodolites, semaphore, trigonometry and some "Big Lebowski" references — everything you wanted to know about the peace sign and a few things you didn't.

J. Allan MacKinnon snapped this photo in the 1960s of an unidentified man who played the Schulmerich Americana carillon at the National Bank of Alaska in downtown Juneau, which later became a Wells Fargo. MacKinnon remembers the bank installing the carillon system in 1962, though the carillon company has records of a sale to the Juneau bank branch in 1967.

What happened to the downtown bells?

They've been gone for about four years. The system was originally installed by a private downtown bank in the 1960s.

Did Wyatt Earp really leave his gun in Juneau?

How did the Red Dog Saloon come to have an antique Smith & Wesson No. 3 mounted behind the bar — and did it really belong to Wyatt Earp? Curious Juneau tries to find out.

"Barefoot Guy" Ezra Strong looks out on Dredge Lake during a hike. (Photo by Adelyn Baxter/KTOO)

What’s the deal with Juneau’s barefoot guy?

Xtratufs, Bogs, Muck Boots -- comfortable, waterproof footwear is pretty much a necessity here in Juneau. But not for the local some know as “the barefoot guy.”

A cold weather phenomenon known as the Taku winds causes white caps and water to mist into the air on Friday, January 6, 2017, on the Gastineau Channel as seen from the U.S. Coast Guard Juneau station. National Weather Service issued a high wind warning for Juneau and Southeast Alaska that will last until Sunday afternoon, January 8, 2017. The warning was for hazardous high winds of about 60 to 80 mph. (Photo by Tripp J Crouse/KTOO)

Juneau’s recorded wind speed blows away Coast Guard retiree

In this Curious Juneau, John Hollis asks: What’s the highest wind speed recorded in Juneau? The answer will blow away this Coast Guard retiree.

A display at Aunt Claudia's Dolls museum in downtown Juneau. (Photo by Tripp J Crouse/KTOO)

Yes, there really is a doll museum in Juneau and it’s filled with little treasures

Tucked away in the second floor of the Triangle Building in downtown Juneau, there’s a museum filled with snapshots of history – but in this museum, they’re made out of wood, cloth and plastic.