Kalakala to stay in Puget Sound
October 9, 2003
By
GARY CHITTIM / KING 5 News
SEATTLE - The historic ferry Kalakala has been sold to Steve Rodrigues
of Tumwater, Wash., who plans to turn the boat into a traveling musem.
He put up his $137,000 right away. He said he plans to turn the ship
into a traveling museum/convention center that will cruise from port
to port in the Puget Sound.
Rodrigues, a former construction engineer and now a developer, has
a business called Lost Horizons.
Two higher bidders failed to complete the deal. Charles Medlin of
Porterville, California, had bid $140,000 but failed to meet the deadline
for the payment. The second one couldn't live up to his bid, either.
The Kalakala was launched in 1935 and carried passengers on Puget
Sound until 1967. It was taken to Alaska and used as a fish processing
plant.
It was returned to Seattle in 1998 but the group trying to renovate
it failed to raise enough money and went into bankruptcy proceedings.
Resource Links
Kalakala.org