Ferndale’s Intalco-Alcoa aluminum smelter that once employed 700 workers is being dismantled, leaving an uncertain future for the property and the community.
FERNDALE, Wash. — Carl Ratcliff was 19 years old when he took what he thought would be a summer job at Ferndale’s Intalco-Alcoa aluminum smelter. It became a 44-year career.
“It turned out to be a long summer for me,” he said with a laugh.
The smelter gave Ratcliff and his wife a comfortable life. “It allowed us to buy a home. It was a very good living wage job. You could buy a few toys that you didn’t need, but you
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