| What makes it historical? |
For 10,000 years, this was home to the Tlingit people, who feasted on the abundant salmon, seals, and land creatures (but not much shellfish because that was considered a poor person’s fare)! They carved elaborate totem poles to tell stories, to proclaim their lineage, and even to shame the ne’er do wells of their community!
Then, in 1799, the Russian American Company, led by Alexander Baranof, having destroyed the sea otters of the Aleutian Islands, turned their sights south! They set up a trading post in Sitka, which the local Tlingit destroyed, using British and American supplied weapons!
Fearing Russian retaliation, the Tlingit built a fort called Shis’kí Noow and hunkered down for two years until the Russians, aboard the Neva retuned. The 1804 Battle of Sitka was a narrow victory for the Russians, who moved in full time to their new colonial capital of Novoarkhangelsk!
The Russians lived here for 63 years, establishing the first Orthodox Cathedral in the Americas and creating a written version of the Tlingit language, all the while eating up the otter resources around the newly named Baranof Island! In fact, the fur industry was drying up all around Alaska, and in 1867, Russia sold all of their Alaskan territory to the United States! That transaction officially took place right here in Sitka! |
| When should I go? |
While the trails are open all year, the visitor center hours change seasonally! From May 1 until September 30, it’s open daily from 8:00 AM until 4:30 PM. From October 1 through 18, it’s closed on Mondays but has the same hours otherwise. From October 19 until April 30, it’s open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM! The Russian Bishop’s House is similar, but it is open by appointment only during winter! |
