Located on the west side of Baranof Island, and considered Alaska's most beautiful seaside town, Sitka displays a past unique in its blend of Tlingit culture and Russian history.
Originally the ancestral home of the native Tlingit Indians, Sitka was founded by Alexandr Baranov, the governor of Russian America in 1799 and remained in Russian hands until Alaska was purchased by the United States in 1867 when it became the capital of the Alaska Territory until 1906, when the seat of government was relocated north to Juneau.
Attractions celebrating this rich history include 24 attractions listed on the National Register of Historic Places, seven of which are National Historic Landmarks.
The Sitka National Historical Park presents the site of a Tlingit Indian Fort and the battle fought between the Russians and the Tlingits in 1804 as well as an impressive collection of totem poles. Visitors to the park can wander forested trails while learning about stories the poles tell.
Located in Sitka National Historical Park's visitor center, the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center is a unique center for local Sitka Tlingit, Haida and Tsimpsian Indians to practice and teach ancient cultural arts. Visitors are encouraged to interact with the artists and crafts workers.
Not far from the park, the Russian Bishop’s House, now one of only four surviving examples of Russian Colonial Style architecture in the Western Hemisphere, was once a residence and then a school and a place of worship until it was abandoned in 1972. It has now been restored by the Park service to include a second floor reconstruction faithful to the original decor and appearance.
Similarly impressive and another taste of the Russian period of the town, St. Michael’s Cathedral, a bright blue, onion-domed Russian Orthodox Church, and another major attraction, dominates Sitka’s skyline. The original cathedral was burnt to the ground in 1966 but many of the artwork and religious icons were saved and are now on display in the reconstructed cathedral.
Sitka is one of the best places to learn about Russia’s influence on Alaska. Visitors can take a walk around the city. Sitkan Jane Eidler arranges a fascinating 90-minute historic walking tour of downtown Sitka, which takes in some of Russia’s most notable influences: lofty views of the surrounding islands and ocean from Castle Hill (where control over Alaska was officially transferred to the United States in 1867), a recreated Russian blockhouse, the old Russian cemetery and the Lutheran cemetery where Russian Princess Maksoutoff is buried.
A taste of the later period, the Isabel Miller Museum housed in the Harrigan Centennial Hall exhibits a collection from the time when Sitka was the capital of the District of Alaska.
Among the many attractions celebrating all periods of Sitka’s history are Japonski Island – the WW II headquarters for military forces who served in Sitka, the Sheldon jackson Museum – home to one of the oldest native culture collections in Alaska, and Sitka Historical Museum where showpieces of all of Sitka's history are displayed in one place.
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