Sitka, AK

By Glen Bruels
This is part of a series called Northern Pacific Wanderings 2024
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While it has a bit chilly and overcast since we have hit Alaska, we are also very fortunate to have come pre-season to these ports — there are no crowds! To hear our excursion director, a port like Sitka could have 3-4 ships in port at any given time, meaning crowds everywhere. We are the only ones in port! Apparently, Sitka is one of the ports that everyone wants to go to. It was once called “The Paris of the Pacific” because the the cultural richness that grew up here, largely fueled by the Russian fur trade and the other natural wealth from the sea and the rivers that flow into it. But, like so many other places in the Northwest, this area was a place of conflict between the native Tlingit People who had lived and thrived here for generations and the Russians who found an area that could sustain a very profitable fur trade. After many battles and a tenuous co-existence, the Russians left — only to be replaced by the Americans who wrought their own changes. But by the 1960s, the Tlingit People began to reassert themselves and their culture. Today, Sitka provides great examples of architecture and culture from all periods of their history.

We started our day exploring the natural wonders of the area. The first stop was at the Fortress of the Bear, a working rehabilitation center for once-orphaned bears. Today, there are eight bears that are there. Much like the wolf rehabilitation center we had visited in Minnesota, these bears will never leave the Fortress — they would not survive in the wild. That always leaves me with mixed feelings — they probably wouldn’t have survived as orphaned cubs in the wild and they do seem to have a good life here, but they will never live the life they were meant to live, in the wild.  From there, we took a boat to visit a glacier-carved fjord and stopped at a remote homestead where the local guides told stories of life of the native people in this wilderness, where they thrived for thousands years. After walking around the area, we sat by a campfire and enjoyed s’mores and hot cocoa. From there, we continued north looking for Stellar sea lions and other species of wildlife from the area. From there, we made our way back to Sitka to explore the town.

At the Fortress of the Bear. These are Sitka Brown Bears, smaller than Grizzlies, but not by much!
These bears were orphaned when their Moms were shot, wandering too close to town.
I love this picture — what attitude. They aren’t really trained, but have learned to make their feet available for vets to check them.
Another great pose. The bears seem to be happy, have a lot of room to roam, and get fed well based on local fisherman and grocery stores.
While not native to Baranof Island, they even take care of black bears here. Many of the bears eventually move to other preserves or zoos.
The boat that took us out to the Homestead.
Prepared for all weather!
A local fish hatchery. They’re getting ready to do their first release of the year.
This is the Homestead, in its current version. Since it is the only private property on otherwise government land, they had to keep the original pilings underneath.
It was a great place for a warm campfire, hot chocolate, and s’mores!
And then the rains returned…

Our next stop was at the Sitka National Historic Park. This was an excellent place to learn about the Tlingit People through exhibits, artifacts, and the works of local Tlingit artists who were working there. There is a great trail (Totem Trail) that winds through the temperate rainforest. Along the way, there are an impressive number of totem poles carved by the Tlingit and Haida people. Many of these are replicas of the original poles that were carved in the early 1900s that were exhibited in national exhibitions in 1904 and 1905. We also saw the site of the Battle of Sitka in 1804 between the Tlingit and Russians. It was the last major armed conflict between the two groups and the Tlingit losses were devastating. Since the sale of Alaska to the US, there have been claims for reparations for the Tlingit People — it’s still a work in progress.

Entering the Sitka National Historical Park. This park preserves the battle between Russian traders and the indigenous Tlingit people.
The visitor’s center had an excellent exhibit on daily lives of the Tlingit over the centuries that they lived here — both during the good times…
… and the bad times. This was the hammer used by the Tlingit chief during the Battle of Sitka.
This depiction of the battle made me want to find the chief’s helmet which was in another museum in town.
In the Visitor’s Center there is a good collection of old totems, describing how and why they are made.
For over 100 years, the park has had a mile-long Totem trail with a wonderful collection of totems, mainly from the Tlingit and Haida tribes.
Totems are carved for different reasons. This pole (Lakich’inei) represents 3 Tlingit legends discussing origin stories or lessons to be learned.
Then there are poles like this — known as the Trader Legend or Ridicule pole. Interestingly, the top figure is a white man who is supposed to be a thief. Poles like this are carved to resolve conflicts in a non-violent way. It is put in front of the offending persons place until amends are made.

From there, we wandered around Sitka. There are still a number of historical buildings from the time of Russian settlement, including St. Michael’s Cathedral (the first Orthodox cathedra in the New World (1848)), that has icons dating back to the 17th century, and the Russian Bishop’s House, fully restored by the National Park Service to it glory when it was completed in 1848. The grandeur of this residence, school, and chapel must have been quite impressive in this remote outpost! We also stopped at the Sheldon Jackson Museum that has an impressive collection of 5,000 Native Alaskan artifacts, including the battle helmet worn by the Tlingit chief during the Battle of Sitka. From there, it was galleries and shops, galleries and shops! Sitka was a really nice place to walk around.

This is St. Michael’s Cathedral. While being the oldest, much of it had to be rebuilt after a mid-1960s fire.
Luckily, when the fire started, townspeople went into the church and saved much of the art inside. It is an amazing collection.
The Russian Bishop’s House is part of the national park. It is a very well preserved icon of the heyday of the Russian American Company and home of the Russian Orthodox Bishop. Bishop Innocent was the most significant of all bishops that spent time here, building relationships with the Tlingit and, in fact, translating the sacred texts into their language. He would go on to become to become the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and later became a saint.
Because of the many important visitors who came here, the house was quite large and elaborate, sending a message about the strength of the Russian Orthodox Church in the region.
Yet the bishop, himself, lived very modestly.
In addition to the cathedral, the bishop also had his own private chapel. Most of the house and all of the chapel is original.
The last stop was at the Sheldon Jackson Museum, the oldest museum in Alaska. It houses artifacts from Alaskan native tribes from across the state.
While enjoying all the exhibits, I especially wanted to see the the raven helmet worn by the Klingit leader during the 1804 Battle of Sitka. After being passed down through generations, it came to the museum in 1905.

Next stop, Klawock!

This entry was posted in Alaska, Cruising, National Park/Monument, Sitka, Travel, United States
Glen Bruels

I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.

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