Sitka and Peril and Chatham Straits
Sitka was established in 1799 by Alexander Baranof, chief manager of the Russian-American Company. Situated on the west coast of Baranof Island, the town is the oldest non-Native settlement in Southeast Alaska. Sea otters were what brought the Russians here and the lucrative trade in the skins of these animals continued until the 1860's when the fur trade declined due to over harvesting. All of Alaska eventually became a part of the United States, and it was in Sitka in October of 1867 that the Russian flag was replaced by the Stars and Stripes on the site of Alexander Baranof's Castle.
The economy of Sitka today is supported by commercial fishing, tourism and two colleges. During our visit we enjoyed the Sitka National Historic Park built on the site of a former Tlingit Indian Village. An important collectionof totem poles is housed throughout the forest and in the visitor's center. These were collected from villages throughout southeastern Alaska by an early governor of Alaska and were brought here in 1905. Pink salmon were migrating up the Indian River in the park and their spawning beds were watched over not only by the guests on the Sea Lion but also by a bald eagle which flew in and perched on a tree nearby.
Our next stop was at the Sheldon Jackson Museum on the college campus of the same name founded in 1890 by a Presbyterian missionary. The museum houses an important and beautiful collection of artifacts representative of the four major Native groups in Alaska.
From here we traveled to the Alaska Raptor Center and were introduced to a bald eagle named Volta who serves as the official greeter to the center. Built to help rehabilitate birds of prey the center provides treatment to approximately 200 birds a year which have been injured mostly due to human induced causes.
Back in Sitka we visited St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral with its collection of icons and bulbous domed roof of typical Russian architecture. After a stroll through the shopping district we enjoyed a cultural performance by the local Tlingit community before returning to the Sea Lion and the continuation of our voyage.
Throughout the afternoon we cruised through the narrow and winding channels of the straits separating Chichagof from Baranof Island. With such intriguing names as Sergius Narrows and Peril Strait we followed the well marked channel back out to Chatham Strait and headed south toward Petersburg.
Sitka was established in 1799 by Alexander Baranof, chief manager of the Russian-American Company. Situated on the west coast of Baranof Island, the town is the oldest non-Native settlement in Southeast Alaska. Sea otters were what brought the Russians here and the lucrative trade in the skins of these animals continued until the 1860's when the fur trade declined due to over harvesting. All of Alaska eventually became a part of the United States, and it was in Sitka in October of 1867 that the Russian flag was replaced by the Stars and Stripes on the site of Alexander Baranof's Castle.
The economy of Sitka today is supported by commercial fishing, tourism and two colleges. During our visit we enjoyed the Sitka National Historic Park built on the site of a former Tlingit Indian Village. An important collectionof totem poles is housed throughout the forest and in the visitor's center. These were collected from villages throughout southeastern Alaska by an early governor of Alaska and were brought here in 1905. Pink salmon were migrating up the Indian River in the park and their spawning beds were watched over not only by the guests on the Sea Lion but also by a bald eagle which flew in and perched on a tree nearby.
Our next stop was at the Sheldon Jackson Museum on the college campus of the same name founded in 1890 by a Presbyterian missionary. The museum houses an important and beautiful collection of artifacts representative of the four major Native groups in Alaska.
From here we traveled to the Alaska Raptor Center and were introduced to a bald eagle named Volta who serves as the official greeter to the center. Built to help rehabilitate birds of prey the center provides treatment to approximately 200 birds a year which have been injured mostly due to human induced causes.
Back in Sitka we visited St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral with its collection of icons and bulbous domed roof of typical Russian architecture. After a stroll through the shopping district we enjoyed a cultural performance by the local Tlingit community before returning to the Sea Lion and the continuation of our voyage.
Throughout the afternoon we cruised through the narrow and winding channels of the straits separating Chichagof from Baranof Island. With such intriguing names as Sergius Narrows and Peril Strait we followed the well marked channel back out to Chatham Strait and headed south toward Petersburg.
