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Sitka National Historical Park
Sitka National Historical Park, Alaska's oldest federally designated park, was established as a federal park in 1890. It became a national monument in 1910 to commemorate the Battle of Sitka fought between the Tlingits and the Russians. All that remains of this last major conflict between Europeans and natives of the Northwest Coast is the site of a Kiks.ádi Fort. The surroundings are largely unchanged, and with a little imagination one can conjure up scenes of the battle.

A classic combination of Northwest Coast totem poles and temperate rain forest are combined on the scenic coastal trail within the park. Alaska's District Governor John G. Brady brought a collection of totem poles to Sitka in 1905. These histories carved in cedar were rounded up from villages throughout southeastern Alaska. None of the originals came from Sitka, though this art form is very much a part of Tlingit tradition. Many poles exhibited along the park's two miles of wooded pathways are copies of deteriorating originals now in storage.

The visitor center contains ethnographic exhibits and houses the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center, where visitors can watch Native artists at work.

The park's story continues at the Russian Bishop's House, one of four surviving examples of Russian colonial architecture in North America. This original 1843 log structure conveys the legacy of Russian America through exhibits, refurbished living quarters and the Chapel of the Annunciation.

Bibliography
Merrill Photographs
Project Jukebox
Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center
Totem Poles
 
National Park Service logoLast updated October 10, 2002
Comments: Web Manager