National Parks:
Sitka National Historical Park

Sitka, Alaska -- Alaska's oldest federally designated park was established as a monument in 1910 to commemorate the 1804 Battle of Sitka. This last major conflict between Europeans and Alaska Natives is marked at the site of the Tlingit Fort and battlefield, located within this scenic 113-acre park in a temperate rain forest.

The community marked the 200th anniversary of this major event in Alaska history on the weekend of October 2-3, 2004.

Southeast Alaska totem poles and a temperate rain forest setting combine to provide spectacular scenery along the park's coastal trail, which begins at the recently remodeled visitor center. The park's story continues at the Russian Bishop's House, one of three surviving examples of Russian colonial architecture in North America.

No roads reach Sitka from the mainland, so access is air or water. Occupying a natural harbor on Baranof Island, Sitka is a compact town and visitors can reach most of the town by foot, taxi, tour bus, or bicycle. Sitka is the ancestral home to the Tlingit Indians, was governed by Imperial Russia, and then was sold to the Americans.

DID YOU KNOW

• The Russian Bishop's House is one of three surviving examples of Russian colonial architecture in North America. Imperial Russia was the dominant power in the North Pacific for over 125 years. Sitka (known as New Archangel at the time) was the Russian colonial capital. The Bishop's House was the center of Russian Orthodox church authority in a diocese that stretched from California to Siberian Kamchatka.
• Sitka National Historical Park is the oldest federally designated park in Alaska. The park has been known officially by different names, including Sitka Park, Government Park, Indian River Park, Sitka National Monument, and Sitka National Historical Park. It is just as often referred to by its unofficial names, Lovers' Lane or Totem Park.
• Contrary to the stereotypical views of Alaska weather, Sitka experiences a temperate marine climate, characterized by heavy precipitation and a small temperature range between seasons. The temperatures in the Sitka area are moderate, ranging from an average daily low of 31 degrees Fahrenheit in January to an average daily high of 55 degrees in July and August.

DON'T MISS ATTRACTIONS

• The Russian Bishop's House offers visitors a chance to step back into history and understand what it was like to live in Sitka during the Russian-American period. This original 1843 log structure conveys the legacy of Russian America through exhibits, refurbished Bishop's living quarters and lavish icons in the Chapel of the Annunciation.
• The totem poles in the park visitor center and along the trails leading away from the visitor center offer a unique view of Alaska Native culture.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PRIORITIES

• The Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center was established in 1969 as a partnership with the National Park Service to impart the cultural values of Southeast Alaska Native Culture to students and visitors. The center achieves this goal by providing a place for local Sitka Tlingits to teach themselves about their own culture, while also helping Park visitors understand the Native people whose history is part of the Park story. Although it is housed in the Park visitor center, SEAICC is an independent, non-profit Native organization.
• Another priority for the park is to serve as caretakers for many remarkable Tlingit artifacts held in the park visitor center's curatorial storage areas. Many were loaned or donated by local clans under agreements designed to allow ongoing traditional use in traditional ceremonies.

Source: National Park Service