WHAT TO SEE
Approaching Sitka by the usual steamer route from the north at a
distance of six miles the site of Old Sitka is passed. It lies to the
left of the steamer track, in a small bay, and is marked by a native
house which is visible from the ship. From near this place, looking to
the westward, the first sight of Mount Edgecumbe is to be had between
the islands. On approaching the town the ship goes through a narrow
channel between Japonski Island at the right and the townsite at the
left. Near the middle of the channel a rock is marked by a buoy and
along the shore is the native village, or "Ranche," with a sloping beach
upon which in former days the canoes were drawn up. The paths by which
they were brought from the water may be seen, marked by the rocks being
thrown to each side from the track.
[Illustration: Sitka--East on Lincoln Street--the Governor's Walk of the
Russians.]
On Japonski Island is the U. S. Naval Coaling Station and the U. S.
wireless telegraph. The magnetic observatory of the Russians was
situated there. The name means Japan Island and is given because Resanof
designated it as the place to keep captive Japanese whom he expected to
capture through his expedition against the lower Kuril Islands in 1806.
The dock at which the ship lands is in the same location as the one used
by the Russians, but it has been extended to deeper water. The timbers
of the old hulk once used by the Russians as a landing stage may still
be seen in the water at low tide. On the dock was the landing warehouse
of the Russians, a log structure with a passage through the center. It
was burned in 1916. Leaving the wharf and going eastward along Lincoln
Street, at the side are the booths or tents of the native merchants,
kept by the women from the village, a veritable arcade of little
markets, and each of the vendors is as interested as though she occupied
a seat on the famous Rialto Bridge to sell the wares of ancient Venice.
The picturesque, dark-skinned Thlingit women sit at the doors of their
little tents hour after hour, offering the strangely carved totems, the
beautiful baskets of spruce roots woven in mystic designs, the beaded
moccasins, etc., products of their industry during the long winter when
the tourist boats do not call at the Sitka wharves. Passing up the
street to the east from the landing--at the right is the U. S. cable
office, occupying the site of the old Russian fur warehouse. Next is the
three-story building used for courthouse and jail, formerly the Russian
Barracks where the Siberian Battalion was quartered. This is one of the
most prominent of the old buildings which remain. In front of this is
the stairway leading to the top of the hill on which is situated the
building of the Agricultural Department, on the site of the former
residence of the chief manager of the Russian American Company. Around
this hill were the batteries of the Russians, commanding the Kolosh
village and the harbor. The former building was often called the
Governor's Mansion, or the Baranof Castle, was built about 1837 and was
destroyed by fire in 1894. The hill commands a fine view of the harbor
and the surrounding islands. The present structure is the headquarters
of the Alaska division of the Agricultural Department. Opposite the
stairway to the hill is the way leading to the "Ranche;" the open square
was the former parade ground of the Army, and later of the U. S. Marines
from the Man-of-War which was stationed here. East of the old barracks
building is the former counting house of the Company, now occupied as
the U. S. Postoffice, and during the time when Sitka was the Capital of
the Territory it was used by the United States for a Customs office, and
by the Governor as an office. Going east on Lincoln Street, the next
large building at the right was the old bakery and shops of the Company,
later commonly known as the Sitka Trading Company Building, having been
occupied by that company for many years. Beyond this on the same side of
the street at a short distance is a small building, standing back from
the walk, surmounted by a Greek cross, which marks the site of the first
church built in Sitka, in 1817. Next to this lot is the one formerly
occupied by the Lutheran Church, built in the time of Etolin, and in
which the first church service was held by Chaplain Rainier of the U. S.
Army, after the American occupation.
[Illustration: Interior of Cathedral of St. Michael]
Across the street is the Cathedral of St. Michael, the headquarters of
the Greek Orthodox Church in Alaska. In the Territory are claimed to be
ten thousand communicants of that faith and from Sitka the management of
affairs is conducted. The church is in the form of a cross and is
surmounted by the Greek cross. The interior is richly decorated after
the usual custom of the Russian churches. Candlesticks of massive design
stand at either side of the doors of the inner sanctuary. The building,
with its dome, is distinctive, and is a good example of Russian church
architecture.[30]
Continuing east along Lincoln Street a short distance beyond the
Cathedral a vacant space on the right marks the spot formerly occupied
by the clubhouse, built by Etolin for a home for the clerks, navigators,
and other employes of the Company--opposite it was situated the foundry
and machine shops, while a little farther to the east stood the
sawmills, at the mouth of the outlet to Swan Lake. Along this stream was
the eastern boundary of the stockade of the Russian fort, with a
blockhouse near the point of the lower end of the lake. East of this
stockade were the kitchen gardens, but all traces of them have long
since vanished. Continuing along the street following the shore, the
Bishop's house is passed on the left, where the Russian school is
taught, and a short distance beyond is the house of the Episcopal Bishop
of the diocese, Rev. Bishop P. T. Rowe. Still farther to the east is the
Sheldon Jackson School, the Presbyterian Mission School, consisting of a
group of buildings, the first of which was completed in 1880, under the
superintendence of Rev. Alonzo Austin, and others have been added from
time to time until the present fine establishment has resulted. An
octagonal structure shelters the Sheldon Jackson Museum, a fine
collection of native work of many kinds, gathered from all parts of
Alaska by the first superintendent of native schools for the Territory.
A small paper is published by the mission, the _Verstovian_, and is
printed by the native students of the institution.
Opposite the mission, at the edge of the curving beach, a large,
flat-topped rock lies at the side of the way, called the Blarney Stone.
On this it is said that Baranof often sat, during the last year of his
residence here, and looked out through the vistas between the islands to
the broad Pacific. What were the thoughts of the brave, strong, strange,
old man as he sat here will never be known, but it is sure that there
was much of sadness for him in those days.
Beyond the Mission is the famous Indian River Road, a continuation of
the Governor's Walk of the Russians, and often called the Lover's Lane.
It winds along the shore of the sea, through the Park, with here and
there an opening in the forest where there are splendid examples of
Hydah carvings in the tall totems placed in well chosen spots. These
totem poles were taken to the St. Louis Fair in 1904, as a part of the
Alaska Exhibit, and afterward returned to this park. One of the most
interesting is the house totem of Chief Son-i-hat, of Kasaan,
accompanied by the four supporting columns of the ancient tribal house.
From the rustic bridge on the Indian River there are enticing paths
leading along the stream and toward Mt. Verstovia, which towers above
the bay to the height of 3,216 feet. Along the river, known as the
_Kolosh Ryeka_, by the Russians, the winding paths are bordered
with huge Sitka spruces and giant cedars, with the space thickly filled
with a dense growth of shrubbery, among which is prominent the Devil's
Club (_panax horridus_), with its beautifully palmated leaves and
its cruel spines concealed underneath. This shrub was formerly used by
the natives as an instrument of torture in their witchcraft. In the
depths of the forest the earth is covered with a carpet of ferns and
mosses, and the trunks of fallen trees of former years may be seen with
other trees of from two to three feet in diameter growing on their
prostrate bodies.
Returning toward the town, at the Mission the Davis Road turns toward
the north. It was built by the Army during their occupation, in the
process of their securing wood from the forest, and named for General
Jeff C. Davis, the Commander of the post. Following it the Military
Cemetery is reached at the distance of about three-eighths of a mile.
Here are some interesting monuments, among them being that of Gouverneur
Morris, a descendent of the famous financier of the Revolution. A stone
marks the resting place of a lieutenant of the U. S. Army, around whose
memory lingers stories of a duel with a brother officer in a solitary
spot along Indian River, over a Russian beauty of Sitka.
Turning aside from Lincoln Street at the Mission, or at the street next
westward, a walk of a quarter of a mile leads to the experiment farm of
the Agricultural Department of the United States. There may be seen many
products, including apples and strawberries of an excellent quality. Of
the latter is a variety originated by Prof. Georgeson through
hybridizing the cultivated berries with the wild native berry which
grows luxuriantly at many places in Alaska.
On reaching the Cathedral a street turns northward along which one
finds, at the right, on the little knoll in the town, among the
scattered spruce trees, the spot where formerly stood the tea houses of
the Russians. They were in the center of the public gardens which
covered the knoll and were approached by beautifully bordered walks.
Farther along, on the left of the walk, is the remaining Russian
blockhouse, the last of three which formerly stood on the line of the
stockade that protected the town from the Kolosh. A little back of the
blockhouse is the grave of the Princess Maksoutoff, marked with a marble
slab lying on the raised mound above her resting place. At the end of
the walk is the modern Russian cemetery, with its forest of Greek
crosses, and in the center, at the highest point, is a platform from
which is had an excellent view of the harbor, islands, Mt. Edgecumbe,
and of the lake and town.
Returning as far as the site of the tea gardens, then going westward
toward the water, at the right is an enclosure in which there is a small
building marking the site of the Koloshian Church, or the Church of the
Resurrection, as it is called in the church records. This was the
building occupied by the natives in 1855 when they made an attack upon
the town. It was on the line of the stockade which formerly ran from the
water front at the end of the "Ranche," east to the lake, then back to
the water at the sawmill. On the line of the stockade were three
blockhouses, the church being between the first and second of these.
Surrounding the site of the church are a number of graves, and among
them are some interesting monuments dating back to the Russian days, for
this is the older of the two cemeteries.
[Illustration: Russian Blockhouse.]
Going down to the entrance to the native town, or "Ranche," there is a
choice of two streets, one in front of the houses along the water front,
the other at the rear. The one at the front is preferable. The houses
are built of lumber and in general are constructed by the native
workmen, who have been instructed at the mission school, at which there
is an excellent manual training department. The great tribal houses of
former days have long since disappeared. The older houses were named by
the natives much as were the inns of old England; the _Gooch-haet_,
or wolf house; the _Tahn-haet_, or sea-lion house; the
_Kahse-haet_, or cow house, and others, named for different
animals. The _Kahse-haet_ was named from the head of a cow being
brought there from a wreck off the coast in which the animal was
drowned. Formerly there were many canoes along the water front--as many
as 150 at a time being often seen, but now their place is occupied by
gas boats--generally built by the owners and the engines installed by
them. The loss in the picturesque is partly compensated by the gain in
utility, but the native canoe was a wonder of marine architecture, cut
from a single log and shaped with fire and adzed into elegant lines. An
occasional specimen is sometimes yet to be seen on the beach or
carefully covered from the weather in some sheltered and secluded cove.
There were no great house totem poles in front of the houses as there
are at Wrangell, Kasaan and elsewhere. There were some mortuary columns
near the grave houses which formerly stood on the ridge back of the
village, but these have long been covered by the dense undergrowth which
sprang up in recent years.
In this village have lived some interesting and strong characters.
Annahootz and Katlean both figured boldly in the history of the town,
and Sitka Jack was noted for his great potlatch held in 1877, when he
gave a housewarming at which he presented to his visitors over 500
blankets, not to mention the hoochinoo and whiskey which flowed
liberally for all. He beggared himself by the feast, but his reputation
was established above reproach for the rest of life. Princess Tom was
another celebrity, whose fame was founded on her wealth which was
estimated at ten thousand dollars, and which was acquired by skill in
basket making and shrewdness in dealing in native manufactures on which
she was a connoisseur--going out to the villages in her long canoe to
gather the stock of baskets, bracelets, carved dishes, masks, dance
hats, etc., which she disposed of to advantage upon her return to Sitka.
Chief Tlan Tech was one of the prominent citizens and frequently might
have been seen on the street in his frock coat, tall hat, with cane and
kid gloves, cutting quite a dash. His English vocabulary was very
limited and he was accustomed for many years to fly the Russian flag
over his canoe when he went out to a neighboring village for a potlatch.
Some of the silversmiths were skilled workmen. Sitka Jack, and Kooska,
and Hydah Jake, all fashioned bracelets, spoons, and other articles,
carved with totemic designs of delicate beauty and line of proportion,
made from silver coins which they melted down.
Some of the shamans of the olden time acquired great influence and made
life miserable for their fellow-citizens by the practice of witchcraft.
One of the most obnoxious of these, called Skondoo, was captured and his
shock of matted hair, which, like that of Samson, was supposed to be the
seat of his power, was shorn by the commander of the U. S. S. "Pinta," and
in addition he was thoroughly scrubbed with soap and brush, perhaps for
the first time in his existence.
Even to this day there are instances of the weird belief in the villages
at Hootznahoo or at Klukwan. Not many years ago an Indian girl was
rescued by the whites from a damp hole under a house where she had been
confined to die of cold and starvation by the order of the shaman, or
_Ekht_, as the Thlingit calls him.
Among the island and the inlet dented shores surrounding the town are
many interesting places forming an opportunity for delightful
excursions. The most desirable of these are:
Mount Edgecumbe, 3467 ft.--Taking a launch from Sitka the trip may be
made to Crab Bay, or to the landing behind the island of St. Lazaria on
which is a populous bird rookery, and the ascent of the mountain is
possible to be made in a day. Perhaps better that two days be taken to
the trip, however. The first to go to the top was Lisianski in 1804.
From the summit of the mountain an unusually beautiful panorama is to be
had of island-studded bay, and mountain ridges capped with glaciers on
one side, while on the other spreads the expanse of the broad Pacific.
Old Sitka, and Katleanski Bay.--By launch the site of the Russian
settlement of 1799-1802 may be reached and from that point a
continuation of the excursion may be made to the head of Nesquashanski
Bay, where the meadows are situated from which the Russians procured
their provender for the cattle kept at the post. In the streams entering
the bay may be seen, during the season of the salmon run, the strange
spectacle of the brown bears in the role of fishermen, scooping salmon
from the waters with their paws, if good fortune attend. This journey
may be made in a day.
Silver Bay.--A veritable Norwegian fjord transplanted to Alaska--with
picturesque waterfalls plunging into its waters, deep glacial valleys
entering at right angles with Yosemite-like cliffs bordering them, the
Scottish bluebells clinging to the dripping rocks which beetle overhead,
Kalampy's Slide around which hangs a tale, the Stewart mine, etc.--about
ten miles to the head of the bay, where a fine waterfall plunges from
the mountainside.
The Redoubt and the Globokoe Lake.--Southwest from Sitka about ten miles
was the location of the fishery of the Russians from which for more than
sixty years they drew their stores of _krasnia ruiba_ (the red
salmon), which provided so important a part of their subsistence. Here
in the rocky wall which divided Globokoe, or Deep Lake, from the sea,
and over which the outlet flowed, channels were blasted, forming
reservoirs, and in these channels were placed _zapors_, or fences,
which made traps into which the salmon swam and lay in the clear cold
pools until they were removed for use. Here also was one of the Russian
flouring mills, where they ground the wheat brought from California, or
from the farms of the Hudson's Bay Company at Nisqually or on the
Columbia.
The Sitka Hot Springs.--About four miles farther to the southwest than
the Redoubt, is situated the Sitka Hot Springs, possessing valuable
medicinal qualities, and used for more than a century as a health
resort. Here Dr. Goddard has established a sanitarium in the midst of a
veritable nature lover's paradise, the forest behind, and the
island-studded sea in front, with game in the deep woods and fish in the
sea, all to be had for the taking.
Many other interesting and beautiful places may be visited. Lisianski
Bay, Deep Bay, Herring Bay with the gorge of Sawmill Creek and the chain
of lakes, Blue Lake, and others lying adjacent, are among the important
ones.
Mt. Verstovia.--The ascent of this mountain comprises one of the most
interesting excursions about the town. The trail leaves the shore of
Jamestown Bay at the point where the trough of the watering place of the
"Jamestown," came to the beach. This place may be reached by boat or on
foot through the Park by the mouth of Indian River. The ascent should be
under the guidance of one familiar with the route, for it is not plainly
marked and none but an experienced woodsman can find the way alone. It
leads through a forest, the first 800 or 1,000 feet through dense
undergrowth under the trees, the mosses and ferns forming a veritable
carpet; above that the woods are more open--at about 2,500 feet the
forest ceases. It is called Koster's Trail. The first eminence or
shoulder of the mountain is near the timber line and is often spoken of
as the Mountain of the Cross, while above it towers the Arrowhead, or
the summit of Verstovia, otherwise called at times Popoff Mountain, or
the Ponce, to a height of 3,216 feet, nearly a Russian verst, and from
this it derives its name. From the top an expanse of island-studded
waters stretch toward the sea. Eastward crest after crest of
glacier-capped peaks rise for a hundred miles, northward the lofty
summits of Mt. Crillon and Mt. Fairweather may be seen at an elevation
of over 15,000 feet, equal in height to the highest Alp of Switzerland.
Around the base of the Arrowhead, in July and August, are found a myriad
of wild flowers, carpeting the earth--violets, daises, cyclamen, and a
multitude of others.
These are the nearer points which may be visited, but more extended
journeys full of new and varied interest, to Sergius Narrows and Peril
Straits or to the Place of Islands and the Chicagof Mine to the
northward, and to Redfish Bay to the southward, may be made.
Footnotes
[Footnote 1: January 20th, 1820, a letter written by the Directory at
St. Petersburg to Chief Manager Muravief at Sitka enclosing instructions
previously given to Hagemeister, instructing him to find the descendants
of Chirikof's lost men, urging that it must be done, and expressing
surprise that it had been neglected thus long. (Russian American
Archives, Correspondence, Vol. II, No. 108.)]
[Footnote 2: In Wrangell, and at a few other places in Alaska may yet be
seen some of these old tribal houses, built as in primitive days in most
ways. The beams and planks were fashioned with an adze, and the evenness
of the workmanship in hewing them is marvelous.]
[Footnote 3: The livestock taken to Sitka in 1804 consisted of "Four
cows, two calves, three bulls, three goats, a ewe and a ram, with many
swine and fowls." (Lisianski, Voyage Round the World, p. 218.)]
[Footnote 4: Lisianski made the surveys and named the islands of the
archipelago which had not been charted by Vancouver, of which he says:
"By our survey it appears that amongst the group of islands, which in my
chart I have denominated the Sitka Islands, from the inhabitants, who
call themselves Sitka-hans, or Sitka people, are four principal ones,
viz.: Jacobi, Crooze, Baranof, and Chichagof." (A Voyage Round the
World, Lisianski, p. 235.)]
[Footnote 5: The Russian sazhen is 7 feet.]
[Footnote 6: Pronounced Al-e-ut.]
[Footnote 7: These books and letters were brought by Resanof in the
"Nedeshda," and upon reaching Kodiak Resanof established the library at
that place. It was afterward removed to Sitka, probably by Baranof when
he changed the chief factory to that place in 1807. After the United
States took possession the library disappeared, whether taken to Russia
or left in Sitka does not appear, but the books were likely left in
Sitka and gradually disappeared through theft in the years when there
was no custodian of such property.]
[Footnote 8: The "Neva" was long identified with the affairs of the
colony. Bought in England for the first Russian expedition round the
world, Captain Lisianski reached Sitka in time for her to participate in
the driving of the Indians from their fortifications. She returned to
Russia later to be sailed to the colony in 1810, and was on her third
voyage at the time of her loss.]
[Footnote 9: Golofnin, Voyage of the Sloop "Kamchatka," in Mat. Pt. 4,
p. 103.]
[Footnote 10: Lutke: Voyages. Mat. Pt. 4, p. 147.]
[Footnote 11: The tows were large pieces of native copper from the
Copper River hammered out flat by the natives. These were carried in
front of the chiefs by slaves who beat them like gongs.]
[Footnote 12: In the church records appears the entry: "Died, August 27,
1832, Naval Captain of the 1st Rank and Cavalier Baron Ferdinand
Wrangell's daughter--Mary." There is also to be found: "Died, December
29th, 1839, Priest Vasili Michaeloff Ocheredin, 23 years old."]
[Footnote 13: Narrative of a Voyage Round the World, 1836-1842, by
Captain Sir Edward Belcher, Vol. 1, pages 95 et seq.]
[Footnote 14: Frederick Schwatka, the explorer, seems to have been one
of the first to put the story in print, which he did in the early
eighties. It appeared in the Alaska News, a newspaper of Juneau, on
December 24th, 1896, and the time is fixed as being in the
administration of Baron Wrangell. In 1891 Hon. Henry E. Hayden published
it in verse in a small volume printed at Sitka. John W. Arctander, in
his Lady in Blue, elaborates it to a small volume and ascribes it to
Etolin's time.
There is a strange fact which gives some color to the story. In the
Russian American Company's Archives now on file in the State Department,
Washington, D. C., under date of September 23rd, 1833, a letter from St.
Petersburg refers to a report of Baron Wrangell of November 30, 1831,
which reported the death of under officer Paul Buikof, and implicating
one Col. Borusof. Unfortunately the records of 1831 are missing and so
the report cannot be had. Baron Wrangell's daughter, Mary, died during
his stay in Sitka.]
[Footnote 15: Between 1821 and 1862 there were shipped by the Russian
American Company, from Alaska, 51,315 sea-otter, 831,396 fur-seal,
319,514 beaver, 291,655 fox. Fur-Seal Arbitration, Vol. 2, p. 127
(Washington, Government Printing Office).]
[Footnote 16: "For the largest deer, which weighs about four poods, five
sazhens of calico are paid; for a duck, a quid of tobacco; for a goose,
two quids; fish priced according to size all according to price list
established by the commander of the post of New Archangel." Russkie na
Vostochnom Okean (Russians on the Eastern Ocean), by A. Markof, St.
Petersburg, 1856.]
[Footnote 17: Hunters who disposed of their furs to an English
shipmaster were arrested and sent to Siberia. Russian American Archives.
Corr. Vol. I, p. 275. In January of 1820 Muravief was ordered to watch
certain officers of a ship who were suspected of trading for furs on
their own account. Id. Vol. 2, p. 38.]
[Footnote 18: The mill on Sawmill Creek was located in the gorge below
where the dam is situated which provides the power for the present light
plant of the town. The timbers of the old mill were removed in 1916 to
make way for the building of the present improvement.]
[Footnote 19: Golobokoe Lake was sounded to a depth of 190 fathoms by
the Russians. Materialui, Pt. 3, p. 48.]
[Footnote 20: Obzor Russkikh Colonii iv Syevernoe-Amerika, Survey of the
Russian Colonies in North America, by Captain-Lieutenant P. N. Golovin,
pp. 72-73.]
[Footnote 21: Their names and dates of holding office are as follows:
Alexander Andreevich Baranof, 1790 to January 11, 1818.
Leonti Andreanvich Hagemeister, Jan. 11, 1818, to Oct. 24, 1818.
Semen Ivanovich Yanovski, Oct. 24, 1818, to Sept. 15, 1820.
Matvei Ivanovich Muravief, Sept. 15, 1820, to Oct. 14, 1825.
Peter Egorovich Chistiakof, Oct. 14, 1825, to June 1st, 1830.
Baron Ferdinand Von Wrangell, June 1st, 1830, to Oct. 29, 1835.
Ivan Antonovich Kupreanof, Oct. 29, 1835, to May 25, 1840.
Adolf Karlovich Etolin, May 25, 1840, to July 9, 1845.
Michael Dmitrevich Tebenkof, July 9, 1845, to Oct. 14, 1850.
Nikolai Yakovlevich Rosenberg, Oct. 14, 1850, to March 31, 1853.
Alexander Ilich Rudakof, March 31, 1853, to April 22, 1854.
Stephen Vasili Voevodski, April 22, 1854, to June 22, 1859.
Ivan Vasilivich Furuhelm, June 22, 1859, to Dec. 2, 1863.
Prince Dmitri Maksoutof, Dec. 2, 1863, to Oct. 18, 1867.]
[Footnote 22: The Russian soldiery were dressed in a dark uniform,
trimmed with red, with glazed caps. The United States troops appeared in
the usual full dress.
Of American ladies, six were present: the wives of General Davis,
Colonel Weeks, Capt. Wood, and Rev. Mr. Rainier, of the "John L.
Stevens," the wife of Mr. Dodge, Collector of the Port, and the wife of
Captain MacDougall, of the "Jamestown." Six Russian ladies were also
present: the Princess Maksoutoff, the wife and daughter of Vice-Governor
Gardsishoff, and three whose names I do not know. H. Ex. Doc. No. 177,
40th Cong. 2nd Sess., p. 72.]
[Footnote 23: On the lowering of the Russian ensign it caught in the
halyards and a sailor was sent aloft to release it. He tore it loose and
flung it down on the bayonets of the Russian soldiery.]
[Footnote 24: On December 14, 1807, the Russian ship "Czaritza," sailed
for Russia, via London, with 168 passengers. January 1, 1868, the
Russian ship "Cyane" cleared for Novgorod, Asia, with 69 soldiers of the
garrison on board. November 30, 1868, the Russian ship "Winged Arrow,"
went to Kronstadt, but there is no record of the passengers. April 24th,
1868, the American steamer "Alexander" took special clearance for
Nikolofski, Asia, to touch at all the posts along the Alaskan coasts to
close up the business of the Russian American Company. Customs Records
of Alaska, Record of Clearances.
The ship "Winged Arrow" sailed on December 8th, 1868, for St.
Petersburg, taking over 300 persons. Seattle Intelligencer, January 11,
1869. This is the same voyage as the one above under the clearance of
November 30th.]
[Footnote 25: If we may believe the current reports of the time, the
military occupation of Sitka was anything but a happy time for the civil
inhabitants, especially the Russians who remained. See Colyer's Report,
Ex. Doc. H. R. 41st Cong. 2nd Ses., p. 1030; Seattle Intelligencer,
December 14th. 1868; The Victoria Colonist, et al.]
[Footnote 26: Annahootz, the friend of the whites, married his 13th
wife. Afterward becoming blind and decrepit he starved himself to death.
See Sitka Alaskan, February 6, 1890.
Katlean still lives at Sitka and may often be seen on the streets of the
town.]
[Footnote 27: The population of Sitka in 1818 was: Russian, 190;
Creoles, 72; Aleuts, 173 of males, and female 185; of Russian and
Creole, total, 620. Materialui, pt. 3, p. 20.
January 1, 1825, there were: Russians, 309; Creoles, 58; Aleuts, 33.
Total, 400. Ib. p. 52.
In April, 1880, citizens by birth, 92; citizens by naturalization, 123;
citizens by treaty, 229. Total, 444. Beardslee's Report, 47th Cong. Sen.
Ex. Doc. No. 71, p. 34. In this census are many names well known in
Alaska by the "Old Timers," as: A. T. Whitford, John G. Brady, N. A.
Fuller, M. Travis, Edward DeGroff, S. Sessions, R. Willoughby, M. P.
Berry, A. Cohen, Miss P. Cohen, Miss H. Cohen, Ed. Bean, D. Ackerman, A.
Milletich, P. T. Corcoran, L. Caplin, Pierre Erussard, Ed. Doyle, George
E. Pilz, Nicholas Haley, John McKenna, Reub Albertson, John Olds and
others.]
[Footnote 28: Governors of Alaska who made their residence at Sitka:
John H. Kinkead, of Nevada, appointed July 4, 1884. Alfred P.
Swineford, of Michigan, appointed May 8, 1885. Lyman E. Knapp, of
Vermont, appointed April 32, 1889. James Sheakley, of Alaska, appointed
June 28, 1893. John G. Brady, of Alaska, appointed June 23, 1897. ]
[Footnote 29: "The United States District Court, established by the Act
of May 17th, 1884, was formerly organized on the 4th day of November of
that year in a room set apart for the use of the court in the old
barracks building at Sitka, the following officers being present: Ward
McAllister, Jr., Judge; Andrew T. Lewis, Clerk of the Court; Munson C.
Hillyer, U. S. Marshal; Edward W. Haskett, District Attorney.
"On the same day John F. McLean, an officer connected with the signal
service, and Major M. P. Berry, a veteran of the Civil and Mexican wars,
were admitted to the bar, as well as District Attorney Haskett. These
three gentlemen comprised the Alaska Bar of Attorneys until June 20th,
1885, when Mr. John G. Held was added to the roll and in the month of
October, 1885, Willoughby Clark, John F. Maloney, R. D. Crittenden, and
John G. Brady were admitted." Alaska Bar Association and Sketch of the
Judiciary, by Arthur K. Delaney.]
[Footnote 30: The first church in Alaska was built at Kodiak (Paulovski)
in 1795, the next at Unalaska soon after, and the third at Sitka in
1817.]
[Illustration: MAP OF SITKA--OCTOBER, 1867]
A. Battery No. 1.
B. Battery No. 2, Vralaskian Battery.
C. Blockhouse No. 1.
D. Blockhouse No. 2.
E. Blockhouse No. 3.
1. Warehouse.
2. Shop and Store.
3. Subsistence Storehouse.
4. Tannery for Furs.
6. Barracks, three stories.
7. Office Building, two stories.
8. Governor's House.
9. Wash and Bath House.
11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 22, and 23. Dock Yard and Buildings.
16. School Building.
18. Market for Indians.
19. Lime Kiln.
20. Unfinished Barracks.
25. Bakery, Joinery, etc.
61. Officers' Lodgings, two stories.
66. Laundry.
74. Sawmill.
75. Tannery.
76. Unfinished Bath House.
77. Water Flour Mill.
96. Aleutian Dwellings.
102. Bishop's House, two stories.
103. Hospital, two stories.
116, 117. Arbors on Public Gardens.
118. Powder Magazine.
121. School Building for Indians.
122. Observatory on Japonski Island.
123. House for Observer, Wharf, Garden, Hotbeds, etc.
Cathedral of St. Michael.
Church of the Resurrection (Koloshian Church).
129. Hulk and Movable Bridge.