The 113-acre Sitka National Historical Park is Alaska’s oldest federally recognized cultural site, a favorite for locals and visitors alike.
The park is at 106 Metlakatla Street; the Russian Bishop’s House, also part of the National Park Service, is at 501 Lincoln Street.
The park trail is a two-mile loop through Sitka’s temperate rainforest, with towering hemlock, spruce and cedar trees. It follows the banks of Indian River (Kaasdaa Héen in Tlingit), and is lined with totem poles carved by Southeast Alaska Native artists and plaques about the location’s history. Almost 250 years ago, the site was the location of the 1804 Battle of Sitka, the last major armed conflict between the Tlingit and Russian colonists, plus Alutiiq hunters forced to fight alongside the Russians. After a fierce five days of fighting to defend their homeland, the Tlingit withdrew to the north end of Baranof Island, and the Russians established New Archangel (later renamed Sitka) as the capital of Russian America.
Today, bald eagles, ravens, fresh-water ducks, sea birds, river otters and minks can be seen, in addition to the occasional brown bear, just a short walk from downtown Sitka. From mid-July to mid-September, pink salmon spawn in Indian River. Walking along the trail, visitors can witness the salmon swimming upstream, returning to their birthplace to spawn.
Exhibits in the park visitor center focus on Tlingit culture, with many of the objects on display still owned and used by local clans. The park also showcases Alaska Native art in the demonstration arts studios. Throughout the year, artists work on traditional carving, metal work and regalia. The studios are open for visitors to stop in, learn about the art, and talk with artists.
The Russian Bishop’s House tells another part of Sitka’s history. It’s one of only four surviving examples of Russian colonial architecture in North America, and is a window into a little-known part of America’s colonial Russian history. The mustard-yellow building has been restored to its 1843-1853 appearance, and includes many of the original furnishings and Russian Orthodox Church icons.
The Russian Bishop’s House served as the residence for the Russian Orthodox bishop, Ioann Veniaminov, known as Bishop Innocent, as well as the administrative headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia’s North American colonies. Over the years, the building has served as a residence, a school, a printing house, a seminary and an orphanage. The ground floor has been converted into a museum, while on the second floor, the original layout of the house has been preserved.
Visitors can attend a variety of free ranger programs, walk the trails, see cultural demonstrations, and view the 13-minute film “Voices of Sitka.”
Park trails are open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. from May 1 to September 30. The free NPS Mobile app offers a self-guided tour of the park’s totem pole collection. The park’s Junior Ranger program books are available free of charge at the visitor center and Russian Bishop’s House.
For more information call (907) 747-0110, visit NPS gov/Sitka, or check Sitka National Historical Park on Facebook at Facebook com/SitkaNationalHistoricalPark.
