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SITKA BOROUGH, ALASKAUSGENWEB PROJECT |
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HISTORY
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a century the English had been searching for the Northwest Passage to
lead them on a more direct route from England to the Orient. America was
a nuisance and obstacle to be overcome on this endeavor. The first ship
to make it's way through this famed passage was the Gjoa, steered by Roald
Amundsen in the early 1900s. Prior to that time, all the major powers
were vying for Alaska. The Spanish Quadra had traveled as far up the coast
as Sitka, and dubbed the lovely mountain overlooking the town San Jacinto.
Three years later in 1778, Capt. James Cook led a fleet up the western
coast of the Americas as far north as Anchorage. Capt. Cook rechristened
the lovely mountain San Jacinto as Mount Edgecumbe. Not to be outdone,
the Frenchman La Perouse visited the region and laid claim for the French
flag. Unfortunately this multi-national flag-waving was a moot point because
inconveniently the Russians were already in possession and had made Kodiak
their headquarters. The Russian fur traders had pushed Eastward, year
after year, leapfrogging along the Aleutian island chain. The Russians
were not noted for their seafaring ways and found it necessary to conquor
and then assume the skills of the native Aleut and Inuit peoples. In 1792
a new type of Russian fur-trading manager arrived at the headquarters
in Kodiak of the Russian-American Company. Alexander Andreevich Baranoff
was a 42 year old who arrived from Okotsk in the ship Three Saints. Although
Baranoff was both loved and derided, depending upon the observer, it is
clear that he was the force behind the Russian settlement of coastal Alaska.
The natives loved him and called him "Little Father" or "The Bear". His
Russian financier, Shelikoff and his successor Khlebnikoff gave him high
praise. The priests despised him. Baranoff didn't seem to care as long
as he could realize his dream of a new Russian Empire. Baranoff's fleet
entered Sitka Sound on May 25, 1799 on the Olga and Konstantin, in search
of a new, more central headquarters for his dream. After a skirmish with
the local Tlingit natives, he purchased a townsite from Chief Katlian
and began building a town to be the capital of Russian-America. He named
this town New Archangel Saint Michael, which was later changed to the
Tlingit name, Sitka. One day after he landed the Americans arrived, led
by Capt. Cleveland of the Boston ship, Caroline. Several years later the
Tlingits, Sitkas, Chilkats, Hoonahs, Kakes, Kootznahoos, and Stikines
gathered and attacked Old Sitka, killing almost everyone. The few survivors
were taken by Capt. Barber of the Unicorn to Kodiak. In 1804, Capt. Lisianski
and the ship Neva, arrived with reinforcements retook the town and drove
the Tlingits out. Rezenoff, a Russian representative of the Czar was sent
to Sitka sometime later to arrest and remove Baranoff. Instead Rezenoff
was won over by the charm and humanity of the simple Baranoff. Baranoff
was busy in the ensuing years investigating trade and industry possibilities
for Sitka. Shipbuilding, expeditions to hunt California sea otters, a
sawmill, charcoal-making, four mills, and a foundry. The only dependable
industry proved to be fishing. In 1818 Baranoff set sail for Russia in
the Kutusof, dying on board at Batavia and buried in the Indian Ocean.
The onion-domed St. Michael's Cathedral was built in 1848 by Bishop Innocent. Baranoff's successors were Russian gentlemen with manners and breeding, but no vision. What Sitka needed was new industry and development as fur-bearing animals were hunted near extinction. Slowly Sitka drifted to decay due to lack of interest, finance, or other support from Mother Russia. In the meantime gold had been discovered and it was clear that Britain and America wanted Alaska. Rumours of an American purchase of Alaska abounded. On October 18, 1867 the U.S.S. Ossipee to join the John L. Stephens. That afternoon the Russian flag was lowered and the American flag was raised. New Archangel became Sitka. The United States neglected Sitka until 1879, when it finally sent a navy gunboat to Alaska to give protection to the local citizens. Prior to that time, it was the Canadians who had to send a gunboat periodically to protect the locals from native uprisings. With no official local government, there was no official law and hence murderers, robbers, and shysters of all kinds went free. By 1912 Sitka acquired legal standing as a civil government and the navy withdrew. It's fishing industry grew although slowly the government removed to Juneau, which became the new capital of territorial Alaska. |
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