Sitka Alaska

The area was originally settled by the native Tlingit Indians. Old Sitka was founded in 1799 by Alexandr Baranov, the governor of Russian America. Baronov arrived under the auspices of the Russian-American Company, a "semi-official" colonial trading company chartered by Czar Paul I.
• In 1802 a group of Tlingit destroyed the original establishment (an area today called the "Old Harbor") and massacred most of the Russian inhabitants. Baranov was forced to levy 10,000 rubles in ransom for the safe return of the surviving settlers.
• Baranov returned to Sitka in 1804 with a large contingent of Russians and Aleuts aboard the Russian warship Neva. The ship bombarded the native's village for six days, forcing the Tlingits to retreat into the surrounding forest.
• Following their victory at the "Battle of Sitka" the Russians established a permanent settlement in the form of a fort. In 1808, with Baranov still governor, Sitka was designated the capital of Russian America.
  • Sitka was the site of the ceremony in which the Russian flag was lowered and the United States flag raised after Alaska was purchased by the United States in 1867.
• Sitka would serve as the capital of the Alaska Territory until 1906, when the seat of government was relocated south to Juneau.

Sitka Today:
The waters around Sitka are famous for the presence of large populations of humpback whales, which sometimes breach and spin before crashing back to the water. Each November the town celebrates "Whale Fest" at the peak of the October-January southern migration of the 40-ton cetaceans, the greatest in Southeast Alaska. Nearby St. Lazaria Island, a seabird haven (part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge) is a home to puffins, petrels, and many other birds. The town's Alaska Raptor Center treats some 200 injured eagles and other raptors annually.


Sitka Author – John Straley:
The best writer you've probably never heard of. Straley's poetic prose weaves a tale as unique as the northern landscape. In his sixth novel in the Cecil Younger series, "Straley's done the impossible: he's reinvented the private eye novel." — The Denver Post. Straley has worked as a secretary, horseshoer, wilderness guide, trail crew foreman, millworker, machinist and private investigator. John's first book, The Woman Who Married a Bear, won the Shamus Award for the Best First Mystery of that year. His third book, The Music of What Happens, won the Spotted Owl Award for Best Northwest Mystery. www.johnstraley.com


Sportfishing:
The most important three species are king and coho (silver) salmon and halibut. Coho are abundant in the area, and King salmon numbers have improved substantially in recent years. The best halibut fishing is further from Sitka. Red snapper, lingcod and other saltwater species are available. Dolly Varden, rainbow, steelhead, and brook trout are found in Sitka area freshwater streams.

Flightseeing:
Depart the Sitka waterfront and immediately enter the lush wilderness of the Tongass National Forest with an experienced Alaska bush pilot. Whether you want to land on a mountain lake, fly over fjords, view glaciers and wildlife or just enjoy the phenomenal and breathtaking beauty of the last frontier. Scheduled services are also available to Prince of Wales, Ketchikan, and Wrangell.

Sources for some text above Wikipedia and JohnStraley.com