According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough is the second largest incorporated city by area in the U.S, with a total area of 4,811.5 square miles, with 2,874.0 square miles being land and 1,937.6 square miles of it, or 40.27%, being water.
Sitka
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.
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.
Transportation: Sitka is situated on Baranof Island on the outer waters of Alaska's Inside Passage, and is accessible only by air and by sea. Sitka enjoys daily jet service by Alaska Airlines from hubs such as Anchorage and Seattle. The Alaska Marine Highway ferries provide year-round service for passengers and vehicles. Sitka is also a popular port of call for most cruise lines that sail the Inside Passage. Once in Sitka, visitors can travel by foot, bicycle, rental car, shuttle, Visitor Trolley or taxi. Whether you're cruising, ferrying, and/or flying into Alaska, be sure your itinerary includes Sitka by the Sea.
Sources for some text above
Wikipedia and JohnStraley.com
