We all know how Americans and most of the World feel about Russia after their invasion of Ukraine back in 2014 and even more when they invaded in 2022 but Sitka was actually under Russian rule from 1799 all the way until Alaska was purchased by the United States in 1867. The Alaska Purchase was a huge deal for America as they purchased over 660,000 square miles of area for just $7.2 million dollars ($150 million in today’s dollar). Sitka was originally settled by the Tlingit people but there is very little known about their history so the first records we have come from Russian settlers in 1799. They named the area Fort of Archangel Michael.
Population: 8,458
Elevation: 26ft (8m)
Village Website: City of Sitka
Things to Do
- Alaska Raptor Center
- Sitka National Historic Park/Totem Park
- Fortress of the Bear
- St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral
- Sheldon Jackson Museum
- Harbor Mountain Trail
- Baranof Castle State Historical Site
- Herring Cove Trail
- Sitka Sound Science Center
