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Sitka Borough
This
borough is up for adoption...
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Colleen,
State Coordinator
Sitka Borough is
located on the outer coast of Baranof Island in central Southeast Alaska.
An extinct volcano,
Mount Edgecumbe, rises 3,200 feet above the Borough. The area encompasses
2,874 square miles of land.
Sitka was originally inhabited by a major
tribe of Tlingits, who called the village "Shee Atika." It was discovered
by the Russian Vitus Bering expedition in 1741, and the site became "New
Archangel" in 1799. St. Michael's Redoubt trading post and fort were built
here by Alexander Baranof, manager of the Russian-American company.
Tlingits burned down the fort and looted the warehouse in 1802. In 1804,
the Russians retaliated by destroying the Tlingit Fort, in the Battle of
Sitka. This was the last major stand by the Tlingits against the Russians,
and the Indians evacuated the area until about 1822.
By 1808, Sitka was the capital of Russian
Alaska. Baranof was Governor from 1790 through 1818. During the mid-1800s,
Sitka was the major port on the north Pacific coast, with ships calling
from many nations. Furs destined for European and Asian markets were the
main export, but salmon, lumber and ice were also exported to Hawaii,
Mexico and California.
After the purchase of Alaska by the U.S.
in 1867, it remained the capital of the Territory until 1906, when the
seat of government was moved to Juneau. A Presbyterian missionary, Sheldon
Jackson, started a school, and in 1878 one of the first canneries in
Alaska was built in Sitka.
During the early 1900s, gold mines
contributed to its growth, and the City was incorporated in 1913. During
World War II, the town was fortified and the U.S. Navy built an air base
on Japonski Island across the harbor, with 30,000 military personnel and
over 7,000 civilians.
After the war, the BIA converted some of
the buildings to be used as a boarding school for Alaska Natives, Mt.
Edgecumbe High School. The U.S. Coast Guard now maintains the air station
and other facilities on the Island. A large pulp mill began operations at
Silver Bay in 1960.
In 1971, the City and Borough governments
were unified.
Population in 2000 was 8,835.
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