Sitka, Alaska

From the Alaska Experience Travel Guide to Alaska: http://www.videosource.com for stock footage and complete Alaska Travel Guide info Transcript: Travelling from St. Petersburg to Sitka Cruising Alaska on an Alaskan Cruise "As the marine highway winds its way north , it stops At many small towns along the way. For towns like wrangell, The ferry is the main link with the outside world. Locals use it for visits to other towns along the Route and of course tourists and adventure seekers Use the ferry to get to jumping off points such as this. After the wrangell narrows, the bright And beautiful town of petersburg beams a velkomen -- which means welcome in norwegian. And the people of this town mean it! The clear cold water and stately fjords on this extreme Tip of mitdof island reminded peter buschmann so much Of his native norway that he settled here. Other scandanavians joined him and built petersburg -- An alaskan town with a distinctly european flavor. as in other towns of the inside passage, the people of Petersburg make their living from the forest and the sea. the traditional norwegian art of rosemaling Decorates buildings as it does in norway. Even the painted Shutters here recall that other much loved place On waters far away. On days like this when the clouds part and the Snow-bright mountains appear, petersburg is a Place that's hard to leave. But the marine highway goes on and another beautiful city with a different history awaits. Sitka rests at the foot of spruce covered mountains and overlooks The blue waters of the sound where a chain of small wooded islands repeats the endlessly lovely theme of forests meeting sea. this desirable setting has made sitka one of history's Prizes. Sitka began as a tlingit indian village until the russian alexander baranoff, the commander of a fur hunting Party, built a fort here in 1799. The tlingit indians Rebelled and in a surprise attack destroyed the fort. baranoff retreated to return with warships and Decisively defeated the tlinget. This plaque marks the Site of the battle. Baranof then built a castle on this Hill but only the cannon remains today. Sitka soon became a flourishing town. It was here that the russian flag was lowered in 1867 when the united States bought all of alaska from russia for the then Outrageous price of $7.2 million dollars. Sitka became The capital of the new territory until the early 1900's when it was moved to Juneau. Timber, fishing, and government keep sitka thriving - And tourism is growing. St. Michaels, with it's onion Dome is one of the finest examples of rural russian architecture. When this 150 year old church burned down in 1966, The townspeople saved the doors and priceless icons And rebuilt the church exactly. This stately building is the first of five homes the state of alaska has built for its older citizens. The old pioneers home honors the original settlers of alaska and the Statue of the old pioneer was modelled after "skagway" bill Fonda. The sheldon jackson museum houses an excellent collection of antique and modern indian artifacts And totem poles. In its own way this native art is a forceful and graphic history of the events that shaped the region. Nearby, sheldon jackson college operates a salmon Hatchery which visitors can observe from viewing platforms. beyond the hatchery, the yacht harbor lies nestled in a beautiful natural harbor....... One of the reasons why sitka became the first capital of Alaska."

• published: 30 Jun 2011
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