| Summary: | Caption on mount: Judge Battle. Indian River. On verso of image: Judge Battle on bridge at lover's lane, Sitka. Bridge over Indian River. Filed in Alaska--Cities--Sitka Sitka is located on the west coast of Baranof Island, 95 miles southwest of Juneau. Sitka was originally inhabited by a major Tlingit Indian tribe, who called the village "Shee Atika." Russian explorer Vitus Bering arrived with his expedition in 1741, and in 1799 the site became known by the Russian invaders as "New Archangel." Alexander Baranov, manager of the Russian-American company, built St. Michael's Redoubt trading post and fort here, but the Tlingits, leery that submission to the Russians would make them slave labor to the fur trade company, burned down the fort and looted the warehouse in 1802. The Russians retaliated in 1804, destroying the Tlingit fort in the Battle of Sitka. After this last major stand against the Russians, the Tlingits evacuated the area until about 1822. By 1808, Sitka was the capital of Russian Alaska. Baranov served as governor from 1790 through 1818. During the mid-1800s, Sitka was the major port on the North Pacific coast, with ships of many nations calling. Furs were exported for markets in Europe and Asia, and salmon, lumber and ice were exported to Hawaii, Mexico and California. After the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, Sitka remained the capital of the Alaska Territory until 1906, when the seat of government moved to Juneau. Presbyterian missionary Sheldon Jackson started a school, and in 1878 Sitka became the site of one of the first canneries in Alaska. Gold mining in the early 1900s contributed to the area's growth. 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, some of the buildings were converted to become Mt. Edgecumbe High School, a boarding school serving Alaska Natives from throughout the state. The U.S. Coast Guard now maintains the air station and other facilities on the island. Pulp mill operations begun at Silver Bay in 1960 closed in 1993. [Source: http://www.inalaska.com/d/sitka/history.html]
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