A Sitka Sunday Stroll

Most days driving cab here in Sitka I drive across this suspension bridge many times--- which links Baranof Island (1607 square miles--slightly smaller than the state of Delaware)) with the much smaller Japonski Island where the airport is located. The name Baranof was given to the island in 1805 by Imperial Russian Navy captain U. F. Lisianski to honor Alexander Andreyevich Baranov, chief manager of the Russian-American fur trading Company. Baranof Island hosts the highest mountain in the Alexander Archipelago, and is the eighth largest island in Alaska, the tenth largest island in the United States, and the 137th largest island in the world.

The first European settlement on island was established in 1799 by Alexandr Baranov, Chief Manager and first Governor of the Russian-American Company. Baranov Island was the center of Russian activity in North America during the period from 1804–1867 and was the headquarters of the Russian fur-trading interest.

On sunny days I would look out at the views from the bridge as I drove across and would think "I need to walk out on the bridge and take some pics for the blog" --well today I finally did that.

About here on the bridge my passengers (if they are new to Sitka) usually exclaim, "It is so beautiful here!"

Many of the small islands in the bay have homes on them...

From the other side you have great views of the town and the boat harbors...

Docks in the harbor are looking pretty empty because salmon trolling season opened July 1st--so everyone is out fishing....

Coast Guard buoy tender docked

Sealing Harbor on Japaonski Island

Sitka's location was originally settled by the Tlingit people over 10,000 years ago. As I walked home, I passed the Tlingit Tribel House--the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi Community House. "The Sitka Tribe of Alaska is Sitka’s Federally Recognized Tribal government with an enrollment of over 4000 tribal citizens, many of whom still live in Sitka, which has a population of 8,773."

And then I walked past the Pioneer's Home....Listed in the National Register of Historical Places, The Sitka Pioneer Home was opened in a derelict U.S. Marine Corps barracks in 1913 on a $10,000 budget. The home struggled financially until the 1930s, when the federal and territorial governments appropriated around $400,000 to replace the dilapidated and fire-prone buildings, creating a new home capable of caring for 170 men. In 1949, upon mandate from the territorial legislature, an expansion was constructed, with women permitted to be taken under care. Currently the home is the 3rd largest residential old folks home in Alaska and can house 65 residents. The sculpture you see here in the photo is entitled The Prospector, sculpted by the late Alonzo Victor Lewis. The sculpture was supposed to be modeled after real-life pioneer William "Skagway Bill" Fonda.

Some days I give residents of the home rides in my cab, and I always try to get them talking since they are usually wonderful repositories of Alaskan history, and interesting older folks.