Information for tourists considering a trip to Alaska including facts about Sitka National Historical Park and The Alaska State Museum.
Alaska is an awesome place to visit and there are numerous ways you can tour this beautiful state. Whether you chose to observe the land from the sky via an airplane tour or take in the beauty of Alaska's lakes, rivers and oceans on a boat tour, the effect is still one you will never forget. Sightseeing by motorcoach, car or by hiking through the snow and ice by way of an icefield tour, are wonderful choices as well.
In any case one site of historical value you won't want to miss is Sitka National Historical Park. This park is Alaska's oldest federally designated park. It was established in 1910 to commemorate the 1804 Battle of Sitka. which was the last great battle between the Europeans and the Natives of the area.
The only remains from the battle are the Tlingit Fort and battlefield itself. There is also a Russian Bishop's House, a log structure from 1843 located within this scenic 107-acre park. Here the legacy of Russian America is told through exhibits. The refurbished Bishop's living quarters and extravagant icons in the Chapel of the Annunciation are sights worth seeing.
In this temperate rain forest setting tourist travel along the coastal trail, which circles back along Indian River to the visitor center. Discoveries of Southeast Alaskan totem poles along the trail are a delightful addition to a hikers day. Another loop trail continues across the Indian River footbridge and past the Memorial to the Russian Midshipmen who died in the Battle of Sitka.
The oldest museum in Alaska is also located in Sitka. The Sheldon Jackson Museum is also the first concrete building in the state of Alaska. . The building was registered with the National Historical Register in 1972 and may very well be as old as some of the items inside the museum. The museum is small and octagonal in structure, housing an extensive collection of artifacts started by Rev. Dr. Sheldon Jackson.
Jackson was a Presbyterian missionary who collected artifacts for preservation of the Alaskan culture. He served as General Agent for Education in Alaska in the 1890s making annual trips to Alaska, and acquiring nearly 5,000 items during his many travels. Among the artifacts on display in the museum are Tlingit, Eskimo, Aleut and Athabaskan baskets, Eskimo masks, totems and fine hand-sewn traditional clothing items. These items are from several different native cultures in Alaska.
A few of the favorite pieces in the collection of visitors include full-size kayaks and a beautiful collection of argillite carvings. These sculptures are carved from a glowing black rock unique to the Queen Charlotte Islands.
The intimate setting of the museum invites visitors to take their time viewing the many exhibits. Small artifacts such as jewelry and traditional toys are stored in glass-covered drawers. These types of displays allow visitors a closer view of various items.
The museum is also the host to frequent Native art demonstrations. Highly skilled Native artists from throughout Alaska demonstrate their individual talents as part of the Native Artist Demonstrators program. Tourists can view demonstrations of totem carving, mask making, ivory and silver carving, basket weaving and other native skills.
Another must see Alaskan site would be The Alaska State Museum. This museum is charged with collecting and interpreting a large quantity of historical items. The museum is another point of interest that offers a variety of permanent exhibits.
Their galleries include exhibitions on Alaska's Native peoples on the first floor of the two-story structure in the Museum's ethnographic galleries. The tour begins with an insightful learning experience for visitors into the various Alaskan cultures of the Aleut, Eskimo, Athabaskan and Northwest Coast peoples.
One outstanding exhibit in the Aleut gallery is a collection of baskets woven from fine strips of beach grass. The weaving is so fine it has been compared to linen. On exhibit are also a tiny thimble basket, a woven card case, a bentwood Aleut hunting hat, kayak models and purses made from gut.
The Museum features another exhibit honoring the Athabaskan people. Among the fascinating pieces in this collection are masks, arrows, snowshoes, a birch bark canoe, and traditional baskets and bear spears.
The Eskimo gallery contains a 34-feet-long umiak, which is a style of boat used by the Eskimo's. Eskimo hunting and fishing implements made of ivory, bone; wood and metal are on display as well. Visitors learn more about Eskimo life viewing native drums made of animal skin and traditional clothing, such as parkas made of bird skins and ground squirrel. A traditional-style kayak is on display and information on the styles of kayaks made throughout the area is available.
In the Natural History area of the Alaska State Museum, a life-sized eagle tree overwhelms visitors. The eagle tree diorama contains both young and mature eagles, and a variety of small birds from the Southeast region of Alaska. To the delight of visitors this exhibit includes a brown bear and her cub. A circular ramp that surrounds the tree leads to the second floor of the museum.
The Russian America portion of the museum represents the Alaska of the 1700's when Russian explorers first came to the land. Items on display include sea otter furs that first enticed traders and hunters to the area. Russia's reign in Alaska lasted more than 125 years until they sold the territory to the United States in 1867 for over 7 million dollars. The Russian exhibits include a caftan and hat believed to have been presented to a Native chieftain by a Russian governor and a Russian imperial crest of a double-headed eagle, a large samovar and many other interesting artifacts from the early Russian era.
The American Period of Alaska's history section of the museum contains numerous natural resources discovered in Alaska. These displays include elements of fisheries, timber, minerals and oil. One room in particular is dedicated to the mining trade. This exhibit includes mining equipment and minerals found in Alaskan mines. Another display representing nautical history contains a massive lens used in a lighthouse, and ship models.
Visiting The Children's Room of the museum spark the imagination of children of all ages. The centerpiece of the children's room is a one-third-scale model of the stern of the ship Discovery. Capt. George Vancouver used this ship, during his famous explorations of Alaska. There are also dress-up clothes and natural history exhibits in The Children's Room.
The Alaska State Museum offers visitors the opportunity to view the entire state of Alaska within its four walls.
Learning about the history of Alaska will enhance your visit to this wondrous and beautiful state.
