Sitka City is a city located on the west side of Baranof Island in the Alexander Archipelago of the Pacific Ocean (part of the Alaska Panhandle), in the state of Alaska. The borough seat is Sitka, the only incorporated section. Sitka, the "First City of Alaska," is the state's fourth-largest in terms of population. The name Sitka means "People on the Outside of Shee," being the Tlingit name for Baranof Island. The town is often referred to as "Sitka-by-the-Sea."
St. Lazaria Island
is just one of the 2,500 islands throughout
Alaska that comprise the Alaska Maritime
Wildlife Refuge. It was originally designated as
a "refuge for seabirds" in 1909, but received
official wilderness designation from congress in
1970. It was added to the Alaska Maritime
National Wildlife Refuge in 1980. It is a
popular day boat-trip for Sitka's or a place to
cruise around for fishermen already in the area.
It is clearly visible from Mt. Edgecumbe.
The
Isabel Miller Museum is the city
museum of Sitka, Alaska. The
museum is located in the
Harrigan Centennial Hall, in
downtown Sitka. Its collection
focuses on Sitka's history from
the Tlingit people, through the
European explorations and
Russian era and after. The
museum's exhibits include the
time period when Sitka was
effectiv-ely the capitol of the
U.S. Alaska district, through
the development of Sitka's
Mission School, which became
Sheldon Jackson College, the
discover of gold on nearby
Chichagof Island, the Flight
Around the World Sitka stopover,
fox farming on the islands
surrounding Sitka, and World War II's impact on Sitka. The museum
also has large collections and
archives not on display and
archives, accessible my staff
for research purposes.