Redoubt St. Archangel Michael / Форт Архандела Михаила

In 1779, Alexander Baranov, future Chief Manager of Russian America arrived at the island which today is one of the many sites and places named after him. He was sent by Grigori Shelikhov to search for more sea otters as they had already started to deplete around Kodiak by then²⁰⁸. Baranov was also off to find location to establish a new outpost.

He met Tlingit people near modern Sitka and negotiated with them the right to set up the outpost there. He was granted permission, but it was not until 1799, when the operatives of freshly founded Russian-American Company laid down their first construction. An official ceremony celebrating incorporation of new territories into Russian empire took place early next year²⁰⁹. A possession plate and a crest were buried in the ground as part of the ceremony. This way, Russian settlers officially declared taking this land into their possession. Baranov himself was not present during the ceremony. The new settlement

203 T. Gamble/Y. Anatsees, Shux’aa Naxh Lingit Aani Aya, Sheet’ka – From the beginning Sitka is Lingit Land, [in:]

Over the Near Horizon. Proceedings of the 2010 International Conference on Russian America, ed. J. Dusty Kidd, Sitka 2013, pp. 227-228.

204 S. Kan, Memory Eternal: Tlingit Culture and Russian Orthodox Christianity through Two Centuries, Seattle and London 2015, p. 3.

205 An interview with Chuck Miller, conducted online by Kacper Dziekan on November 5^th, 2021.

206 S. Kan, op, cit., p. 3.

207 C. L. Andrews, The Story of Sitka. The Historic Outpost of the Northern Coast, Seattle 2010, p. 28.

208 A. V. Grinev, Russian Colonization of Alaska. Preconditions, Discovery, and Initial Development, 1741-1799, Lincoln 2018, p. 210.

209 L. T. Black, Russians in Alaska. 1732 – 1867, Fairbanks 2004, p. 155-156.

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was under the command of one of his men – Vasili Medvednikov. Even though the initial relations between the Russian party and indigenous peoples were correct, the tensions started to emerge very quickly. Tlingit people were trading with American and English sailors who would anchor their vessels in close proximity of Sitka harbour. Several Tlingit leaders were not exactly in favour of Russian permanent presence on their land²¹⁰. Eventually, after months of various situations, both friendly and hostile, the latter prevailed. A group of Tlingit warriors from Kiks.ádi clan led by the chief Katlian attacked the Russian outpost in 1802²¹¹. This skirmish is known as the first battle of Sitka. The settlement was seized by the Tlingit and destroyed. It brought the end to the Redoubt St.

Archangel Michael.

An Interpretive panel at the Old Sitka State Historical Park - photo by K. Dziekan

210 Ibidem, p. 156.

211 A. V. Grinev, The Tlingit Indians in Russian America, 1741 – 1867, Lincoln (Nebraska) 2005, p. 119.

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Today, the site is known as the Old Sitka and holds a status of National Historic Landmark, which it received in 1963 and was later reaffirmed in 2009²¹². Old Sitka is operated as State Historical Park²¹³. There are no material remains of the former settlement.

Most of the buildings and constructions were destroyed during the Katlian’s attack and the rest decayed throughout the following decades. However, the buried possession plate was found. Not only does it remain the only large example of material memory of first Russian settlement on Baranov Island, but it also bears a very strong symbolic meaning given the purpose of its creation. The plate belongs to Sitka National Historical Park and is exhibited in one of the sites belonging to the park – the Bishop’s House. There were also several other small items (such as nails, hooks, or spikes) found during several excavations that were conducted at the site in 1930s. The full records of those findings were collected in 1958 by the National Park Service historian George A. Hall²¹⁴. Those items are scattered through various institutions and locations.

Once the Old Sitka was recognized as a National Historic Landmark, the idea to turn it into a memory site came up already in 1963. The whole Sitka was preparing for a centennial of Alaska sale, which was due in 4 years. Sitka Centennial Committee was established to oversee the preparation. This body appointed an initiative group to create a visitor center at Old Sitka, which would combine its role of preserving heritage, promoting tourism, and developing local transportation system. One of the group members, Romaine Hardcastle, a Sitka local, described their plans in a letter to the Superintendent of Sitka &

Glacier Bay National Monuments: It is intended that the building will serve as a tourist information center and waiting room as well as provide a means by which the ferry passenger who does not have the time or inclination to take the trip into town can have at least a glimpse of Sitka’s heritage. It is planned to include a Russian Tea Room complete with steaming Samovars and delicacies of the era; a choice group of prepared and packed

212 Sitka’s National Historic Landmarks. A Window into Alaska’s Past, a booklet by The National Park Service-Alaska Regional Office, National Historic Landmarks Program, ed. J. Clemens, Sitka (Alaska) 2013, p. 7.

213 Old Sitka State Historical Park - http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/southeast/oldsitkaahp.htm [access: February 16^th, 2022].

214 George A. Hall, Letter to Warner T. May of Bureau of Land Management, Sitka & Glacier Bay National Monuments, September 14th, 1958, Archives of Sitka National Historical Park, SITK 26369 SNM Record Collection_Series IV_Box 016_File Unit 035.

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native foods along with locally made jams and jellies and select curios will also be offered²¹⁵. Although such a visitor center was never created, it is interesting to note that the site was intended to depict a certain type of a melted Tlingit-Russian-American cultural representation.

The key emphasis seems to be laid on tourism and enhancing Sitka’s touristic potential.

Old Sitka is located around 7 miles north from today’s town of Sitka²¹⁶. As there is no material culture left of its past, the history is told through interpretive panels. The panels were prepared by the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, a unit responsible for park management within the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, a state department.

The panels present the story of Tlingit presence and ownership over the lands, Russian arrival, and the mutual relations between the two parties. Finally, one panel is dedicated to the Tlingit-Russian conflict, which resulted in a battle that led to the destruction of the Russian outpost. The site does note play an important role in Sitka’s memory culture. This is a result of its location outside of town, small significance for local community and lack of material remains. Besides, there is a large number of other sites, rich with material culture and historical significance within the town itself.

215 R. Hardcastle, memorandum to the Superintendent, Sitka & Glacier Bay National Monuments, November 12th, 1963, Archives of Sitka National Historical Park, SITK 26369 SNM Record Collection_Series IV_Box 017_File Unit 037.

216 J. D. McMahon, T. L. Dilliplane, A. V. Kharinsky, V. V. Tikhonov, J. Kinsman, S. Thorsen, The Assessment of Data Potential for Select Colonial Russian Sites in Sitka: Results of Cooperative American-Russian Investigations in Conjunction with the 2010 International Conference on Russian America, [in:] Over the Near Horizon. Proceedings of the 2010 International Conference on Russian America, ed. J. Dusty Kidd, Sitka 2013, p. 280.

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An Interpretive panel at the Old Sitka State Historical Park - photo by K. Dziekan

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An Interpretive panel at the Old Sitka State Historical Park - photo by K. Dziekan