Sitka Museums & Cultural Centers
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Museums, Cultural Centers
Dr. Sheldon Jackson, museum founder, had the distinction of serving in three pioneer fields during the late 1800s, founding Protestant missions and schools, establishing the public school system, and introducing domestic reindeer. In his travels he reached many sections of Alaska, as well as the coast of Siberia, gathering the majority of the artifacts now seen in the museum. Located on the campus of Sheldon Jackson College, the museum was… ...more
Walking the streets of Sitka, you may find it hard to believe that this quiet coastal community was once the hub of the West Coast: a center for trade, diplomacy, and the arts. When San Francisco had less than 10 residents, Sitka was home to 800 Russians, Europeans, Tlingits, and Aleuts. The oldest town on the West Coast, it was the capital of Russian America — called New Archangel — and was booming from the early 1800s through the United States’… ...more
Explore a large, scale model of Sitka from 1867, the year the Russians transferred the Territory to the United States. View exhibits on traditional Tlingit lifestyles and see a collection of tightly woven cedar and spruce root baskets. Or learn about the town blackouts and a large-scale military buildup in Sitka during World War II. The museum is the only place in Sitka that includes all three elements of the town’s history – Tlingit, Russian… ...more
This is a fun little treasure hunt for kids. The money tree isn’t marked, but it’s near the start of the Totem Trail. Look for a tree stump, about a foot and half tall, that’s filled with coins. Where the branches have broken off, there are coins in the little holes. People have been putting coins in this tree for over 50 years; if you can find the tree, join the tradition!