Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1891-11-18
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6itkA. the Alaskan capital. Is = peace
full village ON the Barano6 Island Once
Il was wide-swai<e Russian town
with its celebrated Baranoff castle.
where tho ''tip-a-bob" of the Russian
nobility We'd with those of the mothes
country in their lavish hospitality. elab-
crate dinners and princcly balls The
old Barnnoffs lived high They enriched
themselves with the furs of the land
and subsistcd on tho appropriations Of
the crown Then the Russian American
company. with charter similar in many
respects TO the Hudson Bay Co. barter.
ed with the Indiana. and became opu-
lent and powerful. while poor Lo"
rot the experience. Now from tho
sleepy. picturesque village nesting nj
the foot of austcre. snow-cappe1 noun.
tains one looks ont over the beautiful
ward 10 the broad Pacific. On either
aide Mounts Edgecumbe and verstovis,
extinct volcanoes, with their snowfall.
ed craters, stand guard as sentinels,
their sides still marked and crossed
with strcalxs of hardened red lava Lin.
gering in the tower of the deserted old
castle we could but think how hard ID
must have been for the loyal son- :.
Russian Alaska TO SEQ their flag dip to
the Stars and Stripes, whom on that
memorial BILE day. October rs. 1867. we
fArtx,.1lx- x1DsxaaSfnv.
persuader of 81, zoo, 900 having proved
too tempting bait for Russia's dcplea
cd treasury
In the last forty-six years only once
has the mercury ut Sitka registered be-
low zero. Certain IL is that the climate
IL never severe. and though northwnrd
at Fort Yukon, where the elements
hold high carnival. tho thermometer
falls to fifty-cight degrees below zero,
the Japanese current 30 tempers the air
along tho southern coast that Mt Silks
an ovcrcoat II rarely needed Indeed,
the mild and beautiful summer days
tempt the traveller to rest awhile and
watch the lingering twilights rs they
almost blend their brilliant colors with
the morrow's coming sun. The rain, n
raineth every day. and clears away AZ
easily. proving q continued blessing TO
tho wild flowers which bloom In great
profusion. Tho vivid greene of the
nosses and ferns and unusual size of
tho leaves with the rank growth gen.
orally, bespeak the exceptional rainfall
of over fifty-five inches year.
Sitka boasts at present of some 1, 500
people, 300 or I. 900 Of whom are Indians
and tho balance evenly divided between
Russians and Americans Wandering
down the principal street In fact the
only one of tho town. you pass several
old Russian structures used for court
house. barracks and government ffices
ewo or three general stores. and few
story -and-half cottages. Tho Greek
church with its gourd-sbaped tower
and green roof Is the center of
attraction The Russians expend $780,
600 year In tho support of their
churches and missions In Alaska. and
tho chimes of three little brass bells In
the Sitka church. which we did NOT
hear, arc said to have n melody for NIL
Americans who respect the Sabbath.
The interest In Alaskan Indian life
naturally centers here, and tho ranch
erie ut one end of the town has q
strange, sefni-civilised appearance The
houseA many of them white washed,
arc set at all angles, and tho canoes
drawn up on tho beech In front are COW
cred with blankets of various colors.
Boards covered with bright salmon dry
Ing lie In the sun, cared for by squaws,
whose bronze faces, set off with . gray
red or yellow kerchief. are tempting
studies for the numerous artists. Tho
houses are all mum bered In even hun.
dreds. Mrs Tom, the queen of Indian
town. lives at No. o7oo. while next door
may be No. $500 or No. 100 without re-
gard to numerical precision. Mrs. Tom
II great authority among the Siwash.
and. though reputed worth $40. 600.
chiefly In blankets. she still desceuds
70 tho sale of q bracelet on the gala oc-
casion when excursion steamers arrive
mt Sitka- Legends are To DO heard for
the asking, and the thread of many n
bear, raven or seal story Is woven
around ancient Edgecumbe; while let
tered on one of the Indian houses In the
sign, "Elish Ltolein, head of n large
family of orthodox Christians. -
Springfield Republican.