The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-11-25
slrKA AND ITS PecuLIARlriEA
An Interesting village With Population
Decidedly Mixed.


An Interesting village with Pop1latio.
Decidedly Mixed.
Sitka, the Alaskan capital, is q peace
full village on the Baranof Island. Once
1t was wide-awakes Russian town
with its celebrated Baranoff castle,
where the ''tip-a-bob" Of the Russian
nobility wed with those Of the mother
country in their lavish hospitality, elab-
crate dinners and princely balls. Tho
old Baranoffs lived high. They enriched
themselves with the furs of the land
and subsisted on the appropriations OF
the crown Then the Russian American
company, with charter similar in many
respects to the Hudson Bay Co., barter
ed with the Indians, and became opu.
lent and powerful, while poor Lo"
got the experience. Now from the
sleepy, picturesque village nesting at
the foot of austere, snow-capped noun.
tains one looks out over tho beautiful
bay dotted with wooded islands west
ward to the broad Pacific. On either
side Mounts Edgecumbe and Verstovis.
extinct volcanoes, with their snowfall
ed craters, stand guard as sentinels,
their sides still marked and crossed
with strealSs of hardened red lava Lin.
gering in the tower of the deserted old
castle we could but think how hard it
must have been for the loyal sons Of
Russian Alaska to see their flag dip to
the Stars and Stripes when on that
memorable day, October 10, 1867, we
formally took possession, our moral
persuader of S7,2Oo,0OO having proved
too tempting bait for Russia's depict.
ed treasury.
In the last forty-six years only once
has the mercury at Sitka registered be-
low zero. Certain it is that the climate
is never severe, and though northward
at Fort Yukon, where the elements
hold high carnival. the thermometer
falls to tifty-eight degrees below zero,
the Japanese current so tempers the air
along the southern coast that at Sitka
an overcoat IS rarely needed. Indeed,
the mild and beautiful summer days
tempt the traveller to rest awhile and
watch the lingering twilights as they
almost blend their brilliant colors with
the morrow's coming sun. The rain, il
raineth every day, and clears away as
easily, proving a continued blessing tc
the wild flowers which bloom in great
profusion. The vivid greens of the
MOSES and ferns and unusual size oil
the leaves with the rank growth gen.
orally, bespeak the exceptional rainfall
of over fifty-tive inches year.
Sitka boasts at present of some /, soc
people, 500 or 1000 of whom are Indians
and the balance evenly divided between
Russians and Americans Wandering
down the principal street, in fact the
only one of the town, you pass several
Did Russian structures used for court
house, barracks and government Offices,
two or three general stores, and few
story-and-half cottages. The Greek
church with its gourd-shaped towe,
and green roof is the center OF
attraction. The Russians expend $780,.
600 year in the support of their
churches and missions in Alaska, and
the chimes of three little brass bells in
the Sitka church, which we did not
hear, are said to have a melody for al
Americans who respect the Sabbath
The interest in Alaskan Indian life
naturally centers here, and the ranch
erie at one end of the town has {
strange, semi-civilized appearance, The
houses, many of them white-washed
are set at all angles, and the canoes
drawn up on the beech in front are GOV
cred with blankets of various colors
Boards covered with bright salmon dry
ing lie in the sun, cared for by squnws
whose bronze faces, set off with gra,
red or yellow kerchief, are tempting
studies for the numerous artists. TIL
houses are all numbered in even hun
dreds. Mrs. Tom, the queen of Indian
town, lives at No. 6700, while next doc
may be No $500 or No. 100 without re
gard to numerical precision. Mrs. Ton
is great authority among the Siwash
and, though reputed worth $1,000
chiefly in blankets, she still descend
to the sale of bracelet on the gala oc
casion when excursion steamers arriv
at Sitsa. Legends are to be heard TO
the asking, and the thread of many
bear, raven or seal story is wove
around ancient Edgecumbe; while lei
tered on one of the Indian houses is tn
sign, "Elish Ltol1in, head of a larg
family of orthodox Christians.
Springfield Republican.