El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-02-26

~ITKA. Alaska, Feb 26.-Come with
me for a walk through the old
- town Of sitka. It was founded in
1922 at about the time that George
a ashington was dying at Mount YER
non. and it was a thriving manufac-
turing center, building ships and max
ing bells. plows, picks and spades when
the indians were still hunting deer on
the site of Chicago. For more than 100
years IL was the capital of Alaska, and
the center Of its commerce, explora-
ton and modern development.
Situated here in the Panhandle. about
As far north of Seattle as Minneapolis
Is north Of New orleans. it was selected
bv the Russians as the seat Of their
government and as chief home OF the
officials and traders sent out by the
car to what was then Russian Amer
lea Sitka was the capital OF Alaska
when we bought the territory, and II
was here that the country was formally
transferred TO the United states. AFTER
that II remained the capital Tor almost
20 wears, and IL was not until ABOUT
ten years ago that the seat OF govern
rnent was transferred to Juneau Where
Il IS now
mild Climate, Beautiful Surrounding
Lacking at Sitlka as il is today, one
does not wonder that the Russians
chose IT as their chlet place OF -
Mild as that Of Baltimore OF fNich-
,nond. and its surroundings are SO
beautiful that Il will some Gay De d
Mace of permanent residence Ior
tired CAPITALISTS, and a summer r GsGi -
~ a. situated on Baran Island, Wlt .nai
sborf distance OF the open PaclIlS.
II lies on a little bay at the mourn
~ = fast-lowing river. in the arena
~ IN amphitheater OF snoW-clao NJ - ~,
fsins. The waters in front OF IL nav NV
scores Of small wooded lsl4nus, "a, a.
All about il the hills rise 10 the clO W.
one Of the mountains is known as tne
fToIv Cross from q figure OF the cross
q nernetual snow which shows OUT
near Its summit This is Mt Nerst0Vla VIA
10 bae a mantle Of white throughout
~ ~ IL, Inter INT in the summer the snow
SiSanpeara, with the exception OF TINS
s-fgantic cross painted by the ringer OF
God upon q background OF green.
hootber mountain is Edgecombe, on
fhe island OF Kruzof. over the way,
MI Tdrecombe is an extinct volcano
a. regular and as beautiful in its out
lines as Fujiyama, in Japan II was
one ~ the first Of the landmarks DIS
covered bv Capt Cook when ne sailed
Through these waters IN lifb'
Lies in n Cove
ei+ts lies on a cove in the hills. The
eregcent shore is rocky and the cove
fs rolling, but everything IS covered
with green. At one side OF the toNa
are lyrass-clad hills Whlch rise dinloSe
straight up from the water. That was
fhe site OF the Baranof castle, where
the Russian governor lived and there
TODAY Is the headquarters Of the agri-
cultural experiment station OF which
Prof. Georgenson is the chief
To the left Of the cliffs as you enter
the harbor are the wharves. with the
main business street, named after pres
ident Lincoln, running back from them
and farther down the cove is a long
row Of two and three story houses. with
many flagstaffs rising above them.
That is the indian settlement. The
town has altogether something like
4. 900 Indians, and we shall see Indians
everywhere as we move through the
streets II has also about 500 whites,
Their houses are along the main street
and back from IL on both sides, cover
ing the greater part OF the cove.
The houses of Sitka are old and new.
There are residences that would not |
be out of place in any American city |
OF three times its size. and there are |
log buildings 100 years old, which /
were built in the days Of the Russians. !
There is one great warehouse Of logs /
20 carefully fitted together that you /
could not put a knife blade Between I
them. The logs are each two or three l
feet in diameter. That building was a |
warehouse at the time we took over
The territory. and in the days of Rus ]