The Alaska daily empire., 1920-08-16
SlTKA WAITS
 116 YEARS. TO
 BECOME CITY
Rev. Kashevaroff Gives His tory of Alaska s Oldest
 Settlement ..,,,
(Ry Rev. A. P, kasheyaroff. )

Sitka. ll6 years of age, has becofne
 first class incorporated towh To
 one acquainted with it's history and
 traditions this event in. her history
 seems to bean upon the beauty of
 the old picturesque village. In lUok-
 ing back some 60 or '7O years icaai
 see the life and hustle of the i'm
 portant town of the North. West 1 Coast of America
 The castle and the, forts stand so prominently before my minds eye. Sixty SrnS are looking at the bay and the Indian village. and about S7 guns are stored away in the ar senals and ohcr places. The work abont tho town and vicinity is lively Flour mills, two in number. are grinding the grain brought from Cali fornia. Saw mills, buzzing with 20 or 30 saws, are cutting out blanks and timbars for the ships and houses
 and brass and iron foundries pour | molten metal that is formed into | can1ons and bells Men in machine shops are busy repairing instruments for nautical use or fashioning new parts for ships. Engines are being repaired for steamboats. Ships are
 being repaired.
 Best Shpyards in Northwest History states that the first bell ! weighing 203 pounds, was, made, fpg. lst he Kodiak church uhdet 'fh4 tbeF sonal supervision of Alexander Bar ,anoff. Other bells. in later years, ! were shipped to San Francisco An
 American by the name of Lincoln
 built the first ship at Sitka. Later,
 many ships were built and repaired in the shlpyard. One steam tug was
 made in which every part. to the ! last screw. was made at Sitka. Tek- hmenief says that it was remarkable that During Baron Wrangells ad ministration. besides many ships that
 were built in Sitka, an American ship, Lady Wrangell was entirely rebuilt there" He says also that from 1929 to 1897 and later there
 was not a place on the whole North west coast of America where foreign ships could find ia' satisfactory place l in which to get work done upon their ships except at Sitka with it's first
 class shops equipped with all the necessary skilled workmen and where
 they could get anything for their ships.
 Ice Sent To San Francisco
 Besides the very lucrative trade in furs. the Russians furnished ice to California Thousands of tons of ice
 were cut and shipped to. San Fran
 cisco yearly.
 There were well equipped hospitals land surgeons and doctors. Sir
 George Simpson. in his account of his voyage to Sitka says: "In it's
 works. and in short. Tn all the re- quisite appointments, the hospital in
 question would be no disgrace toI
 England"
 Stka Was Social Center
 Society was composed of officials of the Russian American Company whose services required their resi- dence in the town The Governor. of course. was the principal person. age, then his staff. the military and the naval officers with the captains of the ships. the clerks and the rest of tho office employees composed tho unper class. There were state dinners st which as many as co persons sat down at one time. Balls
 we~n quite stately and numerous
 There were grand weddings and the celebration Of birthdays and name days Baron Wrangell's wife was the first mistress of the Governors house who came from Russia. After the transfer of the Territory to the
 United States the gay life continued, only in a milder form, though the old castle was used as the place where the more laborate affairs were given. During the military occupation and during the United States naval regime. Silks was stili the center of society's life in Alaska. When the naval vessels were re moved from the Alaskan waters. the
 civil officers, with their wives, came to continue the traditiohai elite society of Sitka. Gradually
 these departed and Sitka lost the | past grandeur and became just | small. sleepy country town. but yet
 rnplete with much historical mater
 ial. Her scenic beauty is stii'
 he