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 State of Alaska > Natural Resources > Parks and Outdoor Recreation > History and Archaeology |
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Noow Tlein (Castle Hill) was in
such a strategic position that it was the first choice for a redoubt location
when Aleksandr Baranov, Chief Manager of the Shelikhov and Russian American
Company in North America, came to Sitka in September 1799 to established
a settlement (Bancroft 1959:429; Lisiansky 1814:155; Tikhmenev 1978:75).
Baranov had constructed the Novorossiisk settlement at Yakutat Bay in 1796,
but found that the year-round ice free harbor and other conveniences of
Sitka offered a better location for a Russian settlement (Tikhmenev 1978:43,
61). Because the hill at Noow Tlein was already occupied, Baranov negotiated
with the Kiks.ádi for land six miles to the north on which to build
a small fort (Bancroft 1959:387-388; Khlebnikov 1994:1). The settlement
constructed there during 1799-1800 was named for the St. Archangel Mikhail
(Bancroft 1959:390; Khlebnikov 1994:3). After Baranov returned to Kodiak in the autumn of 1800, relationships deteriorated between the Sitka Tlingit and the Russians at the Archangel settlement, apparently encouraged by English and American traders (Bancroft 1959:397, 401). During the summer of 1802, the Sitka Tlingit attacked and burned St. Archangel Mikhail, killing 20 Russians and 130 Aleuts (Tikhmenev 1978:65). An English trading vessel rescued several survivors and transported them to Kodiak (Tikhmenev 1978:65), where they gave detailed (albeit slightly conflicting) accounts of the incident (Pierce and Donnelly 1979:134-139; Bancroft 1959:401-420). Kiks.ádi oral history related by Herb Hope states that the attack was a concerted effort of several villages (Houston and Cochrane 1992:3). The site of St. Archangel Mikhail, called "Old Sitka" after its abandonment, is presently a state park. |
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Last updated on Tuesday, 31-Mar-2009 08:45:37 AKDT.
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