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Shore Excursion Review: Historic Russian America & Raptor Center
Sitka, Alaska
July 4, 2012
By Lisa Plotnick
When planning our day in Sitka, I weighed the pros and cons of doing an organized
tour versus exploring on our own. We knew we wanted to visit the Raptor Center, which
I learned was roughly a one-
Our cruise ship arrived in Sitka at approximately 7:00 am, and our tour was scheduled for 7:30 am to 10:30 am. Tour participants met at 6:50 am onboard our ship, and we tendered over together. (Sitka’s pier cannot accommodate large cruise ships.) Once ashore, it was easy to see where to go to meet our guide. She was wonderful—she had lived in Sitka for 22 years and Alaska for, I believe, 36. I appreciated her knowledge as we drove through Sitka, where she pointed out sites of interest along the way, including a University, the old Russian Bishop’s House, and the spot upon which Alaska was formally transferred to the United States. She also shared some personal stories about living there. Her granddaughter was also serving as a tour guide—we passed by her and her group as they were on a walking tour.
The Alaska Raptor Center was our first stop. It is renowned as a bald eagle hospital
and education center. According to its promotional material, it treats 100-
We met three bald eagles who are permanent residents. The first, HALi, is a 3-
HALi was born with a deformed beak that would have made it impossible to hunt and feed in the wild. She was found by a hiker who then alerted the Raptor Center of her location.
Another of the resident bald eagles is named Sitka. (The person who finds one gets to name him or her.) Sitka is missing a toe, also making it impossible for her to survive in the wild.
Sitka (left, with Lisa) and Volta (right)
The third is Volta, who suffered numerous injuries after flying into a power line in 1992. One of his injuries could not heal—a shoulder bone was destroyed—so he can no longer fly long distances. He is used, however, for the Alaska Air Warriors program, in which he visits classrooms across the U.S.
We also saw the flight center, an enclosed area where eagles train to regain their flying ability. There are simulations of what they’d find in their natural habitat, including trees, waterfalls, streams, ponds (and salmon for feeding). There are also areas that test their readiness to be released.
Indoor (left) and outdoor (right) rehabilitation areas
As this is a raptor center, it helps more than bald eagles. We met a red-
Red-
Next, it was back to town, where we made a stop at St. Michael’s Cathedral, the first
Russian Orthodox Cathedral in America. The original building was constructed between
1844 and 1848, and served as the Seat of the Russian Orthodox Diocese (North America)
until 1959; thereafter as the Seat of the Diocese of Alaska. There was a massive
fire in January 1966, and many artifacts were saved, although the building did not
survive. The present building is a reconstruction (and National Historic Landmark)
that was dedicated in 1976. Highlights are the ornate gold ornamentation, the large
dome above, a prayer book—singed around the edges—that was rescued from the fire,
and the three-
Exterior (left) and interior (right) of St. Michael’s Cathedral, Sitka
Numerous religious artifacts (left), including prayer book rescued from the 1966 fire (right)
Next stop was Harrigan Centennial Hall, where we saw a performance of the New Archangel Dancers. The Hall was built in 1967, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the transfer of Alaska to the United States. We saw just the auditorium—the building also contains the Sitka Historical Society Museum and a wildlife display that we didn’t see due to interests of time.
The New Archangel Dancers (the name comes from the name of Sitka when it was owned
by Russia) were formed in 1969 to preserve Russia’s dance culture. Starting with
just 8 dancers in 1969, their roster now numbers 35. The troupe consists entirely
of females, none of whom are professional dancers, yet all of whom have a passion
for Sitka’s Russian history. They did a variety of dances during the 30-
Our last stop was not on the itinerary, yet we didn’t mind as we were ahead of schedule and it was a fabulous area. We drove up to the Sitka National Historical Park where our guide showed us the totem poles outside its entrance. Totem poles are used to tell stories through pictures and symbols. These stories are usually handed down through the generations. Our guide gave us a great way to understand this. Suppose we saw a totem with the faces of three bears, a young girl, and a wolf. We’d be able to deduce that this represented the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Most often, though, the true meaning of a totem is known only to the carver—creator—it is open to interpretation.
After the tour, we had plenty of time to walk around and visit some of the sites that our guide had talked about during the bus tour of Sitka. This included Castle Hill, the site of the 1867 land transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States (for $7.2 million, or roughly 2 cents an acre). Note that there are two ways up—a ramp from Harbor Way (near the O’Connell Bridge tender dock) or via a long staircase from Lincoln Street.
Although we could have seen much of Sitka on our own, we felt that having a knowledgeable
guide was very worthwhile for our first visit. Several of our shipmates walked to
the Alaska Raptor Center and had a great time, as well. Whether to take a ship-
Lincoln Street, Sitka (St. Michael’s Cathedral in background)
Sitka, Alaska
Historic Russian America & Raptor Center