An Eagle Eye on Sitka

Sitka, Alaska

May 14, 2025

This magnificent picture of a bald eagle was taken by Karen while we were in the city of Sitka. More pictures to follow.

Fun Facts about Sitka

• It is the largest city in the United States, by area, encompassing 4,811 square miles.

• Sitka was featured in the hit US movie, “The Proposal” with Sandra Bullock, although most of the scenes of the city are actually filmed in Boston

• James Michener lived here while writing his epic novel, Alaska

• The first National Cemetery west of the Mississippi was created in Sitka

Sitka is situated on a beautiful bay, surrounded by mountains and forest. The area is actually a rain forest, receiving approximately 100 inches of rain each year. The little snow they do get is usually quickly melted by the next rains.

The town of Sitka has been impacted by the Native Tlingit culture, the Russian Colonial influence, and the American lifestyle. The Tlingit people have lived in the area for thousands of years, building a strong culture and traditions. In 1799, Russian fur traders began to inhabit the area, and their presence was resisted by the Tlingit. These two groups each worked to gain control of the area, with the Russians eventually winning. They established the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Michael in Sitka. Unfortunately, the original church was destroyed in a fire. When that happened the townspeople came together to save as much of the church and its decorations as possible, and then they rebuilt an exact replica of the church.

In 1867, Alaska was purchased by the United States from the Russians for $7.2 million. The deal was brokered by Secretary of State William Seward, and those who thought the deal cost the US too much money referred to the deal as Seward's Folly.

The Sitka Naval Air Station played an important role during World War II.

In 1945, Alaska passed the first anti-discrimination act in the United States. An important force behind the passing of this act was a Tlingit woman named Elizabeth Peratovich who had faced discrimination when trying to buy a house, due to her Native American ethnicity.

The three main industries in Sitka are fishing, medical care, and education. Many types of fish are found in abundance in the waters around Sitka. Medical care is scarce in the isolated areas of Alaska, but Sitka has a fully staffed hospital and emergency room. The city is also home to a prestigious high school that is also a boarding school for students from the outlaying areas of northern Alaska. The school has a 90% graduation rate, and 90% of the graduates go to college, some of them to the college in Sitka.

The history of Sitka was performed by a local dance company, and shared with tourists.

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The recent history of Sitka includes the reclassification of a nearby volcano, Mount Edgecumbre, to the "Active" level three years ago as increased seismic activity was observed.

And, as promised, here are more eagle pictures. The Bald Eagle was never endangered in Alaska, although they became a protected species when fisherman wanted to pay a bounty to hunters that shot them, because they eagles ate too many fish. There are currently 30,000 Bald Eagles in Alaska.

To the left is a juvenile (approx. 1 year-old) Bald Eagle. The juvenile eagles do not develop the white head until they are 3 years old or more.

Below are two pictures of an approximately 2 year-old Bald Eagle. Note that there are more white feathers visible.

And here area some adult eagle pictures...

Tomorrow we will be in Juneau, the capital of Alaska. Juneau is one of only two capitals in the USA that are not accessible by roads (the other one is Dover, Delaware).