History of Sitka

transition to American control, following the purchase of Alaska from Russia by the United States in 1867, the influence of other Protestant religions increased, and St. Peter's-By-The-Sea Episcopal Church was consecrated as "The Cathedral of Alaska" in 1900.

There are 22 buildings and sites in Sitka that appear in the National Register of Historic Places.

Post Russia control

Sitka was the site of the signing of the Alaska purchase and where the transfer of power took place on October 18, 1867. Russia was going through economic and political turmoil after they lost the Crimean War to Britain, France, and Turkey in 1856 and decided they wanted to sell Alaska before it got taken over by one of their enemies. Although Britain had an interest in purchasing Alaska, Russia decided to offer to sell it to America. Secretary of State William Seward (under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson) had wanted to purchase Alaska for quite some time as he saw it as an integral part of Manifest Destiny and America's reach to the Pacific Ocean. While the agreement to purchase Alaska was made in April 1867, the actual purchase and transfer of power took place on October 18, 1867. The cost to purchase Alaska was $7.2 million or roughly 2 cents per acre.

On October 18, Alaska celebrates Alaska Day to commemorate the Alaska purchase. The City of Sitka holds an annual Alaska Day Festival. This week long event includes a reenactment ceremony of the signing of the Alaska purchase, as well as interpretive programs at museums and parks, special exhibits, aircraft displays and film showings, receptions, historic sites and buildings tours, food, prose writing contest essays, Native and other dancing, and entertainment and more. The first recorded Alaska Day Festival was held in 1949.

Alaska's first newspaper following the