It’s Alaska Day, commemorating this date in 1867 when Russia officially transferred Alaska to the U.S. after the $7.2 million sale (approximately $151 million in today’s dollars). Army troops raised the stars and stripes on Castle Hill at the Alaskan town Sitka, a Tlingit name that means “People of the Outside of Baranof Island” (and later called New Archangel Town by the Russians), which served as the territory’s capital until statehood in 1959. The Baranof Castle State Historical Site occupies the crown of Castle Hill, a promontory a few blocks south of the modern downtown that has long provided excellent views of the area for the original Kiksadi clan of Tlingits, as well as subsequent occupying forces. Today, the site still has a commanding view of the surrounding area, including a view of Harry Race Pharmacy on Lincoln Street down the hill. Pictured: an 1827 illustration of Castle Hill (Old Sitka, under the Russian Empire), public domain.
NCPA
