Things to do / Travel Guide
The Alaska Panhandle has a rich and varied history due to the many inhabitants that have graced its shores, as well as due to its abundant natural resources of oil and gold. Visitors have a wealth of excellent historical sites from which to learn about the past glory of this great region, as well as to see that this glory is far from over!
The A-J Mine/Gastineau Mill Enterprises
In order to get a close-up look at what life was like during the Alaska Panhandle's gold rush days of the mid-1800s, A-J Mine/Gastineau Mill Enterprises is the place to go. Visitors to this historical attraction are given the chance to take Juneau's only underground mining tour. The riding tour takes visitors to the conveyor tunnel and ore crushing plant. While wearing hardhats, visitors will see how old gold mining equipment was used. Guides who have actual mining experience explain about the region's mining history. Guests can also view original pictures of the mine when it was fully operational and view authentic items from a bygone era.
The Totem Heritage Center
The Totem Heritage Center aims to preserve rare 19th-century totem poles that were relocated from uninhabited Tlingit and Haida village sites near Ketchikan and preserved. These beautiful and original poles are on display at the Center along with other totems and Native Alaskan artifacts. The Totem Heritage Center also preserves and showcases traditional arts and crafts of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures through an award-winning program of Native Arts classes and other activities.
Petroglyph Beach
This interesting historical (pre-historical?) site is easy to reach from the town of Wrangell, and is located about a mile from the ferry terminal. Petroglyph Beach, as the name implies, features over 40 petroglyphs, or carved rocks depicting animals, designs, and figures etched in by the area's natives thousands of years ago.
Totem Bight State Historical Site
Located 10 miles north of Ketchikan via the North Tongass Highway, Totem Bight is a state historical park where visitors can view restored and re-carved totems as well as a colorful community house. Almost as impressive are the beautiful woods and the coastline. There is a great viewing deck that overlooks the Tongass Narrows, with its surprisingly lush rainforest adjoining the rocky coastline.
Russian Bishop's House
A visit to the Russian Bishop's House in Sitka National Historical Park will provide a one-of-a-kind cultural encounter, along with gorgeous scenery all along the park's coastal path. The house is a rare surviving example of Russian colonial architecture found in North America. Imperial Russia was the dominant power in the North Pacific for more than 125 years. Construction on the Bishop's House was finished in 1842 and it became the center of the Russian Orthodox Church's authority, which stretched from California to Siberian Kamchatka. The Bishop's House is open from May-September, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and from October-April by appointment only.
Sitka National Historical Park
Sitka National Historical Park was first established in 1910 in order to commemorate the 1804 “Battle of Sitka.” The only relic that still remains of the last major battle between Alaskan natives and European settlers is this site of the Tlingit Fort and battlefield, contained within this beautiful, scenic 113-acre park. Visitors can expect to find fantastic southeast Alaska totem poles, native artists creating traditional arts and tours of the Russian Bishop's House also found here. A visit to this park will provide a one-of-a-kind cultural encounter, along with gorgeous scenery all along the park's coastal path. The park is open year-round, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Historical Sites in Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway, and the Alaska Panhandle
Historical-Sites
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