For Sitka tourism businesses, the 2021 season is fraught with uncertainty
Posted by Erin McKinstry, KCAW | Feb 4, 2021
Serena Wild co-owns the tour boat company Takeena Adventures with her boyfriend Chris Lillehoff. Lillehoff was supposed to quit working construction and devote himself full-time to the business this, but then the pandemic hit. “After last season, it might be a few more years,” Wild said. (Photo by Erin McKinstry/KCAW)
Editor’s note: Since this story
Sitka businesses are feeling cautiously optimistic while others are worried about the future.
Preparations for the 2021 season are already underway on the 68-foot Takeena, says co-owner of Takeena Adventures Serena Wild. Extension cords and tools litter the main room.
Researchers locate site of Tlingit battle fort that symbolized resistance to colonization over 200 years ago
Print article Over 200 years ago, the Tlingit clan clashed with Russians, battling over a slice of land that now falls within the Sitka National Historical Park. Since then, the exact location of a fort that served as the focal point of the battle has been a mystery. Researchers said this week that the fort’s location has now been pinpointed. In a report published Monday in the archaeological journal Antiquity, researchers Thomas Urban and Brinnen Carter detailed their research into the site, which is a symbol of Tlingit resistance to colonialization.
Using ground-penetrating radar and other non-invasive techniques, researchers have confirmed the site of Shiskinoow, or Sapling fort, the last holdout of the Tlingit people in Alaska.
The Historical Significance of Shiskinoow, the “Sapling Fort”
The Tlingit clans built Shiskinoow (also spelled Shís’gi Noow and translated to the “sapling fort”) to bolster their defenses against the Russian army . An
Antiquity press release for the new paper explains the story behind the creation of this culturally significant Alaskan fort:
“In 1799, Russia sent a small army to take over Alaska in order to develop the fur trade, but the Tlingit successfully expelled them in 1802. Expecting the Russians to return, the Tlingit built a wooden fort over two years – the trapezoidal-shaped Shiskinoow. The Tlingit armed it with guns, cannons and gunpowder obtained from British American traders.”