Sitka

Sitka (pop. 7,803), city in southeastern Alaska, on Baranof Island, west of British Columbia. Sitka was a Russian settlement founded (1799) by the trader Alexander Baranof. With the U.S. purchase of Alaska, the city served as the territorial capital from 1884 to 1900. Today it is a center for fishing and lumber industries. The Sitka National Historical Park commemorates a battle (1804) between the Russians and the Tlingit tribe.

See also: Alaska.