SITKA Administrative History

Chapter 4:
SITKA NATIONAL MONUMENT, MIDDLE YEARS (continued)

Second segment of middle years

The second segment, 1950 to 1965, of Sitka National Monument's middle years began quietly. Visitation to the monument was down. Steamers calling at Sitka arrived and departed in the night and most tourists did not have a chance to see the Indian River park. [231] This situation was aggravated in 1954 when Alaska Steamship ended passenger service to Alaska. The most exciting developments were in looks to the future. Planning for the monument's future continued, while perennial problems such as erosion control and totem pole preservation continued.

Planning continues

A 1953 review of the situation at Sitka adopted and expanded the 1949 recommendations of the Alaska Field Committee. The review again called for a headquarters building and public comfort stations in the monument and for Indian River erosion control. It went beyond the 1949 plan to suggest a picnic area and more interpretive markers. Also beyond the 1949 plan was an initiative that proposed Sitka as the National Park Service's center for interpreting all Indian and Russian history and archeology in Southeast Alaska. To do this, the service needed to build a museum at and promote Sitka. [232]

Plans for "Mission 66," a service-wide effort to renew the nation's national parks and monuments in time for celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service, followed the 1953 recommendations for Sitka. The Mission 66 program endorsed most of the 1953 plans and defined the monument. Sitka National Monument commemorates the bravery and culture of Alaska's Indians. Visitors could "enjoy the rare experience of reaching the heart of an unspoiled stand of towering Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock with dense undergrowth...." [233]

The final planning effort of the 1950s, a 1959 master plan, reversed a de-emphasis on Russian activities at Sitka. Regional officials commented that the plan changed the approved description of values. "It was only a short time ago that upon direction of the Washington office, we rewrote the Sitka folder and prepared the Mission 66 prospectus to minimize the Russian story." The new plan gave principal emphasis to the Battle of 1804 and subsequent Russian-American history of Alaska rather than to the Indian culture of Alaska and the effects of European contact on it. The totem poles were treated as only incidental to area interpretation. [234]

Boundaries and vistas

While the planning was underway, adjustments were made to the western park boundaries as the private properties at the entrance were acquired. [235]

A major improvement to the seaward vista from the park occurred in 1954, when Superintendent Henry G. Schmidt was able to advise regional officials that the Sitka Utilities Board had funded relocation of the transmission lines along the beach. New lines would parallel the Sawmill Creek Road. [236]

Superintendent's position moves to Juneau

As the 1950s had ended, the superintendent's position was relocated to Juneau, a situation that would remain in effect until the early 1970s. Various reasons have been cited for this arrangement. The move may have been made because one of the superintendents liked the political hustle-bustle of the territorial capital. [237] Or, the move may have been made simply be cause changing transportation patterns made Glacier Bay and Sitka jointly more accessible from Juneau. A park historian was appointed to be in charge at Sitka. Seasonal historians assisted there. A park ranger staffed Glacier Bay.