Kodiak, Alaska – I always love the places where cultures meet and mingle. Kodiak Island is the ancestral homeland of the Native Alutiiq and site of the first Russian settlement in Alaska. Lots of cool history here (which of course you can read about in The Last Stand of the Raven Clan).
The Kodiak History Museum is located in the oldest building in Alaska, the 1808 Erskine House, built by Russian (actually Finnish) workers as a storage warehouse for sea otter pelts. It is the oldest Russian structure in Alaska. Also in the area are several photogenic Russian Orthodox churches, easily recognized by their distinctive onion domes. Established in 1794, Holy Resurrection Cathedral serves the oldest Russian Orthodox parish in the New World (though the current church building dates to 1945).
Around the corner, the Alutiiq Museum has recently reopened after a renovation and expansion. The excellent museum traces the history of the community and culture over several centuries. Exhibits showcase both historic artifacts and contemporary culture, demonstrating the diverse and dynamic Alutiiq community that persists in Kodiak today.
It needs to be said that these cultures did NOT “meet and mingle” at first. This island was the site of the 1784 Massacre of Refuge Rock, possibly the worst slaughter of indigenous people in North American history. Read all about it!
Side note: The Marine Mammal Act allows Native Alaskans to hunt sea otters. I have to admit I was tempted by this snuggy fur hat in the Alutiiq Museum gift shop. But then I remembered how cute those otters were floating around Glacier Bay.
Also, the hat was $500.