Page 127 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

ALASK A AREA B Y AREA  125

SOUTHEAST ALASKA

Nature prevails throughout the Panhandle, a narrow
400-mile (640-km) strip of islands and coastline that
reaches southeastward from the Alaskan mainland. The
spectacular scenery of Southeast Alaska, from the threaded
passageways of the Alexander Archipelago to the rugged
Coast Mountains, combines with its easy accessibility to
make it one of Alaska’s most visited regions.

For the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian and Skagway. In 1900, the discovery of
peoples who have inhabited this area gold near Juneau along with its strategic
for thou sands of years, Southeast Alaska location along the Klondike route led to its
has provided not only beauty, but also becoming the capital of Alaska, taking
bounty – seas full of fish, wildlife to over from Sitka. Other towns, such as
hunt, and a wealth of enormous trees Ketchikan and Petersburg, grew around
to provide wood for homes and boats. fisheries, canneries, and timber mills.
When the first Russians arrived, the Native Today, Southeast Alaska is the
peoples fought to defend their homeland, favored venue for most Alaska cruises
but were ultimately forced to accept (see pp38–9), and the region sees large
the inevitable political, economic, and numbers of visitors each sum mer.
lifestyle changes that were introduced With local economies increas ingly
by the newcomers. dependent upon tourism, ports such
Fortunately, many of the traditional as Ketchikan, Skagway, and Sitka cater
ways of the Native peoples have been to cruise ship passengers with a variety
preserved, not only in museums, but in of day tours and shopping opportunities.
villages with significant indigenous A limited number of ships are also
populations. Several towns, especially permitted to enter Glacier Bay National
Wrangell and Sitka, have grown around Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
Russian forts, while the discovery of gold with its renowned whale-watching and
was the impetus for the creation of Juneau glacier viewing opportunities.

Tour boat passengers admiring a glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Sitka

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