1855. In 1867 Russian America was sold to the U.S. After that, all the holdings of the Russian–American Company's holdings were liquidated. Following the transfer, many elders of the local Tlingit tribe maintained that "Castle Hill" comprised the only land that Russia was entitled to sell. Native land claims were not addressed until the latter half of the 20th century, with the signing of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The 1880 census reported a population of 43 Tlingit living in and around the Indian River, the Kiks.ádi's traditional summer fishing camp. Tributes U.S. President Benjamin Harrison set aside the Shís'gi Noow site for public use in 1890. Sitka National Historical Park was established on the battle site on October 18, 1972 "...to commemorate the Tlingit and Russian experiences in Alaska." Today, the K'alyaan Pole stands guard over the Shís'gi Noow site to honor the Tlingit casualties. Ta Eetí, a memorial to the Russian sailors who died in the Battle, is across the Indian River at site of the Russians' landing. In September 2004, in observance of the Battle's bicentennial, descendants of the combatants from both sides joined in a traditional Tlingit "Cry Ceremony" to formally mourn their lost ancestors. The next day, the Kiks.ádi hosted a formal reconciliation ceremony to "put away" their two centuries of grief. Historic designations National Register of Historic Places #NPS–66000162 — "Baranof Castle Hill" site National Register of Historic Places #NPS–66000164 — "Battle of Sitka" site National Register of Historic Places #NPS–66000166 — Old Sitka ("Redoubt Saint Michael") site See also Sitka City and Borough, Alaska Sitka National Historical Park List of conflicts in the United States Awa'uq Massacre Notes References Tlingit Geographical Place Names for the Sheet’Ka Kwaan — Sitka Tribe of Alaska — an interactive map of Sitka Area native place names. "The first Russian round the world voyage and its influence on exploration and development of Russian America" thesis by A. Postnikov (2002), S.I. Vavilov Institute of the History of Science and Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia — accessed September 25, 2005. "A Clash of Empires in Southeastern Alaska" Article #700 from the January 28, 1985 Alaska Science Forum — accessed September 6, 2005. Further reading External links Sitka National Historic Park National Park Service official website Glossary of Russian Terms Alex Andrews retelling the story of the Battle of 1804 in Tlingit dialect Sitka Sitka 1804