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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (March 28, 1891)
THE WEST SHORE. 203 THE GREEK CHURCH AT SITKA. One of the chief objects of interest in Sitka, the capital of Alaska, is the Greek church, which no tourist fails to visit. It is the most conspicuous struc ture in the town, and its peculiar architecture catches the eye at the first glance. It is built in the form of a Greek cross, with an emerald green dome in the center, and a cupola surmounted by a bell tower. Sitka was for years the seat of government in America for the Greek church, the official Russian religion, but this honor is now enjoyed by San Francisco, where there is a church maintained for the few of that faith to be found in the city at the Golden Gate. THE GREEK Clll'KCH, SITKA, ALASKA. The fittings of the church were presented to it by the Empress Catherine and are very rich and costly. The most interesting portion is the chapel, which occupies one w ing of the edifice. Its appointments are very magnifi cent. The chancel is raised, and is reached by three steps, leading to four doors, two of which are carved and gilded and ornamented with bas-reliefs. Above it hangs a fine painting of the last supper. On either side of the chan cel are paintings of various figures. One of these is of the Madonna and child, a work of art in every respect. The drapery of the figure is silver and the halos surrounding the heads gold, leaving nothing of the original painting to reach the eye but the faces and background. The effect is most peculiar and striking. Other figures are covered with silver in a similar manner. The great candlestick, candelabra and ornaments are of solid silver. The doors of the chapel generally stand ajar, and the courteous priest in attendance willingly shows to visitors (he gorgeous vestments and the bishop's crown, heavy with pearls and jewels, and explains everything. The foot of woman is never permitted to cross the threshold and thus profane this holy of holies. Visitors are conducted through the entire church, and are made welcome at all services. The communicants are the few residents of mixed Russian blood still living there and the natives who continue under the influence of the priests. The chief clement of interest the church possesses is the surprise w ith which one is assailed at finding so unexpectedly a church so richly en dowed in that far away corner of the universe, and one's curiosity is natur ally excited. The time is coming when Alaska w ill not be so far away, and when churches and school houses will no longer excite either th; sur prise or curiosity of tourists. SALMON CACHES. Salmon has ever formed the staple food of all the native tribes dwelling within the reach of any of the streams flowing into the Pacific ocean, from the Sacramento to the Yukon. Even such tribes as the Shoshones, living as far into the interior as Eastern Idaho, depended largely upon the an nua run of salmon in Snike river, as . o v x , k i 1 J 1NTKRIOR did tribes living toward the headwaters of other tributaries of the Columbia and of Fraser river. Salmon was also an article of barter between the river tribes and those not so favorably located, who sold ponies and the skins of wild animals to the fish ermen in exchange for the rank-smelling, sun dried royal Chinooks. Each tribe had its favor ite fishing places, gener ally near some rapids or obstruction in the stream, where they encamped for weeks at a time dur ing the summer season, laying in a supply of fish for the winter. The methods of fishing were various, and were adapt ed to local peculiarities. Traps, spears, arrows, dip nets and other means of capturing or killing the fish were used, and in the shallow waters near the source of the streams, "driving" was often resorted to. By this is meant that the Indians formed a line and waded out into the water, gradually closing in toward the shore in the form of an arc and driving the fish in a con fused heap into a small space, where they were caught in the hands and thrown upon the bank. Their universal method of preserving salmon is to dry it in the sun. 1 his work is always done by the squaws, the noble siwash deeming it beneath his dignity. In order to protect the winter's store from the sharp teeth of the skulking cayote, whose sensitive nostrils would easily detect the wherealMHits of an object much less redolent than this desiccated salmon, the fish is either buried in the ground, stored in some safe enclosure, or placed amkl the spread ing boughs of some lofty fir, to be drawn uxin as need requires. The engraving on the shows such a tree cache, a scene that mon along the banks of the Fraser and its tributaries. iX I ft.' 1 1 V Mr OF GREEK CHURCH, Si IK A, AI.ASKV '!, h ' - Aft ' x km . MADONNA AND CHILD. first page is com river 'fvf.' ''If .'V'X'