8th Finglish trip May 2009 #5
Landscape Geography Professor Arnold Alanen researched Sitka National Historical Park, where Finns and Russians used to go for recreation.The history of Alaska's oldest federally designated cultural and historic park dates back to June 21, 1890 when President Benjamin Harrison set aside the site of the Tlingit fort Shis'kí Noow (Tlingit for "Sapling Fort") for public use.
The site, located near the mouth of the Indian River, served in 1804 as the location of an armed conflict between the native Tlingit people and Russian fur hunters (accompanied by their Aleut allies), known today as the Battle of Sitka.
Arnold Alanen, currently an emeritus professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at University of Wisconsin-Madison, taught courses in landscape history and cultural resource preservation from 1974-2009. He continues to publish on numerous topics: cultural landscapes; the history of planned communities and landscape architecture; company towns; rural and immigrant settlements; and vernacular architecture.
The majority of his publications focus on North America, although some have been based in Finland, Norway, Australia, Japan, and Colombia.
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