This beloved California carousel has quite an inspirational history

Brady’s Sacred Totem Poles Journey to St. Louis

In 1903, Alaska Governor John Brady had a bold plan.

Once an orphan found on New York streets by Theodore Roosevelt Sr., Brady now sailed to Tlingit and Haida villages asking chiefs to loan their sacred totem poles.

They trusted him. Eight villages gave him 15 poles, which Brady then shipped 6,000 miles to St. Louis. At the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, nearly 20 million visitors marveled at these towering treasures.

Brady kept his word and sent 13 poles back to Alaska. The story of these traveling totems lives on at Sitka National Historical Park.

An Orphan Boy Rescued by Roosevelt’s Father Became Alaska’s Governor

Eight-year-old John Green Brady ran away from his mean drunk dad in New York City. Teddy Roosevelt’s father found Brady living on the streets and got him help through the Children’s Aid Society.

They sent Brady to Indiana on an orphan train in August 1859, where Judge John Green took him in. After finishing Yale in 1874 and seminary school, Brady moved to Alaska in 1878 as a Presbyterian missionary.

President McKinley picked Brady as Alaska’s Governor in 1897, and he served three terms.

St. Louis World’s Fair Needed Alaska’s Hidden Treasures

Organizers of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition asked Brady to create an Alaska exhibit.

Brady chose totem poles to draw crowds and show visitors Alaska was more than just an “icebox.” He wanted to boost Alaska tourism, settlement, and growth.

Brady had earned Native communities’ trust through his missionary work and by starting a school for Native students in 1878.

He worked with Native communities as partners rather than just taking their artifacts.

Village Leaders Trusted the Governor with Their Sacred Art

During 1903-1904, Brady sailed to Tlingit and Haida villages across Southeast Alaska.

He talked with village leaders and asked them to loan totem poles and cultural items for the fair. Their trust was special since other collectors couldn’t get totems even when offering money.

Chief Saanaheit from the Kaigani Haida village of Kasaan on Prince of Wales Island trusted Brady. Chiefs from Old Kasaan, Howkan, Koianglas, Sukkwan, Tuxekan, Tongass, Klinkwan, and Klawock also agreed to help.

Native Carvers Traveled 6,000 Miles with Their Treasured Poles

Village leaders gave Brady fifteen totem poles, two taken-apart Haida houses, and a canoe for the fair.

Native carvers came along to fix anything that broke during the trip. The collection traveled over 6,000 miles by boat and train from Southeast Alaska to St. Louis.

Fourteen poles stood outside the Alaska building, while workers fixed the broken pole and showed it at the fair’s Esquimau Village.

President Roosevelt Opened the Fair with a Golden Key

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition started April 30, 1904, covering 1,200 acres with over 1,500 buildings.

President Theodore Roosevelt kicked off the fair by pressing a gold telegraph key from the White House.

The Alaska Native totem poles stood proudly outside the Alaska building, pulling in crowds just as Brady hoped.

Tlingit tribe members came along with the fourteen totem poles, two Native houses, and canoe on display. The fair also showed off new tech like electric lights, wireless telegraph, and cars.

Almost 20 Million People Saw Alaska’s Totems in Seven Months

Nearly 19. 7 million folks visited the Louisiana Purchase Exposition between April and December 1904.

The Alaska exhibit used totem poles to tell people about Alaska’s history, heritage, and resources. Visitors learned about Alaska’s Native cultures, natural riches, and growth potential.

The exhibit changed how people thought about Alaska, from seeing it as just a frozen wasteland to a land of opportunity.

Brady’s idea to use Native heritage to promote Alaska worked well.

Portland’s Lewis and Clark Fair Welcomed the Traveling Totems

After the St. Louis fair closed in December 1904, the Alaska exhibit moved to Portland.

The totem poles and canoe showed up at the Lewis and Clark Exposition in Portland, Oregon, in 1905.

Visitors saw the poles and canoe along the shores of a manmade lake at the fairgrounds. The Portland fair ran from June until October 1905.

After Portland, the poles started their long trip home to Alaska, having traveled thousands of miles and taught millions of Americans about Alaska.

Sitka Welcomed the Well-Traveled Totems Back Home

The totem poles got back to Sitka in January 1906 after their cross-country journey.

Local carvers fixed poles damaged from travel and weather at the fairs. Brady kept his word to village leaders by returning thirteen of the fifteen poles to Alaska.

Two poles were sold, one to the Milwaukee Public Museum and another to businessman David M.Parry in Indianapolis.

Brady then worked to make his dream come true: creating America’s first totem park in Alaska’s capital city.

Prisoners and a Photographer Created America’s First Totem Park

Photographer E.W. Merrill planned where to put each pole in Sitka.

He laid out a winding path along the shore at the mouth of the Indian River on land with both Tlingit and Russian history.

Prisoners from the local jail did the hard work. The setup wasn’t traditional, since Sitka’s Tlingit didn’t usually put up freestanding totem poles.

Brady’s vision for a totem park in Sitka became real by March 1906, creating the first such park in America.

President Taft Saved the Totems from Vandals

Sitka locals worried about damage to the park and its totem collection. Important Sitka citizens pushed the government to make the site a national monument for protection.

President Harrison had set aside the Battle of Sitka fort site for public use in 1890, but the area needed better protection.

President William Taft declared the site Sitka National Monument under the Antiquities Act on March 23, 1910. The order aimed to save both the historic fort site and the totem pole collection from more damage.

The Totem Park Lives On Today as a National Treasure

Brady’s totem park grew into what we now know as Sitka National Historical Park, Alaska’s oldest federally designated cultural park.

The government redesignated it as a national historical park from its previous status as national monument on October 18, 1972.

Many of the original poles seen today along two miles of wooded pathways are replicas, since the originals wore down over time.

The Civilian Conservation Corps took on major restoration work on the poles in the 1930s, hiring over 200 Native carvers and workers.

The partnership Brady formed with Alaska Native communities in 1903-1904 created a model for cultural preservation that continues to honor Tlingit and Haida heritage today.

Visiting Sitka National Historical Park, Alaska

Sitka National Historical Park at 103 Monastery Street has no entrance fee and preserves Governor John Green Brady’s historic totem pole collection from the 1904 World’s Fair.

Walk the 2-mile Totem Trail through coastal rainforest to see 18 Tlingit and Haida totem poles that traveled over 6,000 miles to St. Louis.

The visitor center opens April 25 through September 30, 9am to 5pm, with daily ranger programs during summer.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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