To commemorate the 1803 Battle of Sitka, the Sitka National Monument was established in 1910. The Battle of Sitka was the last major conflict between Europeans and Alaska natives. The site, located near the Indian River mouth, served as the battlefield between the native Tlingit natives and Russian fur hunters. The Historical Park was established to ??commemorate the Tlingit and Russian experiences in Alaska?.

The park also serves as a natural display of native totem poles, towers of wood art depicting various animals stacked on top of the other. These arrays of Native Indian art started out as a collection acquired by then District Governor John Brady in 1903. Beginning in Ketchikan and extending north, totem poles can be found in this natural, open-air gallery. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.