Cannon from Imperial Russian Navy sidewheel gunboat, the POLITKOFSKY, ca. 1850s
Built by the Russians in Sitka, the POLITKOFSKY came under United States ownership in 1867 when Russian Alaska was sold to the US. The gunboat was then sold into civilian service as a tugboat, POLLY, working the northwest coast of North America until 1896. It was then converted to a schooner barge and carried eager gold seekers to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. The barge eventually sunk during a storm in 1915.
ID Number: 1980.7094.423
Date: Circa 1850
Physical Description: 1 Cannon; iron, wood; 30 in.H x 16 in.W x 55 in.D
Place Made: United States of America, ALASKA, Sitka
Credit: MOHAI, 1980.7094.423. Transfer from the Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State Museum
