Interesting Facts On The History Of Alaska

By Alexandra Anderson


For many people, the history of Alaska is lost, and most individuals are not aware of the fact that it has the largest terrain in the United States of America. It was also the 49th state to be included in the union. In 1867, the land was bought over by the US Government from the Russians. It was then called "Seward's Folly", in honor of State secretary William Seward. Many believed that the territory was not worth anything, but as gold was discovered in the 1890's, a whole new idea of prospects and settlers came.

Alaska neighbors the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic. Its Southern boundaries are Alaskan Gulf, the Pacific Ocean, and the Bering Sea. On the Eastern part you will find the British Columbia province and Canada's Yukon Territory. When looking towards the West, you will see that it borders the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Chukchi Sea as well as the Arctic.

History begins in 10 000 BCE, when ancient migratory groups had to pass a natural bridge consisting of ice that connected the area to Siberia. These nomads then settled, and several of these clans are found even today. Some well known tribes include the Aleuts, Athabaskans, Haida and the Yupik, the Tlingit as well as the Inuits.

Modern history starts with expeditions led by the Russians. The initial party was led by Aleksei Chirikov and Vitas Bering took place in 1741. It was in the year 1784 that the first settlement on Kodiak Island was established. 15 years later, a Russian-American Enterprise took over the area. A Mr. Aleksandr Baranov, the firm's director, made the area the company's headquarters. In 1802, a group of Tlingit Indians overtook Sitka, but two years later they lost it, as well as the war with Russian colonizers.

The complete inability of the Russians to ensure self-sustainment for the establishments had restricted their capacity to control and develop the area. In addition, the czarist government saw the colonies as utterly useless and money-consuming. In the year 1867, as a result of negotiations carried by American Secretary of State, William Seward, Russia finally agreed to sell their territories to the United States for the price of just over $7000000. From 1867 until the first Organic Act was issued in 1884, the region was administered by a federal governor.

The discovery of gold reserves in 1880 at Juneau, the capital city, triggered and ensured economic prosperity. Prospectors came, and the result was several gold strikes on Forty Mile River and Circle. The most important strike however was in Klondike, which gave way for the gold to spread to the Yukon Region and many others around Alaska. This way, it was possible to establish the first permanent towns.

Prosperity was also increased by the fishing and timber industries, although it suffered from the lack of a decent transportation system. It was in 1914, that the construction of the railway finally began. This connected Seward to various fishing ports, Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Although the history of Alaska in unknown to many, it goes without saying that the area is an important economic factor. It possesses numerous resources, which have proven their value. It also offers fantastic opportunity's for work and pleasure.




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Ditulis oleh: Unknown - Tuesday, October 9, 2012

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