For many people, the history of Alaska is a rather interesting topic. This are has the largest surface in the United States of America, and is the 49th state to become part of the confederacy. It is situated in the extreme North-West of the continent, and by the time it was acquired by the U. S. A. From Russia in 1867, it was nicknamed "Seward's Folly", after the American secretary William Seward, the man who had arranged the transaction. At that time, many feared that the territory had nothing of value and was a complete waste, but the discovery of gold in the 1890's had set the way for new settlers and prospects.
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 Russians' complete inability to assure self-sustainment to the establishments had impacted their capacity to develop the region. Moreover, the czarist rulers viewed these colonies as exhaustive on the treasury. By 1867, as a result of negotiations led by Secretary of State, William H. Seward, Russia had agreed to sell its territories to the US for over 7 million. From 1867 to the very first Organic Act issued in 1884, which provided a federally named governor, this area was in control first of the US Army, then led by the United States Customs Service.
The economic growth was fueled by the discovery of gold reserves in 1880 in the capital city of Juneau. Prospectors started coming out, resulting in a couple of strikes taking place between 1893 and 1896. A major strike in the Klondike area in 1896 was the one to spark a huge gold rush for the Yukon Region and many other areas in Alaska.
Ongoing development in the fishing and timber sectors also increased the area's prosperity, in spite of the fact that the region suffered from the lack of insufficient transport facilities. A crucial achievement came in 1914, when the railroad construction started. This was to connect Seward, a newly-built town, with ports, Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Although the history of Alaska is still unknown to many, it can't be denied that this area played a vital role in making America what it is today. It may be the most unpopular state in the U. S. A, but it has surely had an enormous economic impact. With its many resources, it has helped contribute to its development ever since it was purchased.
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 Russians' complete inability to assure self-sustainment to the establishments had impacted their capacity to develop the region. Moreover, the czarist rulers viewed these colonies as exhaustive on the treasury. By 1867, as a result of negotiations led by Secretary of State, William H. Seward, Russia had agreed to sell its territories to the US for over 7 million. From 1867 to the very first Organic Act issued in 1884, which provided a federally named governor, this area was in control first of the US Army, then led by the United States Customs Service.
The economic growth was fueled by the discovery of gold reserves in 1880 in the capital city of Juneau. Prospectors started coming out, resulting in a couple of strikes taking place between 1893 and 1896. A major strike in the Klondike area in 1896 was the one to spark a huge gold rush for the Yukon Region and many other areas in Alaska.
Ongoing development in the fishing and timber sectors also increased the area's prosperity, in spite of the fact that the region suffered from the lack of insufficient transport facilities. A crucial achievement came in 1914, when the railroad construction started. This was to connect Seward, a newly-built town, with ports, Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Although the history of Alaska is still unknown to many, it can't be denied that this area played a vital role in making America what it is today. It may be the most unpopular state in the U. S. A, but it has surely had an enormous economic impact. With its many resources, it has helped contribute to its development ever since it was purchased.
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