Wikibooks: History of Alaska/Territorial Alaska (1912-1959)

• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ketchikan; Skagway; Alaska
• Online Access: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/History_of_Alaska/Territorial_Alaska_(1912-1959)

=Territorial Alaska (1912 1959)= = Presidential Visits to Alaska = = Warren Gamaliel Harding 1923 = Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th president of the United States and the first president to visit the territory of Alaska while serving in office. In July 1923 while traveling on the USS Henderson Alaska became the end destination of President Harding’s “Voyage of Understanding. On this journey the President brought with him three members of his cabinet including Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover and the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The tour made at least nine stops and was done in an effort to restore faith in President Harding s administration. The Voyage of Understanding lasted two months and provided the president with a better understanding of Alaska and its potential resource development. While in Alaska one purpose of his visit was to place the ceremonial golden spike of the railroad located in Nenana connecting the last two ends of the railroads to the southern port of Anchorage. Over the 15 days spent in the Territory of Alaska Harding and his entourage visited Metlakatla Ketchikan Wrangell Juneau Skagway Seward Anchorage Wasilla Willow Nenana Fairbanks Cordova and Sitka. After Harding’s visit to connect the two railways Alaska saw an increase in tourism due to their newly finished mode of transportation. Alaska Railroad Corp was created during this time due to the increase in railway use. On route from Alaska Harding was also the first U.S president to set foot on Canadian soil in July on the 26th. One week after his arrival in Canada and completing the railway marked President Harding’s last public appearance. President Harding would die after suffering a sudden heart failure in San Francisco on August 2. A separate speculation regarding the president’s cause of death was brought into the public s eye which claimed the natural cause of death resulted by eating poisoned Alaskan crabs however the official ruling was reported as a heart attack. = Franklin D. Roosevelt 1944 ...