Wikibooks: History of Alaska/Introduction

• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anchorage; Pacific; Yukon; aleut; Chukchi; Kodiak; Alaska
• Online Access: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/History_of_Alaska/Introduction

TOCright The name Alaska comes from the Aleut word aláxsxaq meaning “the mainland or where the action of the sea is directed”. Alaska the largest state in terms of area in the United States was admitted to the Union on January 3 1959 as the 49th state. Alaska is located in the far northwestern corner of the North American continent by the Canadian Province of British Columbia and the Canadian territory of the Yukon. To the north of the state lay the Chukchi and Beaufort seas and to the south and south west lies the Pacific Ocean. The population of Alaska is currently about 710 231 most of which are clustered around the city of Anchorage located in South Central. Before America acquired Alaska in 1867 Russia maintained control of the land. This began in 1741 when Russian explorer Vitus Bering first sighted Alaska. After this initial discovery Russians began to settle Kodiak Island in 1784. The settlers thrived on the plentiful fur acquired from animals such as otters and other Nordic animals. Other countries such as Britain and Spain tried to explore Alaska but they failed due to the dominant presence of the Russians. In 1867 U.S secretary of state William Henry Seward bought the territory of Alaska from the Russia for 7.2 million dollars less than 2 cents an acre. The Russian decision to sell their former colony came as a result of Russia being in a financially troubled situation as well as due to fears that they would lose the colony without compensation especially to the British. In 1859 the Russians approached both Great Britain and the United States and offered to sell them the colony however the British didn’t express any interest in buying the colony. At this time the Americans did not express any interest either as the risk of an American civil war was a more pressing concern. Thus it wasn’t until after the civil war that the United States re approached the Russian Empire in hopes of purchasing the colony. Many Americans were cynical about this purchase and the transaction consequently came to be ...