Volume 12 , Issue 42

This Day In History - 18 October

U.S. Takes Possession of Alaska, October 18, 1867 -- The U.S. formally took possession of Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia for $7.2 million (less than two cents an acre).

The Alaska purchase comprised 586,412 square miles, about twice the size of Texas. It was championed by William Henry Seward, enthusiastically expansionist Secretary of State under President Andrew Johnson.

It seems Russia was looking to sell its Alaska territory because it was sparsely populated and difficult to defend. So . . . Russia sold it to the U.S. rather than risk loosing it in battle with a rival such as Great Britain.

Negotiations between Seward and the Russian minister to the U.S., Eduard de Stoecki, began in March 1867. At that time most American's believed the land to be barren and worthless and dubbed the purchase as Seward's Folly and Andrew Johnson's Polar Bear Garden.

Public opinion of the purchase turned more favorable when gold was discovered in a tributary of Alaska's Klondike River in 1896. It sparked the famous Gold Rush that we learned about in our history classes. Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959.

The name Alaska is derived from the Aleut word alyeska, which means "great land." Alaska has two official state holidays to commemorate its origins: Seward's Day, observed the last Monday in March, celebrates the March 30, 1867, signing of the land treaty between the U.S. and Russia. The other holiday is Alaska Day, observed every October 18, marks the anniversary of the formal land transfer.

Some infamous Alaskans have stated that they can see Russia from their doorstep. How true that is, I do NOT know! I take that last tidbit with a grain of salt and tend to disregard!   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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