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Tsar Peter
Peter the Great became Tsar at a very young age. He was extremely interested in westernizing Russia. He won many battles giving him power of many countries, thus giving him access to the sea. Ice free ports allowed the naval exploration of the Pacific. Shortly before his death, Tsar Peter commissined an expidition to explore the Pacific to discover whether or not Asia and North America were joined by land. -
Bering's First Expeditionary Voyage
In 1728, Vitus Bering sailed the St. Gabriel through the strait that would later bear his name. But the mainland of Alaska was shrouded in fog and Bering never saw it. When he returned to Russia, he managed to convince the government to allow him to lead another expadition. -
Steller Leads Landing Party
Georg Steller led a landing party on Kayak Island at Cape Saint Elias. He managed to quickly collect a few plants and birds before being ordered back onto the ship by Bering. A day earlier, Chirikov had sighted the panhandle of Alaska. The two small boats he sent ashore in search of fresh water never returned. Still today, their fate remains a mystery. -
Bering Second Expeditionary Voyage
Bering sailed a second time to try to find Asia. On this voyage two ships sailed. The St. Peter, captained by Bering, and the St. Paul, captained by Aleksei Chirikov. Also on the St. Paul was the Germain naturalist Georg Steller, who first documented the Steller's Jay and the Stellers Sea Lion. On this trip, the two ships became seperated in heavy fog. Though seperated, they both continued on an eastward path. In July, both ships spotted southern Alaska. -
Vitus Bering claimed Alaska for Russia
After claiming Alaska as Russian territory, Bering was eager to return home. He and many of his crew had scurvy because of the small amount of vitamin C in their diet. Trying to beat the cold weather, Bering began the voyage back to Russia. During heavy seas, the St. Peter ran aground on a rocky island. On December 8, 1741, Bering and twenty other stranded sailors died. The other sailors survived by eating seals and fish, made a boat out of the wreckage, and returned to Kamchatka in the spring -
Spanish Voyages
The Spanish, being a very proud nation, sent 13 voyages to Alaska between 1774 and 1793 to rival any claims other explorers established on America's Pacific shores. The Spanish produced many more detailed and reliable maps than other people exploring these waters. Thus, many of the places christened by the Spanish retained their original names. -
Captain Cook
British Captain James Cook sailed in 1778 under orders to find an ice free passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Along this voyage, the first reliable charts of the Northwest Coast were drawn. In May, Cook sailed up an inlet thinking it was a passage way. It was now called the Cook Inlet. He sailed up the Bering Strait, but was forced back by ice floes. He then charted the Aleutian Islands for two months. After that, Cook sailed south to Hawaii where Polynesian Natives killed him. -
After Cook's Death
Cook's crew returned to Alaska to search again for a passage. Their search was proved to be futile. On their return voyage, as they passed through the China Sea, they discovered the amazing demand for sea otters. One ship officer wrote "the rage with which our seamen were possessed to return to Cook's River (Cook Inlet) to buy another cargo of skins was at one time not far short of mutiny." -
Captain Jean Francois Galaup de la Perouse
Quite possibly the most tragic voyage to Alaska was when La Perouse, captain of the French ship Boussole, visited Lituya Bay near Yakutat. The first tragic event was when two small boats with 21 men trying to chart the bay's mouth were caught in a massive rip tide and all 21 crew members died. Thesecond was in Samoa where the ships second-in-command and nine other men were killed by Natives. Lastly, in 1788, La Perouse, the remainder of his crew, and their entire vessel disappeared in a typhoon. -
Alexander Baranov
More than any other one person, Baranov helped Russia tap in on the fur trade in Alaska. He also established Sitka and Kodiak. His reputation as a host was widespread. He reportedly plied all his guests with huge amounts of alcohol. Baranov drank often in private allegedly because of his arthritis. He married a native woman named Anna and they had one daughter and one son. After retiring at 71, Baranov was on his way home to St. Petersburg when he died off the coast of Java on April 12, 1819. -
Valdez
Puerto de Valdes was established by Captain Savlador Fidalgo. It is now refered to as Valdez. -
Aleuts part 1
Father Ivan Veniaminov, a Russian Orthodox priest, lived and worked among the Aleuts while taking detailed notes about their way of life. If not for him, we would know next to nothing about the Aleuts before contact with the Russians. The people lived on the Aleutian islands southwest of the Alaska Peninsula. They made earthen lodges to live in on these treeless, volcanic peaks. The women were master basket weavers and seamstresses. -
Athabaskans
Athabaskans were a nomadic people. They roamed across the interior of Alaska following the migratory patterns of the game they sought for many years before the Russians established the fur trade in the Interior. The Russians hired the Athabaskans to be contract hunters. Because they lived in the Interior, resources were limited. They caught many salmon on their way upriver and dried them on huge racks for use during the long winter. -
Aleuts part 2
Aleut men were remarkable hunters, perfectly adapted to the world they lived in. When the Russians came to the Aleutian Islands their hunting skills came to be a disadvantage as the Russians took the men as slaves. With their families held hostage, Aluet men were forced to hunt for seals and sea otters so the Russians could sell or trade the furs. Armed Russians accompanied the hunters everywhere, The Russians brought Aluetian hunters as far as Baja California in their pursuit of the sea otter. -
Aleuts part 3
The men made boats called baidarka. Most only had one seat. They were long, slender, and light, perfect for the Aleuts and their hunting excursions. When using them, the Aleuts used their seal skin parkas to make it completely water proof. They used them in almost any weather, confident in their abilities. Boys as young as six or seven learned how to make and use these kayak like boats. When the Russians came, they were forced to create a third seat for an armed soldier to ride in. -
Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian
The Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian indians were the most advanced in the way of sophistication. They were not nomads, and they did not have to continuously search for food. Thus, they had the time and oportunity to create an advanced culture. In fact, they had a more complex culture than any other indian tribes north of the Mayans and Aztecs. They had elaborate rituals, dances, and potlatches. They created impressive totem poles and other beautiful art. -
Eskimo
in 1840, the whalers invaded the waters around the Eskimos homeland. The Eskimo people were the last people to migrate to Alaska, according to the Siberia/Alaska migration theory. They live mostly on the western coast of Alaska. They hunted waterfowl and seals from slender kayaks, and whales and walruses from bigger boats called umiaks. When the Whalers came, they brought with them diseases, firearms, and liquor, which were foreign to the Eskimo people. -
Whaling
Foreigners relentlessly hunted whales in pursuit of blubber and balleen. The blubber they used as oil for lamps and the baleen was used for women's corsets, men's collars, and umbrellas. After a few years of this, the numbers of right whales were largely depleted. In 1846, there were 292 whaling ships operating off the shores of Kodiak. So many whalers sailed north to the Arctic in search of bowhead whales which were even richer in blubber. -
Ivan Petroff
Because Ivan Petroff knew so much about the wilderness, he was chosen to conduct the first census of Alaska's population and resources even though he wasn't a scientist. He traveled across Alaska producing the first documentation of Alaska's physical features and a rough count of the people living there. Although some of his information was sketchy, he did bring back some information proven to be true. After his public career ended it was discovered that many of the things he wrote were false. -
US purchases Alaska from Russia
William Seward, Secretary of State for the USA, met with the ambassador for Tsar Alexander II, Bron Eouard de Stoeckl, to negotiate the sale of Alaska. Seward was eager to buy and Stoeckle was a wily bargainer. The tsar would have settled for $5 million, but Stoeckle drove the price up to $7.2 million (About $0.02 an acre) which Seward eagerly agreed to. The population of Alaska at this time was about 30,000 (more than 29,000 of them were Native American). -
William Healey Dall
William Dall observed and classified many different species while exploring the Alaskan coast. He was a zoolofist, entemolofist, and surveyor. Two of the species he first recorded are named in his honor, the "Dall's porpoise" and the "Dall's sheep". He was also a publisher with a world-wide following. -
Sternwheelers on the Yukon
For many years miners used huge sternwheelers to get up and down the yukon with their supplies. These boats were so huge, they required highly skilled captains to guide them through the rock strewn river. These "river queens" were mostly retired before World War II. Thelast sernwheeler, "The Nenana", was retired in the 1950s after having the river to herself for many years. -
Fur Seal Industry
In the 1870s, the fur seal was in such high demand that too many people were hunting them. The government put an exclusive lease on the seals breeding grounds and Alaska Commercial won the bid. One stipulation was that the A.C. had to hire Aleuts to hunt and skin the seals and they could only hunt 100,000 per year. There was one major flaw with this plan though. Other people could still hunt open water during the seal's migration. This was wasteful because the seals sank after being shot. -
Potlatches
In 1884, potlatches were outlawed becuase they were "too rowdy". Potlatches were a way to show wealth and social status among the Natives. The rich destroyed many objects, gave gifts, told stories, and supplied food to their guests. The elaborateness of the potlatches was a way to show where one stood in the social circles. When potlatches were outlawed, communities began to fall apart. In 1951, they were deemed lawful and new generations are rediscovering the lost traditions of their heritage. -
Sheldon Jackson
Jackson was a major part in the Americanization of Alaska. He was the man who pushed for civil government, churches, schools, and continued prohibition for Alaska. He was the reason many Natives were educated in schools and prepared for the modern customs rapidly approaching their culture. -
Lt. Henry Allen
Allen and a couple other men accomplished a feat nobody prior had seen through. In one season, they traveled up the Copper River through massive amounts of ice and rocks to the headwaters. On the way, they had to throw out many of their provisions to make their vessels lighter. Their plan was to hunt, but this area was known as the "hungry country". Thus, while Allen and his men traveled down the Tanana, the Yukon, and finally reaching the Bering Sea, they almost starved. They traveled 1,500 mi. -
Early Tourism
Many people were interested in Alaska. Many traveled to Alaska just to see the sights. During the summer of 1890, the Inside Passage saw 5,000 visitors. Tourists were hungry to see the late night sunsets, impressive glaciers, and Natives. -
Baranovs Castle
Baranov's Castle, located in Sitka, burned down in 1894. It was constructed by Baranovs right hand man, Anton Koskov, during one of Baranovs absences. -
Start of the Gold Rush
First big discovery of gold was found by George Carmack and his partners Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie on Rabbit Creek. This discovery led to the founding of Dawson City. In the two years following the find, 40,000 people traveled to the valley. Another 60,000 becan the journey, but turned back because of illness or they stopped along the way. -
Gold found in Nome
When gold was found in Nome, the men were literally walking on the beach, picking up gold nuggets, and putting them in their pockets. -
Outlaws and Con Men
During this stampede of people, there were many who chose not to work the ground, but instead to take from the people. They came up with elaborate lies and schemes to con innocents people out of their money, supplies, and gold. Perhaps the most famous of these men is Jefferson "Soapy" Smith. He ran a "telegraph office" for newcomers to utilize to send messages back home. However, there weren't any telegraph lines in town. He had many other schemes as well. -
Prohibition of Alcohol in Alaska
In 1889, even though they were prohibited, at least 20 saloons ran openly in the town of Juneau. With the stampede of thousands of gold-seeking men, Congress realized trying to enforce the prohibition of alcohol was entirely unrealistic. There were so few men enforcing the law that even while alcohol was prohibited, many people made and distributed home brew, making them "heros" to the locals. -
Railroad Completed
After the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad was finished in 1900, it replaced bothe previous routes to the gold fields. The project took two years to complete with construction gangs working in -60* weather. The track went from sea level to 2,865 feet over the course of 20 miles of switchbacks. -
Copper Discovered in the Chitna River Area
On the Chitna River, 200 miles north of the Gulf of Alaska, a team of men staked a mile long claim after discovering a huge copper reserve. This reserve was said to be one of the richest on earth. These men sold their claim to a mining engineer who turned it into the Alaska Copper and Coal Company. Later two other parties joined to create the Kennecott mining company. They made a $23 million dollar railroad from Cordova to the mines. -
Nome and Fairbanks
Unlike the Dawson, Nome and Fairbanks had no law enforcement. Every man wore a gun and claim jumping happened often. A federal judge was appointed to bring order to Nome, but he turned corrupt and ended up stripped of his title. Another judge was then sent to clean up the town. Fairbanks didn't have much more civilazation at this time. At one point, there were 33 saloons in a four block stretch. Both towns late became much more civilized. -
First Representative From Alaska Sent to the Captital
In 1908, Judge Wickersham was elected to be the first state representative even thoug, at that point, Alaska rep.s had no right to vote yet. He was a well like, respected, and active lobbyist for Alaska. He submitted the "Home Rule" bill in 1912, which grante Alaska Territorial status. He also submitted the first bill requesting statehood for Alaska in 1916. -
Fur Seals Become Protected
In 1886, three crews of sealing vessels were arrested in the Bering Sea for failing to obey the ban on hunting fur seals. 1893 saw a court in Paris condemning sealing in general and deciding that Americas claim to the seals in the territory was invalid. The sealers continued to pursue the seals anyway. In 1910, the fur seals numbers had declined from 3 million to just few thousand. In 1911, Fur seals became a protected species which made hunting them unlawful. The population has since recovered. -
Stuck Masters McKinley
Hudson Stuck and three others mastered the climb of Denali. Walter Harper was the first man to set foot on the Denali's summit. Before them, there were multiple failed attempts. Judge Wiskersham was the first to attempt the climb in 1903, at 8,000 feet, he turned back after reaching the "Wikersham Wall" a sheer face of ice. In 1910, four mining friends reached what they thought was the summit and planted a flagpole. Later, they found that they actually put it on the lower of the two peaks. -
Anchorage is Established
Anchorage sprang into being in the spring of 1915. Originally called Ship Creek, it became a town of 2,000 people almost overnight . In July, lots were auctioned off to people who promised to use them for good. Nobody planning to sell alcohol or have a house for prostitutes or gambling was allowed to buy these lots. Thus, the town was imediately a civilized, well established town with very little unlawful conduct. -
Aviation in Alaska During the 1920s
In the 1920s, Alaska was introduced to aviation. Many men bought planes after WW I and flew up to Alaska. This was good because it was quite difficult to travel to all the remote villages by boat or dog sled, and railroads didn't reach many places. Even now, 1 in 45 Alaskans have a pilots license because of the vast distances between many of the villages. There were many crashes during the early years of flying because of sudden wind, fog, and other weather changes. -
"Great Race of Mercy"
In the winter of 1925, there was a diptheria outbreak in Nome. Over the course of 5 and 1/2 days the antitoxin was delivered by dogsled. It was relayed over 674 miles from Nenana to Nome in blizzard conditions. 20 mushers and about 150 dogs were involved in the "Great Race of Mercy". The famous dog Balto was the lead dog for the last stretch of the relay. -
Colonists in Matanuska
The Government thought that the soil in the Matanuska Valley would be good for farming. They found 202 families to travel up to Alaska and settle in the valley. When the families arrived, they found no housing and very little promise to the land. After a while, many fmailies gave up and the government paid their way back home. The colony survived, but never flourished as agriculture was not a very big business and farming in weather conditions such as Alaska has to offer is quite difficult. -
Authorization and Building of the "Alcan"
On February 11th, 1942, President Roosevelt authorized the building of the Alaska Canada Military Highway. Most often called the "Alcan" by many, this highway was built in just 8 1/2 months across 1,400 miles between Dawson Creek, Canada and Delta Junction, Alaska. Crews on both ends began working on toward each other on March 9th. About 11,500 GIs worked 12-16 hour days. Another 7,500 civilians worked for $1 an hour. The crews met at Soldiers Summit near Kluane Lake in western Yukon Nov. 20th. -
Japan attacks Dutch Harbor.
Japan attacked Dutch Harbor on the Aluetian Islands on June 3rd to divert attention away from Hawaii. They lost the element of surprise the when an airplane spotted the ships through a break in the clouds the day before their planned attack. -
Alaska Becomes a State
After a couple tries with no positive results, the House passed the bill requesting statehood for Alaska and sent it to the Senate. With a vote of 64-20 the Senate granted it's approval on June 30. A week later, President Eisenhower signed the bill and on January 3,1959 Alaska became the 49th state to enter the union. It was the first new state since Arizona in 1912 and it entered the union 8 months ahead of Hawaii. -
Earthquake of '64
On Good Friday in 1964, an earthquake shook south-central Alaska for three minutes with the center of the quake in Prince William Sound. Registered between 8.4 and 8.7, it was the biggest quake ever recorded in North America and was 80 times as powerful as the 1906 earthquake in San Fransisco. There was a total of 115 people were killed and $205 million in property losses. The quake caused tsunamis that reached as far as Cresent City, California. -
First Iditarod
Dorothy Page, a Wasilla resident, first came up with the idea for an organized dog sled race in 1966. She and Joe Redington Sr. organized the first Iditarod in '67. It was originally 25 mile long race with a combined purse of $25,000 and has evolved until today it is a 1,161 mile race with a victor's purse of $50,000. -
ANILCA
The Alaska National Interest Lands and Conservation Act (ANILCA) was established to ensure that some of the land in Alaska would remain unsettled. Since the establishment of ANILCA, ten new National Park Service units have been created and thus protected. President Jimmy Carter was the one to finally sign the bill after many years of Congressional debate. 131 million acres of land have been set aside as wild life refuges, national monuments, and national forests since ANILCA was approved. -
Commercial Fishing
In 1878 the first cannary was built in Alaska. Many more were soon built. But their ways of catching salmon to can were highly detrimental to the population. They put nets across the entire river so no salmon could escape and reproduce. THus the numbers were fast dwindling. After statehood was granted to AK, strict laws were made and enforced. in 1973 (the lowest year) 22 million fish were harvested. In 1984, 132 million fish were harvested after permits and strict catching methods were issued. -
Trans-Alaska Pipeline
In 1969, an auction was held for drilling rights to the biggest field of oil in the country. The state received $900 million from the sale. Then, the company leaders had to find how to get the oil from the very frozen Prudhoe Bay, to the ice free ports of southern Alaska. Their solution was an 800 mile pipeline over two mountain ranges and 350 rivers and streams.
