U.S. Takes Possession of Alaska
On October 18, 1867, Alaska became part of America in a move dubbed “Seward’s Folly.”
The earliest known European presence in Alaska came in 1741 when Vitus Bering led an expedition for the Russian navy. Bering’s crew returned to Russia with some of the finest sea otter pelts in the world. Soon, fur traders began sailing from Siberia to the Aleutian Islands, establishing the first European settlement in 1784.
The Russians quickly used force to dominate the native Alaskans, killing many and forcing others into slavery by making them hunt sea otters. Over the next few decades however, fur profits dwindled and Russia was considering selling the unprofitable territory. In the 1860s, Western Union was building the first electric telegraph line that ran from California up the North American coast, across the Bering Strait to Moscow, joining the European telegraph network. When the Transatlantic telegraph line was completed, work on the Russian-American line was suspended.
The U.S. government believed the line to Moscow was still a good idea. So Secretary of State William H. Seward traveled to Alaska to negotiate with the Russian Ambassador to complete the line. The Russians didn’t believe the telegraph line was worth the money, so they decided to sell the Alaskan territory to America in exchange for the value of the telegraph. The U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia on March 30, 1867 for $7.2 million, about two cents per acre. At the time, the purchase was known as “Seward’s Folly” or “Seward’s Icebox.”
On October 18, American and Russian officials met in Sitka, Alaska to formally transfer the property. During the ceremony, the Russian flag was lowered, but it got stuck on the pole, eventually taking the efforts of three men to remove it. The American flag was then raised, cannons fired by both sides, and the Department of Alaska officially became part of the United States.
Alaska proved to be a valuable resource – rich in fish, minerals, timber, and sources of hydroelectric power. Soon, the valuable resources taken from the new territory had more than paid for the purchase price. By the early 1900s, the discovery of gold had attracted thousands of new settlers and aroused nationwide interest in Alaska. And in 1909, the Alaska-Yukon Exposition was held to celebrate the rapid development of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Territory. (U.S. #370-71 were issued to commemorate the expo).
The area officially became the Territory of Alaska in 1912. However, early attempts at establishing statehood failed because of the territory’s small population and lack of interest from the locals. The Alaska Territory proved its usefulness during World War II, and the discovery of oil led to its admission to the Union on January 3, 1959.
Click the images to add this history to your collection.
Spelling mistake (completing instead of competing) in the 4374 caption?
Thanks. It has been corrected.
Whoever writes, or where ever you get your historical snapshots from, make them incredibly short, inclusive and interesting. Well done !
This is great information. Thanks for the history lesson.
We have these two US Stamps of Alaska ,in
my stamp collection1 My wife and I hope that
they will put out another stamp on AlaskA
in the very near future`1My wife and i,would
like to visit the state again in the near future1
Great article. Keep ’em coming. I am getting smarter by the day.
I am enjoying your “This Day in History…”
I look up each stamp shown within these articles to see if they are also present within my moderate collection started around 1948.
I checked the box below; However, I’m not sure what a ‘spammer’ is?
Spam is the digital equivalent of junk mail. And a spammer is the person who sends spam to folks.
My belated congratulations to Seward. I wonder how much the two cents per acre has escalated ? Anyone out there with the smarts to let us know? And to think of the ramifications if the Russians had held on to it. So close to the 48 states border. Wow!
For the value of a telegraph line. Interesting info.
I like very much the history behind the Stamps.
I read them every day.
This day in history has revitalized my interest in my stamp collections. Even my wife loves to read this history. Thank you all for getting my interest aroused again,
Andy Rees
Weatherford Texas
During the “cold” war the Soviets used to sneak back with spies to see what we were doing. And what were we doing??? Trying to stay warm. Johnny Horton wrote and sang a song, “When it’s Springtime in Alaska It’s Forty Below:.
#C53 – 1959 7c Alaska Statehood
#2066 – 1984 20c Alaska Statehood
I am glad that the US was able to purchase Alaska from Russia and that it eventually became a full fledged State of the Union.
I look forward to reading these snippets of history every day.
Thanks, Mystic.
Alaska is a beautiful state. I visited in 1994 and rented a small plane and pilot who flew me to Mt. McKinley and then Anchorage.
You learn something new each day. Thank you for being a great teacher.
What year was the stamps of Alaska Iditarod issue?
Hi Jon – click on the stamp and you’ll get to see an entire article about it. https://www.mysticstamp.com/Products/United-States/4374/USA/ In this case, it was 2009. Have fun exploring your stamps!
My wife and I were married in Anchorage on March 21, 1964. Six days before the March 27th earthquake. Who knew we would make the earth move ?