The History of Alaska, Its Geography, and Its People

Though romanticized through stories of the gold rush days, the history of Alaska goes back much further. Long before the frantic days of the gold rush and the early Russian settlements, this land of snow, ice, and a thousand wonders was home to native tribes, their culture and their way of life.

The People of Alaska: The Inuit

Eskimos (who call themselves Inuit) are really seven distinct cultural groups and numerous sub-groups as well. The primary cultural groups are:
  • the Inupiat and Yupik of the Far North
  • the Aleuts of the Southwest
  • the Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian tribes of the Inside Passage
  • the Athabascan tribe of the Alaskan Interior.
These descendents of Euro-Asian explorers, who crossed the prehistoric land bridge linking Siberia to North America, lived a hunter-gatherer nomadic life that was well suited to Alaska's varied climate.

Alaska and the Russian Connection

Alaska remained an unknown area to the modern world until 1741 when two Russian explorers, Bering (who was Danish by birth) and Chirikov, charted the region.

Following in their footsteps, Russian fur traders established temporary camps from which they could ply their craft. Ultimately, another Russian, Grigori Shelekohv, founded the first permanent settlement on Kodiak Island in 1784.

Alexander Baranof (or Baranov), who fashioned himself as the "Lord of Alaska," set up his capital city of Sitka, also the ancestral home of the Kiksadi Clan of the Tlingits. The cannons Baranof used to guard his capital are still visible today. Baranof was largely responsible for the spread of fur trading during the 1700s.

Alaska and the United States

Following the Civil War, the American government actively pursued purchase of the Alaskan Territory from Russia, entering into a treaty signed by both countries in 1867. Secretary of State William H. Seward arranged for Alaska to be bought for 7.2 million dollars, or about 2 cents per acre. At the time, most people believed the purchase to be a waste of money and often called it "Seward's folly."

Even with the discovery of gold near Juneau in 1884, the Klondike in 1896, Nome in 1899, and Fairbanks in 1902, Alaska did not become a United States Territory until 1912. Though viewed as an important part of the war effort in World War II, and vital to the U.S. for its strategic location and mineral wealth, Alaska was not admitted as the 49th State until 1959.

Below is a list of the various state symbols of Alaska.

Alaska State Symbols

bird

willow ptarmigan

fish

king salmon

fossil

woolly mammoth

gem

jade

mineral

gold

sport

dog mushing

tree

Sitka spruce

flower

forget-me-not