USA Alaska - The History : USA  

USA Alaska - The History - Travel guide

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USA Alaska - The History

In 1725 Peter the Great sent Vitus Bering to explore the North Pacific and in 1728 his ship sailed through the Bering Strait. By 1741, first the Europeans, Vitus Bering, a Dane working for the Russians, and Alexei Chirikov discovered the Alaskan mainland.

Spanish explorer Juan Perez discovers Prince of Wales Island in Dixon Sound in 1774 and between 1776 and 1778 Captain James Cook (Britain) reaches King Island, Norton Sound, Unalaska. From 1784 through 1799, Russia establishes settlements at Three Saints Bay, Kodiak. Catherine II grants a monopoly of fur trade in Alaska to Grigorii Shelikov and a trade post is built at Old Sitka, Three years later, Indians massacre Russians at Old Sitka; only a few survive.

By 1804 Russians return to Sitka and attacked the Kiksadi fort on Indian River. Russians lose the battle, but the Natives were forced to flee. A Russian Orthodox diocese was formed in 1840 and Bishop Innokenty Venianminov given permission to use Native languages in the liturgy. By 1847, Fort Yukon was established.

In 1853 Russian fur trappers had found oil seeps in the Cook Inlet and Coal mining began in 1857 at Coal Harbor on the Kenai Peninsula. The sale of Alaska to the U.S. by Russia begins in 1859, two years later Gold is discovered on the Stikine River near Telegraph Creek (the Gold rush is still many years away).

The Land Purchase to the U.S. Sale ($7,200,000) is finalized in 1867.

Gold discovered in 1872 near Sitka and in British Columbia (Cassiar) and again in 1876 south of Juneau at Windham Bay, Gastineau Channel (1880) and Mastadon Creek (1894).

Dawson City is founded in 1896 at mouth of Klondike River. Skookum Jim, a Tagish Native, first discovers gold in Rabbit Creek
and another major gold discovery is unearthed at Bonanza Creek.

The next three year (1897-1900) sees the great Klondike Gold Rush.

By 1914, surveying begins for the Alaska Railroad, City of Anchorage is born as a construction campsite. Fort Richardson is established in 1940; construction begins on Elmendorf Air Force Base, two years later Japan bombs Dutch harbor and invades the Aleutians.

Oil well drilled in 1953 near Eureka on Glenn Highway marks the beginning of Alaska's modern oil history.

Natural and man-made disasters plagued Alaska through most of the 1960's and 70's starting with the devastating Good Friday Earthquake in 1964 then the Fairbanks Flood in 1967. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline completed from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez in 1977, eleven years later (1989) The Exxon Valdez, a 987-foot oil tanker carrying 53 million gallons of North Slope crude, grounds on Bligh Reef spilling 11 million gallons into Prince William Sound.

The Alaskan Territory became the 49th State to Unite under America on January 3, 1959.