History of Alaska

The history of Alaska spans Indigenous societies, Russian colonization, U.S. acquisition, territorial development, and statehood in 1959.

Connect

Alaska Native peoples: The Indigenous peoples of Alaska, including Iñupiat, Yupik, Unangan, Athabaskan, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian communities. Their distinct societies and homelands long predate Russian and American rule.
Seward's Folly: A derisive nickname for the U.S. purchase of Alaska, associated with criticism of Secretary of State William H. Seward. The phrase captures early doubts about the purchase that preceded Alaska’s strategic and economic importance.
William H. Seward: U.S. secretary of state from 1861 to 1869 who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia. His negotiations secured the 1867 transfer that began U.S. rule.
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act: A 1980 U.S. law that designated or expanded protected areas across Alaska and addressed Native land claims. It set aside vast federal lands after decades of statehood-era development disputes.
Beringia: The ancient region linking northeastern Asia and northwestern North America during periods of low sea level. It frames early human movement into Alaska and the continent.
Klondike Gold Rush: A gold rush beginning in 1896 that drew prospectors through Alaska to the Klondike region of Canada’s Yukon. Its traffic and commerce brought rapid growth to Alaskan routes and settlements.
Elizabeth Peratrovich: A Tlingit civil rights activist whose advocacy helped secure Alaska’s 1945 anti-discrimination law. Her campaign challenged racial discrimination during Alaska’s territorial period.
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System: An 800-mile pipeline carrying North Slope crude oil to the port of Valdez since 1977. Its construction and oil revenues reshaped Alaska’s economy and public finances.
Russian colonization of the Americas: Russia’s expansion into Alaska and other parts of North America from the eighteenth century into the nineteenth. It established the first sustained European colonial regime in Alaska.
Alaska Territory: The organized U.S. territory established in 1912 that preceded Alaska’s admission as a state. Territorial government was the political framework before statehood.