Alaska History
The following important events in the history of Alaska affected political boundaries, record keeping, and family movements.
1783:Russian fur traders established the first white settlement on Kodiak Island.
1804: Sitka was permanently founded by the Russians. It served as Alaska's capital until 1906, when the capital was moved to Juneau.
1824-1828: In treaties with the United States and Great Britain, Russia agreed to recognize latitude 54° 40 N as Alaska's southern boundary and longitude 141° W as the eastern boundary. Further boundary adjustments between Alaska and British Columbia were made in 1903.
1867:The United States purchased Alaska from Russia.
1884:Congress passed the first Organic Act, providing a governor and federal courts for Alaska.
1896:The Klondike gold strike started a rush to the Canadian Yukon Territory. Gold was discovered at Nome in 1899 and at Fairbanks in 1902.
1912: Congress passed the second Organic Act, establishing Alaska as a U.S. territory and providing for a territorial legislature.
1959: Alaska became a state.
An especially helpful source for studying the history of Alaska is William R. Hunt, Alaska: A Bicentennial History (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 1976; FHL book 979.8 H2hu).
Web Sites[edit | edit source]
http://fairbanks-alaska.com/alaska-history.htm
http://kodiakisland.net/timeline.html