The most important dates in the history of Alaska.

 

 

August 21

- In 1732, a Russian expedition under

          surveyor Mikhail Gvozdev sights      

              the Alaska mainland at Cape Prince

                                                             of Wales.

July 16

- In 1741, Vitus Bering, on St. Elias Day, sights the Alaskan

        mainland. In honour of the saint, the most

              prominent peak was named; this was the first point

              on the northwest coast named by Europeans.

December 8

- In 1741, Vitus Bering died after his ship was wrecked on an

         island off the Alaskan coast.

September 25

- In 1745, a Russian fur hunter, Mikhail Nevodchikov, reaches

        Attu in his search for sea otters.

 

May 12

- In 1778, Captain James Cook entered Prince William Sound.

May 26

- In 1778, Captain James Cook entered Cook Inlet.

August 25

- In 1778, Captain James Cook turned back south

July

- In 1786, while charting Lituya Bay, 2 small boats are

          swamped by rip tides, and 21 French sailors drown.

July 8

- In 1799, the Russian American Company is formed by Royal

         Charter; they were given a 20-year monopoly on

               trading on the coast from 55 degrees north.  

 

March

- In 1812, the Russian American Company establishes a post at

        Fort Ross, California to grow crops for their Alaska.

September

- In 1848, the Hudson's Bay Company builds Fort Selkirk, at

        the confluence of the Pelly and Yukon Rivers.

  - In 1852, Fort Selkirk is destroyed by a group of Tlingits who

              objected to the Hudson's Bay Company trying to

              break the Tlingit monopoly on trade with the

              interior tribes.

March 30

- In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska for

        $7,200,000

 July 23

- In 1867, Alaska's first post office is authorized, to   

        be opened at Sitka.

October 18

- In 1867, official ceremonies at Sitka transferred  

        Alaska from Russia to the United States.

July 27

- In 1868, the Customs Act is amended to include Alaska.

October 7

- In 1869, the prediction of a total solar eclipse by American

        scientist George Davidson so impressed Kohklux,

              chief of the Chilkat Indian village of Klukwan, he

              drew him an incredibly detailed map of a vast part

              of the interior of the Yukon and Alaska.

- In 1871, of the 41 whaling ships hunting in the Bering Sea,

       32 are trapped by early ice; all of the 1,200 people

             on the ships escaped, but 31 of the ships were

             destroyed the following spring.

August

- In 1876, twelve whaling ships are trapped by ice near Point

        Barrow; 50 men die attempting to reach safety.

 July 2

- In 1882, George Krause becomes the first white man

        allowed to cross the Chilkat Pass to the interior.

 

 - In 1894, a resolution of the Privy Council authorizes the

       North-West Mounted Police into the Yukon "in

             the interests of peace and good government, in

             the interests also of the public revenue." By June

             26, Inspector Charles Constantine and Staff-

             Sergeant Charles Brown were at Juneau, heading

             for the goldfields of the British Yukon.

 October 2

- In 1895, the North-west Territories was divided into the

         Districts of Franklin, Mackenzie, Ungava and

              Yukon.

 August 17

- In 1896, a party consisting of George Carmack, his wife

        Kate, Skookum Jim, Tagish Charlie and Patsy

              Henderson stake placer gold claims on Rabbit

               Creek, and rename the creek Bonanza Creek.

July 14

- In 1897, the Excelsior reaches San Francisco with the first

        large shipment of Klondike gold.

 July 17

- In 1897, the Portland reached Seattle with a large shipment

        of Klondike, turning the excitement caused by the

              Excelsior's arrival at San Francisco into an all-out

              gold rush.

- In 1898, gold was discovered near the future site of Nome,

             triggering a stampede.

- In 1898, a series of 5 avalanches in the Chilkoot Pass between

        2:00 AM and noon killed over 70 people.

June 13

- In 1898, the Yukon Territory is created.

 July 29

- In 1900, the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad was

        completed, with the Golden Spike driven at

              Carcross, Yukon.

- In 1900, Congress authorized a massive telegraph construction

              project in Alaska.

July 22

- In 1902, Felice Pedroni ("Felix Pedro") discovered gold in

        the Tanana Hills, causing a stampede which

              resulted in the founding of Fairbanks.

May

- In 1904, the first commercial wireless communication

        facility in the U.S. opened, between Nome and St.

              Michael.

May 7

- In 1906, the Alaska Delegate Act was passed by Congress,

        giving the territory's 40,000 people the right to elect

              a non-voting delegate to Congress.

August 24

- In 1912, the Alaska Territorial Act was passed by Congress.

July 3

- In 1913, the first airplane in Alaska made a demonstration

        flight at Fairbanks, piloted by James V. Lilly.

March 12

- In 1914, a bill authorizing the construction of the

        government-financed Alaska Railroad was signed by

              President Wilson. Construction started in 1915, and

              some sections were opened as they were completed,

              but the entire line, running from Seward to Fairbanks,

              was not completed until July 15, 1923.

October 25

- In 1918, the coastal steamer Princess Sophia sunk near

         Juneau, killing 463 people, about 10% of the

               Yukon's white population.

- In 1919, the Yukon finally allowed women to vote in Territorial

        elections. Manitoba had been the first province to

              enfranchise women.

July 10

- In 1919, Louis Beauvette staked the first silver claim at Keno

        Hill, in the central Yukon; by 1930 this district was

              producing 14% of all the silver mined in Canada.

              enfranchisement was passed in May 1918.

 

 

 July 15

- In 1923, the Alaska Railroad was completed, following 8 years

        of construction.

February 24

- In 1924, Carl Ben Eielson made Alaska's first Air Mail flight.       

June 3

- In 1942, a large carrier-based Japanese force attacked

        Dutch Harbour.

June 7

- In 1942, the Japanese landed almost 2,500 troops on the

        Aleutian islands of Attu and Kiska. It took a huge

              Allied force until August 15, 1943 to regain control.

September 24

- In 1942, the Alaska Highway opened at Contact Creek, 305

        miles north of Fort Nelson, B.C.

February 22

- In 1951, after 3 years of rumours, the federal government

        approved moving the capital of the Yukon from

             Dawson City to Whitehorse. A new Federal Building

             was constructed in 1952, and the Territorial

             Council chambers were moved the following year,

             with the first meeting held in Whitehorse in April.

- In 1951, the Alaska Highway was turned over to Canada, in a

        ceremony at Whitehorse.

January 3

- In 1959, Alaska became the 49th State.

 March 27

- In 1964, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.4 on the

         Richter scale hits the Anchorage area, killing 115

              people and destroying hundreds of homes.

November 6

- In 1967, Jean Gordon, the Yukon's first female member of

         the Territorial Council, takes her seat.

- In 1968, the oil riches of Alaska's North Slope, first

        reported almost 100 years ago, were confirmed by

              a drilling program at Prudhoe Bay. The following

              year, a total of $990,220,590 was bid in a one-day

              lease sale of those properties.

January 23

- In 1971, the temperature at Prospect Creek, Alaska,

        dropped to 80 degrees below zero, the lowest

               temperature ever recorded in the United States.

 December 18

- In 1971, the Alaska Native Claim Settlement Act (ANCSA)

        was signed into law by the President. Among the

              major provisions were the transfer of title to 40

              million acres of land to native corporations, and a

              cash payment of $962.5 million.

February 14

- In 1973, the Yukon Native Brotherhood presented a

        Statement of Claim to the federal government,

               stating their position on land claims, self-

               government and other issues which had been

               published in January in "Together Today For Our

               Children Tomorrow".

- In 1975, the first section of pipe for the Trans-Alaska

        Pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez was laid. By

             August, 21,600 people were working on the project.

             The first oil was put through the 800-mile line on

             June 20, 1977.

February 3

- In 1988, PL 100-241, the Alaska Native Claim Settlement

        Act Amendments, was signed by President Regan.

              The amendments gave more flexibility to the

              corporations managing Settlement lands.

March 24

- In 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez went aground on Bligh

        Reef, pouring almost 11 million gallons of oil into

               Prince William Sound.

May 29

- In 1993, the Umbrella Final Agreement is signed by

           representatives of the Council for Yukon Indians

               and the Yukon and federal governments,

               establishing the basic format for all 14 Yukon First

               Nations land claims agreements.

 

Conclusion.

Summing up to the aforesaid, it would be desirable to emphasize, that Alaska is a crossroads of a sea, air truck transport between Northern America, Asia and the Europe, that’s why Alaska is one of the most perspective states of USA by way of development of economy and tourism. The variety of riches of culture, an abundance of national parks attracts tourists from the world.

The considerable contribution to development of Alaska was brought by Russian empire. The general past, the general cultural wealth is what unites Russia and Alaska and today.