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 &amp; Company, 1976; FHL book 979.8 H2hu).

Web Sites
http://fairbanks-alaska.com/alaska-history.htm

http://kodiakisland.net/timeline.html

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108178.html

http://www.akhistorycourse.org/