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History of Alaska
source ; http://www.alaskatourdirectory.com/
How the 49th state was born
Those who have never visited Alaska’s breathtaking plains have difficulty understanding how civilization ever came to such a remote place. Those who have experienced the beauty of Alaska know, however, just how enticing the state can be.
First people and the Bering Land Bridge
Before humans came to Alaska, the area was home to ranging woolly mammoths and bison. The plains were rich with hardy game capable of surviving Alaska’s frigid temperatures. Approximately 20,000 years ago, the first humans followed herds of bison across the Bering Land Bridge from what is now Russia into Northwestern Alaska and began moving south.
During the last ice age, the sea level was about 400 feet lower than it is today. Ocean water was sucked into the massive glaciers that covered large areas of land. As the ocean water was frozen into ice, the sea level dropped, exposing a flat plain between Asia and North America. As the bison herds moved across the plain in search of food, the humans who relied on them for survival followed.
In the next millennia, as the ice sheets and glaciers melted, the plain flooded, cutting off the route that the first people had traveled. By the time the land bridge was again submerged, between 60 and 80 thousand people had migrated to what would become Alaska. Many different tribes traveled across the Bering Land Bridge and still live in Alaska today, including Eskimos, Athabascans, Tlingits, Haidas and Aleuts. Alaska tours can introduce you to the unique and rich culture of these people.
The European influence
In the early 1700s, the first European adventurers voyaged to Alaska from Russia. Vitus Bering is considered the first European to reach Alaska, and within 15 years of his arrival, the commercial hunt for sea otters began. In 1784, the first white settlement was founded at Three Saints Bay in Kodiak.
Over the next 50 years, the fur trade became the major industry in Alaska, increasing immigration from Europe. Unfortunately, with the influx of a new culture and large population, problems flared between the Native Alaskans and new European fur traders. A number of battles resulted between the two groups.
In 1857 and 1861, respectively, oil and gold were found in Alaska. A short six years after the first discovery of gold, the United States of America purchased Alaska from Russia. In the resulting turmoil and change, the regulations around fur seal hunting were all but ignored, and the population of fur seals rapidly declined. Many Alaska tours aim to educate visitors on the history of the fur seal trade. As the fur seal trade started to dwindle, the appeal of better riches sparked the Alaskan gold rush, which lasted from 1897 to 1900.
Telegraphs and railroads
With the discovery of gold and the rush of fortune seekers that flooded the area, the U.S. government recognized a need to create better means of transportation and communication. Plans for the first telegraph between Alaska and Siberia began in 1865, and in 1898, plans were initiated to extend the telegraph line from Seattle, Washington to Sitka, Alaska. Also in 1898, work began on the Yukon and White Pass railroad. A short two years later, that stretch of track was completed. Surveying for the Alaskan Railroad began in 1914, and in 1923, President Warren G. Harding arrived in Alaska to drive in the last spike. Alaska was ready to take its place as a major center of trade.
In 1959, Alaska was granted statehood and since then has become a popular center for tourism and trade. Come enjoy an Alaska tour and experience the rich history and culture the state has to offer!
18-02-2012 om 14:00
geschreven door beetlegirl 
Tags:alaska, history,frontier,born,49,state
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