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History
of Alaska Outsiders
first discovered Alaska in 1741, when
Danish explorer Vitus Bering sighted it on
his long voyage from Siberia. The first
settlement in Alaska was established by
Russian whalers and fur traders on Kodiak
Island in 1784. 17
of the 20 highest peaks in the U.S. are
located in Alaska. Called Denali by the
natives and later named Mt. McKinley,
located in Alaska's interior, is the
highest point in North America and the
second largest peak in the
world. After
expanding their reach all the way to
Sitka, war broke out in Europe in the
1820's, and the Russians began to lose
interest in Alaska. In 1867, U.S.
Secretary of State William H. Seward
offered Russia $7,200,000, or two cents
per acre, for Alaska. On
October 18, 1867, Alaska officially became
the property of the United States, to the
chagrin of many Americans, who called the
purchase "Seward's Folly." The
state bird is the Willow Ptarmigan
(Lagopus lagopus alascensis Swarth).
Elected as Alaska's representative avian
by the Territorial Legislature in 1955,
the Willow Ptarmigan is a small arctic
grouse that lives on open tundra in boggy
areas. The Ptarmigan, an adaptive species,
sports grey-brown feathers in the summer
and white and grey plumage in the winter.
The
Alaska state tree is the Sitka Spruce.
This evergreen is abundant throughout the
southeastern and central regions of
Alaska, and was adopted in 1962 as the
states representative sapling. Used by the
natives in art and ceremonial worship,
this tree of trees truly defines the
Alaskan landscape today. A favorite treat
of the ever elusive Spruce Bark
Beetle. The
Alaska state sport is sled dog mushing.
The sport, which was adopted by the Alaska
Legislature in 1972, was once the primary
form of transportation in most of Alaska.
Today dog sled racing is one of Alaska's
most popular winter sports. The Iditarod
Sled Dog Race commemorates a time in which
the canine was a vital part of the
everyday Alaskan experience. Alaska's
state flower, adopted by the Territorial
Legislature in 1917, is the wild
Forget-me-not. The
plant, marked by it's beautiful blue
petals and yellow center, can be found in
most areas across the state. Alaska's
flag was designed by 13-year-old Bennie
Benson from Chignik, Alaska, in 1926. The
blue field symbolizes the clear Alaskan
sky and the color of the Forget-me-not's
petals. The North Star is for the future
of the state of Alaska, the most northerly
of the Union. The dipper is for the Great
Bear - symbolizing strength. Anchorage Eagle
River 2601
Denali Street 11723
Old Glenn Highway, Space 208 |
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