Alaska Day October 18th
October 17, 2000
Alaska "The Last Frontier"
The name Alaska is derived from the Aleut word "Alyeska," meaning "great land."
October 18 Alaska Day is the anniversary of the formal transfer of the territory and the raising of the US. flag at Sitka on October 18, 1867. The U.S. bought Alaska from Russia in October 1867 for 7.2 million dollars, or two cents per acre. Many Americans thought this was a waste of money. For decades the federal government ignored Alaska. In 1877, the sole authority for governing Alaska's half million square miles and 40,000 residents was placed in the hands of a single customs collector in Sitka.
Little changed until the discovery of gold.Gold focused the world's attention on Alaska. Newspapers carried sensational stories about the lawlessness in Skagway and Nome. Exaggerated or not, they pointed out the need for law and order on America's frontier. In 1900, a code of laws was adopted and a court system established, but Alaska wasn't granted true territorial status until 1912.
Alaska contains 586,412 square miles. Alaska is one-fifth the size of the Lower 48 states, 488 times larger than Rhode Island, two and a half times larger than Texas, and larger than the next three largest states in the U.S. combined.
Alaska's wildlife is as varied as the land itself. On the Chilkat River near Haines, as many as 3,500 bald eagles gather each winter to feed on salmon.
In the vast Interior, great herds of caribou roam the tundra. Amid lush forests and coastline, black and brown bears fish the streams for salmon or forage for roots and berries.
Other land mammals include the mountain goat, Dall sheep, bison, musk ox, elk, Sitka black-tailed deer, and, largest of all, the moose. An adult male moose, or bull, can weigh up to 1,600 pounds and stand six feet high.
Bears are abundant in Alaska. The Kodiak brown bear, the largest carnivore in the world, is related to Alaska's other bears - the brown (grizzly) bear, the polar bear, the black bear, and the rare glacier or blue bear.
Smaller fur-bearing animals include otter, beaver, mink, weasel, fox, lynx, wolverine, muskrat, rabbit, and several kinds of squirrel. Alaska also has a large number of wolves.
Alaska is refuge for nearly 400 species of birds. Song birds, sea birds, swans, cranes, ducks, and geese can be seen throughout the state, as well as predators such as hawks, falcons, several species of owl, and golden and bald eagles. More bald eagles live in Alaska than in all other states combined.
Alaska's rugged shoreline offers sanctuary to more marine mammals than anywhere else. The world's largest colony of seals, numbering about one million, breed undisturbed on the Pribilof Islands. Walrus also thrive here. Sixteen kinds of whales have been spotted off Alaska's shores, including humpbacks, orcas or killer whales, snow-white beluga whales, and narwhals, which sport a single tusk similar to the mythical unicorn.
Alaska's unique beauty and vast wilderness areas are among its greatest treasures. More than half the nation's parklands are found here. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, with over 13 million acres, is the nation's largest national park. Combined with contiguous Canadian parks and Alaska's Glacier Bay, this is the largest internationally protected area in the world.
The State of Alaska manages an additional 117 state parks and recreation areas. In all, Alaska contains over 322 million acres of public lands. At 3.2 million acres, Alaska has the largest state park system in America. We have 120 state parks, state recreation areas, and state historic parks. Most of Alaska's state parks are road accessible, so they get twice the visitation of the national parks in Alaska.
Alaska's mountain ranges, glaciers, and vast wilderness create natural barriers to transportation. For most Alaskans, flying is a necessary part of life. Alaska has about six times as many pilots and 14 times as many aircraft per capita as the rest of the U.S. Lake Hood in Anchorage is the world's largest and busiest seaplane base. In 1996, one of every 58 Alaskans was a registered pilot.
In northern Alaska, snowmobiles are often used during the winter and have largely replaced the traditional dog sled. "All terrain vehicles" are also important in many rural communities where there are few roads and the terrain is difficult.
For coastal residents, the Alaska Marine Highway is very important. This ferry system, which carries passengers and automobiles, connects 28 Alaska towns with each other, with British Columbia, and Bellingham, Washington. The Alaska Railroad is another travel alternative. Covering 470 miles, it joins Seward, Anchorage, Fairbanks, and points in-between.
The government built the 1,523-mile Alaska Highway, through Canada to Fairbanks, in just eight months. The Alaska Highway is still the only road linking Alaska to the lower 48 states.
Our motto, "North to the Future" was chosen in 1967 during the Alaska Purchase Centennial and was created by Juneau newsman Richard Peter. The motto is meant to represent Alaska as a land of promise.
I hope this has given you a good understanding of our wonderful state. Happy Alaska Day!
~Cyn Lyn
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Cyn_Lyn@hotmail.com
