| Alaska USA - A Bit Of
History
Peter, a Danish sea Captain,
who belonged to Russia landed in Alaska and established Russia's claim
to this Northwestern part of North America.
After this many British,
Spanish and French people also started exploring the land in search of
fur. They started killing each other until the Chartering of Russian American
Company in 1799. Under this Company's rule for the next 20 years fur was
cut systematically.
However in 1802 the settlement
was broken by the local Tlingit Indians and they captured the Russians
and then Russia sent forces to rescue them. Battles continued between the
two until 1806 when most of the Russians left.
The economics of Russia had
a disastrous effect in domestic Russia. So they wanted to sell the land
to America. The deal took many years to materialize and on 8th May, 1867
a treaty was signed by President. Andrew Johnson. The sale price was $7,200,000
and very shortly Alaska was nicknamed Seward's Icebox.
Until 1895 the territory
of Alaska was totally neglected and then in 1896 Gold was dug out from
Central Alaska along the River Yukon. Many Gold seekers started pouring
into Alaska and new laws had to be enacted. By 1907 a Tongass National
Forest Reserve was created, Alaska's very first.
On 24 August, 1912, Alaska
gained the territorial status by U.S.A. In spite of such a status Alaska
still had a weak economy and the population was also thinning. A Rail track
was laid in 1914 between Seward and Fairbanks. Several subsidies were provided
to Farmers who were brought there and settled in Matanuska Valley Colony.
World War II did bring an
influx of Military people and a building boom. The Cold War in the
1940's brought about a huge population bloom and economic growth because
of defense U.S. Military Government's spending here.
In 1949 Alaska started campaigning
for statehood and on 3 January 1959 Alaska got inducted as U.S.A.'s forty
ninth State.
Up to now Alaska is economically
better with Timber, Sea Food, Oil and the Tourism attractions.
Gold! The magic word drew
thousands of Gold seekers into Alaska by 1886. They found scattered Gold
in many parts like Talkeetna Mountains. Robert Lee Hatcher discovered and
staked claim on the first lode Gold in the Willow Creek Valley in September
1906. Lode mining was a little expensive job so many new Companies came
& started digging until all were brought together under one Company
'Asia-Pacific Consolidated Mining Company. In 1942 when America got into
the World War II, all mining in U.S.A. was stopped, but Independence Company
continued to operate because the presence of sheelite. Sheelite along with
Gold was a source of Tungsten, a strategic metal.
In 1943 The Independence
Mine was ordered to close. The ban was lifted after the War, but still
the Gold mining was rather slow. Due to post-war inflation mining was not
a profitable business. Eventually in 1974, The Independence Mine got the
status of a Historical Heritage.
South of Alaska - when Gold
was discovered in Canada's Yukon Territory, many Gold seekers went there
from Seattle across the country. Today it has been made a Park and has
a visitor centre at Skagway, the center of Gold seeker's rush called Klondike
Gold Rush National Historical Park.
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Devinder reckons a trip
to Alaska is definitely worth thinking about.
http://www.london-airport-shuttle.co.uk |
