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States Edition
2014
Alaska
The Last Frontier
Established 1959
49th State
The name Alaska comes from the Aleut word Alyeska, meaning “great land.”
Alaska has more caribou than people.
You can reach the capital city of Juneau only by water or air.
Alaska is the largest state in land area but has the fourth smallest population.
Alaska has an estimated 100,000 glaciers. The largest glacier is the Malaspina at 1,500 square miles (3,885 sq
km).
There are more than three million lakes in Alaska.
Fairbanks is the dog-mushing capital of the world.
Twenty native languages are spoken in Alaska.
The annual Moose Dropping Festival is held in Talkeetna every summer. Varnished, numbered moose droppings
are dropped from a hot air balloon onto a target below. People holding the numbers that land closest and farthest
from the bullseye win!
Three of the ten strongest recorded earthquakes in the world have been in Alaska.
Mt. McKinley, or Denali, is the highest peak in North America. It stands 20,320 feet (6,194 m) high.
Climate
While you might think that living in Alaska would be like living in your freezer, the state
actually has a variety of climate zones: maritime, continental, transitional, and Arctic.
Because Alaska is so large, one-fifth the size of the United States, there are extremes
of temperature, precipitation, sunlight, and wind. In July in Barrow, you’d probably need
a sweater and a jacket, but in Fairbanks, you would be comfortable in shorts and a
T-shirt. In the Arctic region, you might experience a whiteout, where snow blows so
hard you can’t tell the difference between land and sky, and you can become
disoriented and lost. If you were north of the Arctic Circle during the summer months,
you’d find that the sun doesn’t set for 84 days!
Average Seasonal High and Low Temperatures
Spring: 31/3°F
Summer: 64/43°F
Fall: 21/1°F
Winter: -7/-28°F
Geography
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Alaska’s capital, Juneau, is located inside the largest temperate rainforest in North
America. By contrast, the land in the north, called tundra, has few or no trees for miles
and frozen ground where little can grow. More than 80 percent of all active volcanoes in
the United States are found in Alaska, and almost every year there is at least one big
eruption. Earthquakes are another natural occurrence; an average of five thousand
happen every year. The Aleutian Islands, a chain of about 150 islands in southwestern
Alaska, got its name from the Aleuts, an indigenous (native) tribe. A group of 1,100
islands called the Alexander Archipelago is located in the southeastern part of the state.
Seventeen of the highest twenty peaks in the United States are located in Alaska.
Glaciers and ice fields cover 5 percent of the state.
Resources and Economy
Alaska’s economy is strengthened by its natural resources. Oil and gas constitute about
one-fourth of U.S. production. Much of the state’s budget comes from oil profits. Coal is
also plentiful, and Alaska is the largest producer of zinc (used in metal prodcuts,
batteries, paint, and sun block) in the country. Tourists come because of the mountains
(especially Mt. McKinley/Denali), forests, wildlife, outdoor sports, and fishing. Alaska is
the world’s biggest producer of wild salmon. The bald eagles aren’t the only ones
attracted to a salmon dinner: commercial fishermen catch billions of pounds of seafood
every year. The millions of acres of forests in the state are another important resource,
supplying the world with lumber and other wood products.
Time Line
Thousands of years ago, hunters enter present-day Alaska, as they
follow Ice Age mammals to hunt for food
AD 1700
AD 1741
Bering’s second expedition from Siberia into the North Pacific finds
Alaska
1742
Russian explorers and traders begin hunting and trading sea otters in
the North Pacific for their pelts
1761
Russian explorers land on the mainland of Alaska
1800
1853
Russians find coal and gold on the Kenai Peninsula in south central
Alaska
1867
Russia sells Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million
1881
The Paris Lode claim, near Juneau, is staked and, by 1885, is the
most productive gold mine in Alaska
1900
1900
A law calls for the capital to be moved from Sitka to Juneau; the actual
move takes place in 1906
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1907
A presidential proclamation creates Tongass National Forest, the
largest national forest in the United States
1913
The first Alaska Territorial Legislature assembles
1914
Anchorage begins as a constructive camp for a railroad to Alaska’s
interior; many people come to the site seeking jobs
1924
Congress gives citizenship to all Native Americans in the United
States; William Paul Sr. is the first Native American elected to the
Alaska legislature
1936
Nell Scott is the first woman elected to the Alaska legislature
1942
Japan bombs Dutch Harbor and invades Kiska and Attu islands, part of
the Aleutian chain; the Alaska Highway is completed, linking the lower
48 states and Alaska
1945
An Anti-Discrimination Act is signed by Governor Gruening and is one
of the first such laws passed in the United States
1957
Oil is discovered on the Kenai Peninsula, marking the beginning of
Alaska’s modern oil history
1959
Alaska becomes a state
1964
A major earthquake followed by tsunamis hits south central Alaska;
114 people are killed and there is widespread devastation
1971
Congress passes the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, landmark
legislation in American Indian policy
1973
Congress passes the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act
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Alaska
The Exxon Valdez spills 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William
Sound when the oil tanker runs aground on Bligh Reef in Prince
William Sound
2000
2004
Exxon is ordered to pay $5 billion in damages for the 1989 Exxon
Valdez oil spill
2006
Sarah Palin is elected Alaska’s first female governor as well as the
youngest governor in the history of the state
2009
Alaska celebrates 50 years of statehood
PRESENT
First Inhabitants
The first people to inhabit Alaska came in search of food. Some scientists say that
thousands of years ago the Bering Land Bridge connected Russia and Alaska when the
sea level was more than 300 feet (91 m) lower than today. After many years, as
glaciers melted, water covered the bridge. Now Russia and Alaska are separated by
the Bering Sea.
European Discovery
One of the first Europeans to explore the Bering Sea was Russian Semyon Ivanovich
Dezhnev, who sailed along the Siberian coast in 1689. He wrote a report, but it was not
widely circulated. So, Peter the Great asked Captain-Commander Vitus Bering to
investigate in 1725. Bering did not find Alaska on this trip because of fog. His second
try, in 1741, was somewhat more successful. He found land, but his ship wrecked on
the way home to Russia. He died during the winter. The survivors managed to make it
back to Russia in 1742. Until 1867, Russia was closely involved in Alaskan history.
Buy Alaska?
After the Crimean War in the 1850s, Russia was having financial problems. The country
decided to sell its American colony. Russian ambassador Baron Eduard de Stoeckl
negotiated the sale of Alaska with U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward for 2 cents
an acre, for a total of $7.2 million. Although some people thought that buying Alaska
was a mistake and referred to the purchase as Seward’s Folly, many realized it was a
good deal. The U.S. Senate approved the treaty by a vote of 37 to 2, and the United
States raised the American flag over Alaska on 18 October 1867.
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Great Depression
Like the rest of the country, Alaska suffered during the Great Depression. President
Franklin Roosevelt wanted to help people get a new start, so the federal government
organized work programs to provide jobs. The government sponsored a program to
help more than 200 families from Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota move to Alaska.
These settlers were sold land at a low price so that they could have a place to live and
farm. The program had mixed results.
World War II
Few people know that Japanese troops attacked Alaska’s Dutch Harbor and occupied
two Aleutian islands six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Before World War II,
Brigadier General Billy Mitchell argued that “in the future, he who holds Alaska will hold
the world.” The U.S. government eventually realized Alaska’s strategic importance and
built military bases, constructed roads, and sent military personnel to the region. By 14
August 1943, U.S. troops had regained control of the Aleutian islands. Alaska also had
an important role in getting planes, ships, and war supplies to the Allies in Europe
during the war. Over 8,000 planes were transferred from U.S. to Russian pilots at
Fairbanks between 1943 and 1945. Another project was building a road to connect
Alaska with the states through Canada. The road was over 1,600 miles (2,575 km) and
completed in ten months. The increased numbers of soldiers and construction workers
in Alaska during the war years permanently changed the territory.
Oil Spill
The largest oil field in North America was discovered at Prudhoe Bay in Alaska's far
north in 1967. An insulated pipeline that stretched over 800 miles (1,288 km) to a
year-round port at Valdez was built to get oil to market. At Valdez the oil was loaded
into a supertanker to take it to California for refining. One of the worst oil spills in history
happened in Prince William Sound on 24 March 1989, when the Exxon Valdez tanker
ran aground on Bligh Reef, and more than 11 million gallons of oil spilled into the
waters. Thousands of sea animals, fish, and birds were covered in oil and died. Ten
thousand acres of water were damaged as well as national parks, forests, and the
fishing economy. The negative effects will remain for years to come.
Population
Although it is the largest state in the United States, Alaska is one of the least populated states. Some areas are
completely uninhabited, such as parts of the interior and the Arctic regions; most people have settled on the coasts or
in river valleys. Almost half of all Alaskans live in Anchorage, but the city is still more than 10 times smaller than Los
Angeles. Fairbanks and Juneau are the next largest cities. Alaska has a comparatively young population. Nearly
one-third of the people are younger than age 18.
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Government
Capital: Juneau
State Abbreviation: AK
Governor: Sean Parnell (Republican)
U.S. Senators: 2
Lisa Murkowski (Republican)
Mark Begich (Democrat)
U.S. Representatives: 1
Republicans: 1
State Senators: 20
State Representatives: 40
Boroughs: 16
Alaska is divided into boroughs instead of counties. There are some areas of the
state that are not included in any borough because there are so few people.
Alaska has three electoral votes in U.S. presidential elections.
Famous People
Rosey Fletcher
Carl Ben Eielson — Pilot
Rosey Fletcher — Olympic skier
Henry Ernest Gruening — Politician
Michael James Heney — Railroad engineer
Molly Hootch — Native education advocate
Jack London — Author of The Call of the Wild
Tommy Moe — Olympic skier
Jewel — Singer and performer
Elizabeth Peratrovich — Activist instrumental in passing the Anti-Discrimination Act
Joe Redington Sr. — “Father of the Iditarod,” a famous dogsled race
Libby Riddles — First woman to win the Iditarod
Howard Rock — Artist and Native rights activist
“Mudhole” (Merle) Smith — Aviator in Aviation Pioneer Hall of Fame
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Jack London
Tommy Moe
Jewel
Native America
Early peoples came to Alaska in search of food. The early inhabitants are broken up
into three groups: Eskimo, American Indian, and Aleut. They traced their heritage
through the mother’s line rather than their father’s. The Yup’ik (Eskimo) men had a
qasgiq and the women an ena, communal buildings with underground entrances and
skylights made of dried seal gut. They also used seal oil lamps to light and heat their
homes. These were important areas for socializing and teaching. The name Yup’ik
means the “real people.” The Aleut lived by the ocean in longhouses called ciqlluaqs
which were mostly underground. The Aleut entered them by climbing down a ladder
through a hole in the top. Aleut sea hunters wore elaborate visors to protect their eyes,
decorated with items associated with their spiritual beliefs.
When the first Russians arrived, they traded with the Alaskan natives. They brought
diseases that the natives never had been exposed to, and many people died. These
explorers also took land from the native peoples, forced them out of their villages,
sometimes kidnapping and enslaving them. Once the United States purchased Alaska,
permanent settlers came to the territory and claimed land. During World War II, the
Aleuts were moved to camps in southeastern Alaska. When they returned to their
villages they found many of their homes had been destroyed.
In 1971, Congress passed the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act, which gave
Alaska’s native peoples over 40 million acres of land and almost a billion dollars. The
act also created regional Native corporations to help the native people develop
economic activities. This was the largest land claims settlement in the history of the
country. Along with recognizing Alaskan natives’ rights to land, the act helped revive
native cultures and traditions. They emphasize close family ties and hold regular
celebrations such as the traditional Inupiat kivgiq, or messenger feast. The kivgiq
celebrates a successful whaling season and today includes traditional dancers,
storytellers, drummers, and food.
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Today, 17 percent of Alaska’s population is Native American. The Eskimo are about
half of Alaska’s natives, 36 percent are American Indian, and 12 percent are Aleut. The
term Eskimo refers to the Inupiat and Yup’ik peoples. The Inupiat live in the north, the
Yup’ik in the south. There are five main American Indian groups in the state: the
Athabaskan, the Tlingit, the Tsimshian, the Eyak, and the Haida. The Athabaskan is the
largest group. The Tsimshian moved to Alaska from British Columbia in the 1880s. The
Aleut live mainly in the Aleutian Islands chain.
The Iditarod
The Iditarod is an annual dogsled race in Alaska which starts on the first Saturday in
March. The race follows the historic Iditarod Trail, the path of the last great gold rush in
American history. Beginning in Anchorage and ending up in Nome, along the coast of
the Bering Sea, the race stretches for more than 1,150 miles (1,853 km) across
mountains, tundra, and frozen rivers. It lasts anywhere from 8 to 17 days and is the
most popular sporting event in Alaska. The dog driver, or musher, stands on the sled
while the dogs are paired and hooked up to a long harness. Musher John Baker and his
dogs hold the current record, having completed the race in 8 days, 19 hours, 46
minutes, and 39 seconds in 2011.
Ice Art
Since 1989, Fairbanks, Alaska, has been home to the World Ice Art Championships. Every February and March,
sculptors from around the world come to the Ice Park to create works of art out of enormous blocks of Fairbanks’s
famous “Arctic Diamond” crystal blue ice. There are two main categories of competition: Single Block and Multi-Block,
with abstract and realistic subcategories within each. The event also includes the Kids Park arena where kids can slide
down ice slides, spin around in “ice baskets,” run through ice mazes and tunnels, or play ice hockey. There is even a
fully functioning telephone booth made entirely of ice! At night the whole park is lit up by multicolored lights embedded
inside all of the sculptures. Every year, close to 50,000 spectators come to enjoy the beauty and fun of the world’s
largest ice sculpting competition.
State Symbols
State Bird
Willow ptarmigan—This bird has speckled brown feathers in the summer that turn white
in the winter.
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State Tree
Sitka spruce—During World Wars I and II, the Sitka spruce was used to make
airplanes.
State Flower
Forget-me-not—Forget-me-nots are small pale-blue flowers that grow across the state.
State Mammal
Moose—Moose were once an important source of food, clothing, and tools for some of
the region’s Native American inhabitants.
Other Symbols
Fish: Chinook salmon
Fossil: Woolly mammoth
Gemstone: Jade
Insect: Four spot skimmer dragonfly
Marine Mammal: Bowhead whale
Mineral: Gold
Sport: Dog mushing
Song: “Alaska’s Flag”
State Motto
North to the Future—Alaskans chose their motto during the Alaskan Purchase Centennial to show Alaska as a land of
promise.
Pro Sports Teams
There are currently no professional sports teams in Alaska.
For More Information
See www.alaska.gov or contact the Alaska Travel Industry Association, 2600 Cordova Street, Suite 201, Anchorage,
AK 99503-2745; phone (907) 929-2200; web site www.travelalaska.com.
© 2014 ProQuest LLC and Brigham Young University. It is against the law to
copy, reprint, store, or transmit any part of this publication in any form by any
means without strict written permission from ProQuest.
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