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1745 to 1900 |
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Totem at Cape
Fox Village, Alaska, photographed by Edward
Curtis. |
1840
The effect of long-term Russian settlement at Sitka was
seen in the booming Kolosh bazaar, where Tlingits potatoes,
venison and halibut were exchanged for Russian flour, rice,
molasses, tobacco and vodka.
1848
The American whaler, Superior, sailed through the
Bering Strait and, realizing an excellent catch along
Alaska's Arctic coast, spawned the Arctic whaling
industry.
1850
As the fur trade dwindled, the Russian American Company
expanded into other areas of commerce, including whaling,
coal, and ice for refrigeration. Ice proved to be the only
profitable product.
1861
Gold was discovered at Telegraph Creek at the Stikine
River.
1865
The Russian American Telegraph Expedition surveyed
Alaska with the hope of laying trans-Alaskan, trans-Siberian
telegraph wire to connect North America and Europe.
1867
The United States purchased Alaska from the Russian
government for $7.2 million. The U.S. Army became the
governing authority for the territory. Click
here to read U.S. and British newspaper responses to the
sale.
1872
The first salmon cannery was established at Old
Sitka.
1877
The U.S. Treasury Department became the governing body
for Alaska.
1879
The U.S. Navy succeeded the Treasury Department.
1880
A major gold strike at Juneau brought a flurry of
speculators and investors to the area. The Juneau - Douglas
Mines became the largest employer in Alaska.
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Juneau,
Alaska, 1899. |
1884
The Organic Act, passed by the United States Congress,
established a rudimentary form of civil government in
Alaska, and theoretically protected Alaska Native lands from
exploitation by outsiders. In fact, the law provided little
protection from fishing, timber and mining interests, and
Tlingit chiefs in the Southeast reported those commercial
fisheries were "taking away fish by shiploads," thereby
threatening their livelihoods. Click
here to read about Alaska Native subsistence practices
today.
1886
Lt. Frederick Schwatka attempted to ascend Mt. St. Elias
during an expedition sponsored and publicized by The New
York Times. Expeditions like this one served to keep Alaska
in the public's eye.
1890
The first oil claims were staked in Cook Inlet, and
Sheldon Jackson introduced reindeer into Alaska in an
attempt to develop a herding economy. Large corporate salmon
canneries appeared about this time.
The U.S. Census Bureau announced that, in 1890, ten commercial establishments in Alaska reported a total of eighty-six employees, a combined payroll of $22,773, and capital and equipment worth $105,727. By way of contrast, Texas had more than 5268 establishments listed with the Census Bureau, with 39,475 employees, wages of $18,586,338, and capital holdings of forty eight-million dollars.
1896
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a mineral survey of
the Yukon.
1897
The Yukon gold rush began, and the population of Alaska
began to swell.
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A party of
gold miners near Skagway on the White Pass Trail,
1897. |
1898
A major gold strike in Nome triggered another influx of
prospectors.
1899
The Harriman Alaska Expedition surveyed coastal
Alaska.
1900
The Spencer Expedition mapped the copper district of
Alaska, and the first exploratory oil well was drilled in
Cook Inlet. Twenty thousand gold prospectors arrived at Nome
Beach. Alaska's capital was moved from Sitka to Juneau. The
White Pass and Yukon Railroads were completed.
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For information on the Harriman Retraced Expedition e-mail: harriman2001@science.smith.edu |