On this day in 1867, the United States takes over Alaska

On October 18, 1867, the United States officially took possession of Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia for $7.2 million, or less than two cents an acre. Indigenous peoples had settled the unforgiving area thousands of years ago. The Alaska Purchase covered 586,412 square miles, about twice the size of Texas, and was advocated by William Henry Seward, the enthusiastic expansion secretary under President Andrew Johnson.

Russia wanted to sell its remote and difficult-to-defend Alaska territory to the US rather than risk losing it in a fight with a rival like Britain. Negotiations between Seward (1801-1872) and Russian U.S. Minister Eduard de Stoeckl began in March 1867. However, the American public considered the land barren and worthless, calling the purchase “Seward’s Folly” and “Andrew Johnson’s.” “Polar Bear Garden” among other derogatory names. Some hostility toward the project may have been a byproduct of President Johnson’s own unpopularity. As the 17th US President, Johnson fought with the radical Republicans in Congress over post-Civil War reconstruction policies. He was impeached in 1868 and later acquitted by a single vote. Nevertheless, Congress eventually ratified the Alaska Treaty.

Public opinion about the purchase became more positive when gold was discovered in Nome, Alaska in 1899, sparking a gold rush. Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959 and is now known for its vast natural resources. Today, 25 percent of America’s oil and over 50 percent of its seafood comes from Alaska. It is also the largest state by area, about a fifth the size of the lower 48 states combined, although it remains sparsely populated.

The name Alaska comes from the word Aleutian Islands alyeskawhich means “big country”. Alaska has two official state holidays commemorating its origins: Seward’s Day, observed on the last Monday in March, celebrating the signing of the land treaty between the United States and Russia on March 30, 1867, and Alaska Day, observed each year on March 18 October 30, 1867 marks the anniversary of the formal land transfer.