Alaskan history is full of rich and interesting stories and facts. Alaska officially became a state on January 3rd, 1959. It was accepted into the Union as state number 49. It was originally bought from Russia in 1867, by the U. S. Secretary of State William Seward.
Many were critical of the purchase at first. They called it Seward’s Folly as if it were a mistake he had made. No one believed that the land was worth anything. However, by the 1890’s, gold was discovered near the capitol and pioneers flocked to the state.
Alaska Day is celebrated on October 18th. It is the official day that William Seward signed the papers making Alaska a state. Many places in Alaska are named for the Secretary of State William Seward including a creek and several roads, mountains, glaciers, a peninsula and a passageway are all named for him.
Affectionately called by its people the Land of the Midnight Sun, there is more night than daylight during the winter months. Because of its rugged terrain, much of the state has not been explored and is sometimes called the Last Frontier. The motto it’s citizens go by is North To The Future which actually means the land of promise. It’s motto was first created in 1967 by a Juneau newsman who thought it up during the Alaskan Purchase Centennial.
A boy 13 years of age named Jon Ben Benson designed the state flag. He designed it with the North Star and the Big Dipper star formations on a dark blue background which looks like the nighttime sky. He did all this back in 1927.
According to alaskan history, it was first a district, then a territory, and finally a state in 1959. Alaska is rich in natural resources such as gold and oil. Fishing, railroads, and agriculture are also important to the states economy and can be found on its state seal.
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