Page 57 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

THE HIST OR Y OF ALASK A  55

in the region continued to man in the North Pacific region.
expand, and at one stage At the same time, overhunting
the colony extended as far of sea otters and fur seals
south as Fort Bragg in caused a sharp decline in the
northern California. profitability of the fur trade,
Under the directorship of which was replaced by fishing,
former sales representative shipbuilding, and lum bering.
Alexander Baranov, the Realizing that American traders
Russian-American Company and Britain’s Hudson Bay
was granted a trade mono poly Company already had interests
by Tsar Paul I in 1799. He in Alaska, Russia began to lose
was also authorized to make William H Seward, US Secretary enthusiasm for its distant and
Sitka the seat of colo nial of State increas ingly unpro ductive
government. Just two years colony. In 1859, Tsar Alexander II
later, the Russian fort at Sitka was attacked authorized his agent, Baron Edward de
and destroyed by Tlingit protesting their Stoeckl, to negotiate the sale of Alaska to
forced allegiance to the tsar. Despite the the United States.
defeat, the Russians returned in 1804 and Initially, Congress was reluctant to
Sitka was rebuilt as a veritable stockade. In consider the purchase, especially during
1824, Russia, Britain, and the United States the 1861–65 Civil War. In 1866, California
signed a treaty forming the boundaries of fur companies expressed interest in the
Russian America and British Canada roughly Russian-American Company but it was not
along Alaska’s current boundaries. until 1867 that Secretary of State William
H Seward championed the cause of
The Sale of Alaska purchasing Russian interests in North
By the 1830s, the Russian population of America. President Andrew Johnson and
Sitka had grown to around 1,300, with the US Congress agreed to buy Alaska for
Baranov emerging as the most powerful the paltry sum of $7.2 million or – as is
frequently noted – about 2 cents
an acre. At Sitka on October 18,
1867, ownership was officially
transferred and the US flag was
raised. Despite the low price, the
American public generally
thought Alaska was a waste of
money, and dubbed the new
acquisition “Seward’s Folly,”
“Seward’s Icebox,” “Walrussia,”
Hand-colored woodcut depicting Sitka in 1869 and “Uncle Sam’s Attic.”

1799 Tsar Paul I grants trade 1848 New England 1867 US Secretary
monopoly to Russian- whalers begin com- of State William H
American Company; mercial whaling in Seward purchases
Baranov sets up Russian fort 1867 political cartoon on the Alaskan waters Alaska for
and political capital at Sitka purchase of Alaska $7.2 million
1800 1820 1840 1860
1859 Russian attaché
Edward de Stoeckl is
1791 George Vancouver of Britain and 1840 Russian Orthodox diocese granted authority to 1861 American
Alejandro Malaspina of Spain explore established for Alaska negotiate the sale of Civil War begins
Southeast Alaska Alaska to the US

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