Page 61 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

THE HIST OR Y OF ALASK A  59

The War Years
When Japan attacked Pearl
Harbor on December 7, 1941,
the American government
realized the vulner ability of
Alaska’s position in the North
Pacific, with Anchorage as
close to Tokyo as it is to
Washington, DC. Fears of
invasion were well-founded
and the Japanese launched
an air attack on the Aleutians
on June 3, 1942. Four days
later, they captured Attu US troops carrying a wounded soldier on Attu Island in 1943
Island, taking the locals
prisoner. The US government was quick to increase to 43,314 by 1945. Several other
retaliate. Hundreds of other islanders were towns grew almost as dramatically. At
evacuated to Southeast Alaska, troops and this point, it was clear that Alaska had
about 70 US Navy ships were dispatched matured and was on the road to eventual
to the Aleutians, and military bases state hood. In 1955, Alaskans elected
were established at Akutan, Amchitka, dele gates to a constitutional convention,
and Adak. The islands were successfully which would draft a constitution for the
recaptured by August 1943. new state. The resulting document was
During this period, a large portion of adopted the following year, and in 1958
the state’s current highway system was President Dwight D Eisenhower signed
developed. The greatest project was the the Statehood Bill that made Alaska the
1,440-mile (2,304-km) Alaska Highway, which 49th state of the US on January 3, 1959.
connected Alaska to the rest of the US by
road (see pp290–91). This phenomenal feat
involved punching a route through trackless
territory, felling trees, and bridging wild rivers.
Despite incredible hard ships, the project was
completed in eight months and 12 days, and
the road was opened on October 25, 1942.

Statehood
In 1942, Anchorage had a population of
just 7,724, but the development brought Mile 0 marker of the Alaska Highway in the town of Dawson
about by the war caused that number to Creek, Canada

1942 Japanese 1955 Alaskans
1923 Completion of Alaska State flag invade the elect delegates to 1956 Voters
the Alaska Railroad and US flag Aleutian Islands; a constitutional adopt the
Alaska Highway convention new Alaskan
completed constitution
1920 1930 1940 1950 1960
1924 Congress extends 1935 Matanuska Valley 1943 US forces 1959 Alaska
citizenship to Native Americans Project brings families finally repel the becomes a
from the US Midwest Japanese from state on
1922 Native voting rights established to farm in Alaska the Aleutians January 3

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