ALASKA - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - TRAVEL & LODGING GUIDE

ALASKA, USA TRAVEL GUIDE:

Alaska USA - A Bit Of History

After this many British, Spanish and French people also started exploring the land in search of fur. They started killing each other until the Chartering of Russian American Company in 1799. Under this Company's rule for the next 20 years fur was cut systematically.

However in 1802 the settlement was broken by the local Tlingit Indians and they captured the Russians and then Russia sent forces to rescue them. Battles continued between the two until 1806 when most of the Russians left.

The economics of Russia had a disastrous effect in domestic Russia. So they wanted to sell the land to America. The deal took many years to materialize and on 8th May, 1867 a treaty was signed by President. Andrew Johnson. The sale price was $7,200,000 and very shortly Alaska was nicknamed Seward's Icebox.

Until 1895 the territory of Alaska was totally neglected and then in 1896 Gold was dug out from Central Alaska along the River Yukon. Many Gold seekers started pouring into Alaska and new laws had to be enacted. By 1907 a Tongass National Forest Reserve was created, Alaska's very first.

On 24 August, 1912, Alaska gained the territorial status by U.S.A. In spite of such a status Alaska still had a weak economy and the population was also thinning. A Rail track was laid in 1914 between Seward and Fairbanks. Several subsidies were provided to Farmers who were brought there and settled in Matanuska Valley Colony.

World War II did bring an influx of Military people and a building boom.  The Cold War in the 1940's brought about a huge population bloom and economic growth because of defense U.S. Military Government's spending here.

In 1949 Alaska started campaigning for statehood and on 3 January 1959 Alaska got inducted as U.S.A.'s forty ninth State.

Up to now Alaska is economically better with Timber, Sea Food, Oil and the Tourism attractions.

Gold! The magic word drew thousands of Gold seekers into Alaska by 1886. They found scattered Gold in many parts like Talkeetna Mountains. Robert Lee Hatcher discovered and staked claim on the first lode Gold in the Willow Creek Valley in September 1906. Lode mining was a little expensive job so many new Companies came & started digging until all were brought together under one Company 'Asia-Pacific Consolidated Mining Company. In 1942 when America got into the World War II, all mining in U.S.A. was stopped, but Independence Company continued to operate because the presence of sheelite. Sheelite along with Gold was a source of Tungsten, a strategic metal.

In 1943 The Independence Mine was ordered to close. The ban was lifted after the War, but still the Gold mining was rather slow. Due to post-war inflation mining was not a profitable business. Eventually in 1974, The Independence Mine got the status of a Historical Heritage.

South of Alaska - when Gold was discovered in Canada's Yukon Territory, many Gold seekers went there from Seattle across the country. Today it has been made a Park and has a visitor centre at Skagway, the center of Gold seeker's rush called Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

COOPERS LANDING - ALASKA

Cooper Landing was named for Joseph Cooper, a miner who discovered gold there in 1884. However, Peter Doroshin, a Russian engineer, had identified gold prospects as far back as 1848 when the territory was still part of Russian America.Cooper Creek was first recorded in 1898 by the U.S. Geological Survey. In 1900, the Census found 21 miners and 1 wife living at Cooper Creek. The Riddiford Post Office began operations in 1924, and the Riddiford School opened in 1928.  In 1938, a road was constructed to Seward. In 1948, a road to Kenai was opened, and by 1951, residents could drive to Anchorage. The Cooper Landing Community Club was first formed in 1949. The Cooper Lake Hydroelectric Facility was constructed in 1959-60.

SEWARD - ALASKA

It was named after William H. Seward, United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. In 1867, he fought for the U.S. purchase of Alaska which he finally negotiated to acquire from Russia.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.5 square miles (55.8 km²), of which, 14.4 square miles (37.4 km²) of it is land and 7.1 square miles (18.4 km²) of it (32.93%) is water.

Seward is the seventh most lucrative fisheries port in the United States per value. In 2004, 49.7 million dollars worth of fish and shellfish passed through Seward according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. 

Another major industry in Seward is tourism. Seward is also an Alaska Railroad terminus which has a maintained dock for cruise vessels and it controls a shipping terminal for coal from Usibelli. The Railroad and Aurora Energy Services employ dozens of people in the local area.

SOLDOTNA - ALASKA

Soldotna is located on the banks of the Kenai River on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. It is named after nearby Soldotna Creek. There are three explanations of the origin of the word Soldotna: one, that it is derived from soldat, the Russian word for soldier; two, that it is derived from an Athabaskan word for "stream fork" and three, that it is derived from Tseldatna, the Athabaskan name of an herb.

In 1947, after World War II, United States government allowed settling of land on parts of the Kenai Peninsula under the Homestead Act. Veterans of the United States armed services were given a 90-day preference over non-veterans in selecting land and filing for property. Also in that year, the Sterling Highway right-of-way was cleared of trees from Cooper Landing to Kenai. The location of present-day Soldotna was selected as the site for the highway's bridge crossing the Kenai River.

The construction of the Sterling Highway provided a link from the Soldotna area to the outside world. More homesteads were taken and visitors came to fish in the area. The Soldotna post office opened in 1949 and other businesses opened in the next few years.

Oil was discovered in the Swanson River region in 1957, bringing some new economic development to the area. In 1960, Soldotna was incorporated as a city with a population of 332.

Sport fishing and tourism are currently the mainstays of the economy in Soldotna. It also receives some economic advantage from being the seat of the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Les Anderson holds the record for the largest king salmon, caught on May 17, 1985 and weighing in at 97 lb 4 oz. Most local taxidermy businesses will stuff and mount a salmon for free if it is over 70 lb (32 kg) for the business exposure. Fish counts are determined by sonar fish counters. They are rough estimates based on averages over a prolonged period.

VALDEZ, ALASKA

Valdez is a fishing port, for commercial and sport purposes. Freight moves through Valdez, utilising the year-round ice-free harbour, bound for the interior of Alaska. Sightseeing of marine life and glaciers, together with both deep-sea fishing, and heli-skiing support a tourist industry in Valdez. The oil from the Trans-Alaska pipeline is loaded onto ships at the Valdez oil terminal. It is sometimes called the Switzerland of Alaska.

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company is one of the primary employers in town but it started to move several positions to its headquarters in Anchorage, after the town council passed a resolution levying a tax on all tankers coming into the port to be loaded with oil, which has had an impact in the population size and the economy.

Valdez is connected to the interior of Alaska by the Richardson Highway, and is a port of call in the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system. Just north of Valdez on the highway is Thompson Pass, which has spectacular waterfalls and glaciers next to the highway. Thompson Pass is also known for treacherous driving conditions during the winter.

Valdez is also known for heli-skiing, the city hosted the World Extreme Skiing Competition (WESC) in the early 90's. Soon afterwards, guided heliskiing was offered for visitors from around the world. Today there are several heli-ski outfits based in the greater Valdez area.