National Alaska Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Alaska

National Alaska Day is celebrated annually on October 18 to honour this incredible location, which is the largest state to join the United States in terms of land area and the country’s final frontier.

The background of National Alaska Day

While the origins and progenitor of National Alaska Day are currently unknown, we know a great deal about how Alaska became a part of the United States. Long before the Russians settled in this Arctic region, it was inhabited by Inuit, Yupik, and Tlingit tribes, among others. They hunted whales and ate whale blubber, beaver, and fish for food. The Russians then settled in Alaska and ruled for 68 years before departing.

In Sitka, Alaska, a transcontinental telegraph line was established, marking the beginning of U.S. rule in Alaska. The U.S. desired to expand their territory, while the Russians desired to depart. The depleted sea otter population rendered this land unprofitable, and Russia’s financial situation following the Crimean War made Alaska difficult to defend. William Seward, state secretary at the time, was the driving force behind the acquisition. Alaska was acquired at a cost of $7,2 million. His advocacy for this cause was so prominent that the overwhelming majority of Americans who believed this purchase was a mistake began to refer to Alaska as “Seward’s Folly.”

Then, in the 18th century, two prospectors discovered gold in the Klondike region, launching the Alaskan gold rush. Upwards of 10,000 fortune seekers travelled to the Klondike and Nome coastlines in western Alaska, where gold was also discovered, in search of their fortune. During the Second World War, this region’s strategic position cemented its newfound popularity. When the Japanese invaded the Aleutian Islands, portions of which are U.S. territory and portions of which belong to the Russian federal subject of Kamchatka Krai, the U.S. army was already stationed there and prepared to defend their frontier. This Aleutian campaign, also known as the “One Thousand Mile War,” was the first of its kind conducted on American soil following the American Civil War. Alaska remained a territory until it became a state in the 19th century.

During the 19th century, dog sledding also came to the forefront of American consciousness. A fatal outbreak of diphtheria in Nome posed a threat to the lives of every resident. Additionally, the location was so remote that it was difficult to assist them. This situation was exacerbated by an approaching blizzard, which rendered air support impossible. Antitoxin could only be delivered via sled dogs. Leonhard Seppala arrives. His Norwegian colleague Jafet Lindeberg, who struck it gold in Nome, invited Leonhard Seppala to join his Pioneer Mining Company. According to the records, Seppala regretted this decision because the task was difficult. That is, until the day he became a musher of sled dogs transporting supplies. A crew of twenty was assembled, including that of the esteemed musher Leonhard Seppala. Many argue that Seppala and his lead dog, Togo, were the genuine heroes that day, despite the fact that Balto became famous.

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Five Interesting Facts About Alaska

“Alaska” is derived from the Aleut word “Alyeska,” which means “great land.”

Alaska contains several of the highest mountain peaks in the United States, including Mount Denali.

Benny Benson, a 13-year-old Native American, designed the Alaskan emblem in 1926.

Alaska is the state with the lowest population density in the entire globe, with only one person per square mile.

Every year, from Anchorage to Nome, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is conducted to commemorate Leonhard Seppala’s mission to save an entire community.

NATIONAL ALASKA DAY DATES