"North to the Future"
100 million BC
Land masses collided about this time and created Alaska.
20,000 BC
Ancient people from Siberia crossed the Bering land bridge about this time and began their southward
migration into the Americas.
10,000 BC
The first humans to stay in Alaska are thought to have arrived more than 10,000 years ago and are the
ancestors of today's Alaska Natives.
8,000 BC
Ice Age ending - rising waters cover land bridge.
500-900 AD
At Barrow, the Birnirk culture, is represented by a group of 16 dwelling mounds and is considered a key link
between the prehistoric cultures of Alaska and Canada.
1579
Sir Francis Drake's Secret Voyage to Northwest America brought him to Alaska's southeast (Chatham Strait, south of
Juneau, between Baranof Island and Kulu Island).
1725
Peter the Great dies and Empress Catherine becomes head of Russia. Vitus Bering explored Northwest coast;
established Russia's claim
1728
Vitus Bering discovered St. Lawrence Island. Bering sailed through Bering Strait
1733
Bering's second expedition, with George Wilhelm Steller aboard, the first naturalist to visit Alaska.
1741
June 4 - Vitus Bering on the St. Peter and Alexei Chirikov on the St. Paul set sail from Kamchatka, Siberia. On
June 20 they lose sight of each other in a storm and continue on their separate voyages.
July 15 - Aleksei Chirikov along with the
Danish Explorer, Vitus Bering, sights the Aleutian Islands. Chirikov, in command of the ship the St. Paul, sighted what is believed to be
Prince of Wales Island of the Alexander Archipelago. Chirikov sights land and drops the anchor of the St. Paul. After losing two crews sent
to shore to explore, he continues on to Unalaska and probably the island of Adak. He also loses some of his crew to disease and scurvy,
before returning to Kamchatka.Bering's ship, the St. Peter, had sailed a more northerly direction and came upon Kayak Island the next day
July 18 - Vitus Bering sights Mount St. Elias in North America. He and his men were shipwrecked on Avacha Island off of Kamchatka and many
died of disease and lack of food.
December 8 - Bering dies on the island of Avacha and is buried there. The island is later renamed
Bering Island.
1745
Russian fur traders first sight Attu and land there to trade with the natives. Several natives were killed
1764
Unalaska natives, tired of attrocities committed upon them by the Russians, strike back. Four Russian ships were
destroyed.
1768
Pribalof discovers the seal islands in the Bering Sea, north of the Aleutians that now bear his name.
1774
Charles III of Spain fears Russian expansion; sends expeditions north along northwest coast of North America.
Spanish navigator Juan Perez sailed from California to Prince William Sound. He is driven back by storms, but the Spanish returned in the
Sonora the following year, venturing as far as Mt. Edgecume near Sitka. Juan Perez discovered Prince of Wales Island, Dixon Sound. Spain
leaves few traces except place names such as Malaspina Glacier and Valdez.
1776
British Captain James Cook of England searches for Northwest Passage. His maps of northern North America prove
that America and Asia are separate land masses and remain the standard for over a century.
1778
British Captain James Cook explores the Alaskan coast, seeking the Northwest Passage back to the Atlantic. On the
Discovery he maps and names Mount Edgecumbe, Prince William Sound, Bristol Bay and Norton Bay. On the way back to England his crew almost
mutinied, wanting to go back to Alaska, after stopping in China and discovering how much sea otter pelts were worth.
1784
First white settlement (Russian) established at Three Saints Bay on Kodiak Island by Grigorii Shelikov
1786
Gerasim Pribilof discovers Saint George Island
1787
Peter and Paul Island discovered (now called Saint Paul Island)
1788
Russians enslave Aleuts to hunt fur seals
1789
First American expedition sets out for northwestern North American to compete with British and Russians for fur
trade.
1790
Aleksandr Andreevich Baranoff embarks for Alaska. He is shipwrecked off of Unalaska. 5 of his crew members were
killed by the Kolosh natives and the remainder nearly starved to death while spending winter there. The following spring he and his men
travel by sealskin boats to Three Saints, arriving in June of 1791.
1791
British Captain George Vancouver explores Northwest Coast exhaustively with two ships, but finds no Northwest
Passage
1794
Aleksandr Andreyevich Baranov builds first ocean-going vessel in northwestern America on the Kenai Peninsula at
Voskressenski.
While exploring the southern stretches of North America's longest fjord for England, Capt. George Vancouver named Lynn
Canal for his home town of King's Lynn. Under the command of Joseph Whidby, several of his men traveled to the head of Lynn Canal, entering
both the Chilkat and Chilkoot Inlets.
1795
The first Russian Orthodox Church established in Kodiak.
1797
United American Company formed as a merger of 19 traders and trading companies to trade, explore, colonize and
Christianize Alaska.
1799
Czar Paul grants a charter to Shelekhov's Russian-American Company for exclusive rights in the fur trade in
Alaska.
Baranov leads 1110 men to Sitka. After purchasing land from the Tlingits, they begin to build the town of New Archangel (later
renamed Sitka). Violating order against doing business with foreigners Baranov made friends with James Shields, an English naval officer
experienced in ship building. Baranov engaged Shields to construct a vessel. When it was finished the ship was christened the Phoenix. It
was used in American waters and made two voyages to Siberia. Its chief value was symbolic.
Two French ships visit Alaska - one reaching
Frenchman's Bay and the other Sitka Bay.
1800
Baranov returns to Kodiak. In his absence the Tlingits burn New Archangel, killing and capturing some 600 people.
New Archangel (later Sitka) is recaptured and rebuilt, two years later.
1802
In Baranov's absence the Tlingits burn New Archangel, killing and capturing some 600 people. New Archangel (later
Sitka) is recaptured and rebuilt, two years later. After the attack on Old Sitka, Baranov was forced to pay 10,000 rubles ransom for
surviving settlers.
1804
Russians attacked Kiksadi fort on Indian River; Russians lost. Baranov returned to Sitka with a large contingent
of Russians and Aleuts, and the Russian warship Neva. The ship destroyed the Native village and its occupants. Baranov immediately began to
build the settlement of New Archangel, now known as Sitka.
1808
Unalaska's first Russian Orthodox church constructed
1812
Russians complete the settlement of Fort Ross (Russ) on Bodega Bay, north of the Russian River in California. This
settlement was founded to provide foodstocks for Sitka, AK.
1815
Otto von Kotzebue, an Estonian German, sets out on Russian round-the-world expedition; visits St. Lawrence Island
and Unalaska during summer.The Romanzov Expedition led to naming of Escholtz Bay, Chamisso Island and Wildlife Refuge, the city of
Kotzebue, and to many botanical discoveries on land and in Alaskan waters.
1820
Czar Alexander declared that Russian influence in North America extended as far south as Oregon and closed Alaskan
waters to foreigners.
1821
Russian Trading Charter is renewed extending Russian jurisdiction to 51st parallel. During this period, the
Hudson's Bay Company, chartered by the British, was trying to gain a foothold in the Alaska fur trade. The British made a deal with the
Russians to lease the mainland south of Cape Spencer for 10 years at an annual payment of 2,000 land otter skins. The British were a
presence in Alaska for the next 30 years.
Tlingits are allowed to return and rebuild a village at Sitka on their pre-empted land. Their
new settlement is called The Ranche.
1823
December 2 President James Monroe, seeking to exclude European intervention in the New World, issues the Monroe
Doctrine.
1824
Treaty signed between the United States and Russia which designates the southern border of Russian America at
54°40'. This treaty also re-opened all harbors in the region to fishing and trading.
Ivan Popov, later known as Ioann Veniaminov arrives
at Unalaska as a missionary. While he preaches he learns the Aleut language and creates an Aleut dictionary.
Russians begin exploration
of mainland that leads to discovery of Nushagak, Kuskokwim, Yukon, and Koyokuk Rivers.
1825
Point Barrow is named for Sir John Barrow of the British Admiralty by Captain Beechey of the Royal Navy.
Feb
22, Russia and Britain established the Alaska/Canada boundary.
1834
Ivan Popov, later known as Ioann Veniaminov moves from the Aleutians to Sitka and learns the Tlingit language in
order to minister the natives.
1839
Dena’ina population decimated by smallpox
1841
Ivan Popov is appointed Bishop of Russia America and Siberia and is re-named Ioann Veniaminov.
1847
Fort Yukon established
1848
The onion-domed St. Michael's Cathedral is built in Sitka.
1849
Russian Mining engineer discovers gold and coal on Kenai Peninsula.
1853
Oil seeps in Cook Inlet discovered by employees of Russian-America Company.
1857
Coal mining begins at Coal Harbor on Kenai Peninsula to supply steamers. The Russian-American Company was
suffering from financial difficulties and the Tzar wanted to revoke the charter. The company had been beaten by the Hudson's Bay Company in
the fur trade. The British company had better and cheaper items to trade with the Natives for furs. The Company tried new business
ventures. It opened a coal mine at Port Graham. By 1857 the mine produced enough coal to support the colony. Surplus coal was taken to San
Francisco but it was sold at a loss. The company quit the venture. It also failed at whaling because it could not compete with the more
efficient Americans. The ice trade prospered, but it was not enough to justify the company's existence. The company's long tenure in the
Americas soon came to an end.
1861
Gold is discovered at Telegraph Creek at the Stikine River near Wrangell by Buck Choquette.
1865
Western Union Telegraph Company prepares to put telegraph line across Alaska and Siberia.
Last shot of the
Civil War fired in Alaskan waters
1867
Russia sold (present-day) Alaska (375 million acres) to United States for $7.2 million (about 2 cents per acre).
Many called this "Seward's Folly" because little was known about Alaska, other than its cold climate.
Fur seal population, stabilized
under Russian rule, declines rapidly.
Major General Jefferson C. Davis, U.S. Army, assumes command of the Department of Alaska. A
decade of military rule begins
1868
Alaska designated Department of Alaska. First Alaska newspaper, "The Sitka Times," is published by Thomas Murphy
1869
Sitka Times, first Alaskan newspaper, published
1870
Gold found at Sumdum Bay, SE Alaska.
1871
A whaling fleet of 32 ships was abandoned off Icy Cape in the Chukchi Sea. Seven other vessels escaped with all
the crew members saved. In 1998 an attempt was made to locate the shipwreck site.
1872
Gold discovered near Sitka at Indian River.
1873
Jack McQuestern, Arthur Harper and Alfred Mayo begin prospecting along the Yukon River.
1874
George Halt first white man to cross Chilkoot Pass in search for gold
1876
Gold discovered south of Juneau
1877
The US Army leaves Alaska and chaos ensues. First mission school for natives is founded
1878
First Alaska fish cannery opens in Klawock.
The Chilkats guided a party of miners through their territory to
the interior. Journeying up and down the Yukon and Pelly Rivers from Fort Selkirk, the miners found indications of gold.
1879
Naturalist John Muir canoes throughout Southeast Alaska and discovers Glacier Bay. (When Vancouver passed 80 years
earlier the bay was still totally full of ice.) Muir's reports inaugurate tourism to the territory.
Missionary S. Hall Young and his
friend John Muir, in the company of Tlingits from Sitka, traveled to Yendustucky, five miles up the Chilkat River from present-day Haines.
They were sent by Sheldon Jackson, in charge of Alaska's Presbyterian Missions, to discuss the location for a mission with Chilkat and
Chilkoot Chiefs. As their canoe approached, villagers came to the riverbank and fired shots over their head, alarming Young and Muir. The
Sitka Tlingits told them not to worry: they were being greeted, not fired at! Upon reaching shore, the canoe was hoisted -- men and all --
and carried to the clan house. There they were completely ignored for a short time; according to Tlingit custom, it was polite for
travelers to be given time to collect their thoughts after a long journey. "...[B]efore Shathitch [also known as Kohklux] left, he and
Donawok and Shundoo-oo, the chief and Iht (shaman) of Chilkoot, walked with me across the neck of the peninsula to a harbour on the east
side." (S. Hall Young, Hall Young of Alaska). At Deishu ("end of the trail") they decided on the site for the new mission.
1880
In 1880, George Pilz, a German-born mining school graduate living in Sitka, grubstaked his employee Joe Juneau and
another man, Richard Harris. The two men went prospecting in the vicinity of Gastineau Channel. Harris and Juneau named the creek where
they found placer gold, Gold Creek, and they named Silver Bow Basin at the head of the creek. A mining district was established and called
Harrisburg, and soon a town first named Harrisburg, then Rockwell, and finally Juneau began to flourish at a shallow bay called Miners
Cove.
First census of Alaska taken.
At Haines, a second party of miners was guided over the Tlingit trade route. George Dickinson
opened a Northwest Trading Company post next to the site that had been chosen for the new Presbyterian mission. After arbitrating a
disagreement between Chilkats and Chilkoots in August, the navy built a schoolhouse by the trading post and the Tlingits began building
houses on each side.
1881
Parris Lode claim staked near Juneau and by 1885 is Alaska's most famous mine -- the Treadwell. In 1881
John Treadwell, a promoter, obtained a claim from a prospector known as French Pete for a sum ranging from $5 to $400, depending upon one's
source of information. The claim was located on Douglas Island. A Geologist had said the site contained only low-grade ore. It was
worthless to French Pete, who did not possess the capital to develop it. Treadwell recognized its potential and developed a very profitable
enterprise. The year-round employment at the mine gave the town an economic base. Eventually, four mines were opened -- the Treadwell, the
700, the Mexican, and the Ready Bullion -- and five stamp mills.
Dr. Sheldon Jackson arrived at Haines with Rev. Eugene Willard and his
teacher-wife, The Willards soon realized that children had to come so far from various villages that, especially in winter, it would be
more practical if there were a boarding school. The log building for the purpose was by far the largest in the entire area. This was the
place Sol Ripinsky came to teach in 1885. It was the beginning of the town of Haines, which took its name from Mrs. F.E. Haines, a member
of the Board of National Missions.
1882
First Alaska salmon canneries are built in central Alaska.
First commercial herring fishing begins at
Killisnoo.
U.S. Navy bombs, then burns Tlingit village of Angoon.
1883
More than two hundred prospectors had crossed over the Chilkoot Pass to the interior. The Chilkats retained
control of the route, charging a fee to carry goods across the pass. Honoring Mrs. F.E. Haines, the name of Chilkat Mission was changed to
Haines Mission
1884
Steamers begin bringing first tourists to Alaska.
Congress passes First Organic Act; $15,000 appropriated to
educate Alaska Native children.
1885
Lieutenant Henry Allen reached St. Michael after exploring the Copper and Yukon Rivers.
1886
Howard Franklin strikes Gold on Fortymile River ln Interior Alaska.
1887
Congress creates the Indian Reservation of Metlakatla on Annette Island. Around 1887, Reverend William Duncan
brought 1,000 Tsimshian followers from Metlakatla in British Columbia to Annette Island. On land obtained through a congressional grant he
built a new Metlakatla, designed to make the Natives self-sufficient. They were taught trades such as carpentry, seamanship, and
boat-building, built their own sawmills and a cannery, and engaged in other enterprises.
1888
Alexander King discovers gold on Kenai Peninsula near Turnagain Arm.
1890
First oil claims are staked in Cook Inlet.
Dr. Sheldon Jackson explores Arctic Coast; brings reindeer
husbandry into Alaska.
Large corporate salmon canneries begin to appear.
Israel C. Russell, sponsored by the National Geographic
Society, returned from an expedition to Mt. St. Elias with fossil bearing rocks.
1893
Gold discovered near Hope, Rampart and Circle.
Cape Smythe Whaling and Trading Station built near Barrow and
is the oldest frame building in the Arctic
1894
Gold discovery on Mastadon Creek; founding of Circle City.
Jack Dalton, who had been employed at Chilkat
Cannery, began packing over the Chilkat trade route and built trading posts at Dalton Cache (present US/Canada Border), Dalton Post (100
miles northwest of Haines), and Champagne (on the Alaska Highway near Whitehorse). Today's Haines Highway follows fairly closely the
Chilkat Pass Route which was once known as the Dalton Trail.
1896
Dawson City founded at mouth of Klondike River.
George Washington Carmack, Tagish Charlie and Skookum Jim make
a discovery on Bonanza Creek, setting off the great Klondike Gold Rush.
1896-1900
Discovery of Gold on a Yukon River tributary brings 100,000 people to Alaska and the Yukon Territory
1896
James Girdwood stakes placer claim at Crow Creek
1897
Jul 15, The gold-laden ship Excelsior from Alaska landed in San Francisco. Seattle mayor W.D. Wood was visiting
and immediately resigned his job, hired a ship, and organized an expedition from SF to the Yukon territory.
Jul 17, The Steamer
Portland arrived into Seattle from Alaska with 68 prospectors carrying more than a ton of gold. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer announced
that men with gold from Alaska were landing. This unleashed the Klondike gold rush and tens of thousands headed for the Yukon.
U.S. Army
establishes Fort St.Michael, first of six Gold Rush posts.
1897-1902 - The Jesup North Pacific Expedition was made to study the biological and cultural connections between peoples
on each side of the Bering Strait. It was one of the first instances where a camera was used in such a study.
First shipment of fresh
halibut sent south from Juneau.
1898
Construction began on the White Pass & Yukon railroad. It was led by Big Mike Heney, a Canadian Railway
contractor, and Sir Thomas Tancred, who represented the British financiers.
The Klondike gold rush was in full swing.
Congress
extends Homesteading Act to Alaska
Libby Partners make first major gold strike on Melsing and Ophir Creeks
Sixty five people die in
Chilkoot Pass Avalanche.
Skagway is largest city in Alaska. Soapy Smith killed in Skagway.
The "Three Luck Swedes" discover gold on
Seward Peninsula.
Prospector Charles Cahoon noted that in January of 1898, Haines consisted of "the Presbyterian Mission building, a
small store, and a few Indian huts on the beach." Pyramid Harbor Cannery was the largest cannery in the world at the time. A post office
opened there in May and operated until October of 1900.
In October three partners discovered gold in Porcupine Creek, a tributary of the
Klehini River some 35 miles upstream from Pyramid Harbor. After finding approximately $1,000 worth of gold in ten days, S.W. Mix, Ed
Fenlay, and Perry Wiley staked claims and another rush was on. Porcupine, which had been an overnight stop along the Dalton Trail soon
became a thriving gold-mining community in its own right. By now, the stage had been set and the town of Haines began to grow.
1899
Gold is discovered on the beaches of Nome and many prospectors who had been unsuccessful in the Yukon move
westward to try again.
Local government organized in Nome.
The White Pass & Yukon railroad was completed.
The U.S. Revenue
Marine service steamer Nunivak entered the Yukon River to commence patrol duties.
1900
First exploratory well is drilled in Cook Inlet. Capital moves from Sitka to Juneau. 20,000 gold miners on Nome
beach. Alexander McKenzie and Judge Arthur H. Noyes arrive ln Nome and start a fraudulent scheme to seize rich mining claims.
The
110-mile White Pass & Yukon narrow-gauge railroad from Skagway to Whitehorse, the Alaska-British Columbia border, was completed.
The
Nome Daily Chronicle began publication. In September it changed to weekly publication and the following June it closed down.
The USS
Wheeling arrived in Sitka from the Philippines after taking part in the Spanish-American War.
1901
E.T. Barnette opened a trading post on the Chena River. A town formed that came to be called Chenoa City and was
later renamed Fairbanks.
1902
First oil production in Alaska.
Felix Pedro discovers gold near Fairbanks. Pedro and merchant Barnette played
leading role in the establishment of Fairbanks. Barnette, who had been a trader for several years in Circle, came down the Tanana River in
1901. He anchored the ship that his chartered ship on the Chena River, a tributary of the Tanana, in August of 1901. Persuaded by Pedro of
the area's potential, he established his store there. A town grew up and named for the vice president of the United States at that time,
Charles Fairbanks.
President Theodore Roosevelt establishes the Tongass National Forest.
1903
Jan 24, U.S. Secretary of State John Hay and British Ambassador Herbert created a joint commission to establish
the Alaskan border.
Oct 20, A joint commission ruled in favor of the United States in a boundary dispute between the District of Alaska
and Canada.
U.S. Senator W. P. Dillingham arrived at Sitka on the Revenue Cutter McCullouch on a tour of Alaska. The town of Dillingham
was later named for him.
The Santa Ana landed 200 people at Seward. The date was long observed there as Founders Day.
Fort William H.
Seward - Built in 1903, partially occupied in 1904 and fully garrisoned in 1905, it was the only Army post in Alaska for the nearly 20
years between World Wars I and II. The commission of Fort Seward brought a population influx to Haines.
1904
Last great Tlingit potlatch held in Sitka.
Washington Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System (WAMCATS)
begins to lay submarine cable between Seattle, Sitka, and Valdez linking Alaska to "Outside."
1906
Nome Kennel Club organizes to promote sled dog racing. First message is telegraphed from Fairbanks to Valdez. 1906
Native Allotment Act passes; first opportunity for Natives to obtain land under restricted title. Gold discovered in Chadalar District.
Alaska territorial capital is moved from Sitka "the Paris of the Pacific" to Juneau. The first official election was held to name a
Delegate in Congress for Alaska. Actually, two Delegates were elected: Frank Waskey for a short term, Thomas Cale for a full term.
The
Alaska Packers Assoc. bought the square-rigged Balclutha ship and renamed it Star of Alaska. It carried workers to the Chignick Cannery and
transported them back after the salmon season.
In Alaska Dr. Frederick Cook claimed to have taken a picture of his companion, Edward
Barrill, from the summit of Mt. McKinley. In 1998 it was reported that the photo was a fake, and that they probably never reached the
summit.
A fire burned down most of downtown Fairbanks.
1908
Alaska Road Commission surveys route from Seward to Nome, later called the Iditarod Trail.
The first
automobile in Fairbanks, a Pope-Toledo, arrived for David Laite
The first sled dog race to receive national attention, the All-Alaska
Sweepstakes, was held in Nome, AK.
1909
The George C. Thomas Memorial Library was dedicated at Fairbanks
1910
The "Sourdoughs," four Kantishna miners, make first ascent of Mt. McKinley's North Peak.
Ruby gold stampede
begins.
Haines became an incorporated city.
1911
Kennicott copper mines begin production. July 7th - US, Canada, Russia, Great Britain, Japan sign an agreement in
Washington D.C. to preserve the fur seal in the North Pacific.
Jun 4, Gold was discovered in Alaska's Indian Creek.
G/s F.S.
Redfield stranded on Cape Prince of Wales. All 23 people aboard survived.
1912
Mt. Katmai exploded, created Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.
The Alaska Native Brotherhood is founded in Sitka.
Aug 24, By an act of Congress, Alaska was given a territorial legislature of two houses. President William Howard Taft signed the Organic
Act which created the Territory of Alaska. The signing took place on the birthday of Delegate James Wickersham, author of the bill.
1913
First Alaska Territorial Legislature convened; women granted voting rights.
Gold found at Marshall.
Haines
finally won its townsite, after much litigation, from Sol Ripinsky, who had claimed the land as a homestead.
1914
Congress authorized construction of Alaska Railroad. Surveying begins for Alaska Railroad; Anchorage starts as
construction camp on Ship Creek.
Gold discovered at Livengood, near Fairbanks.
1915
Alaska Native Sisterhood holds first convention in Sitka.
First Alaska Railroad Anchorage townsite auction.
Pioneer School established as Anchorage’s first school
1916
First bill for Alaska statehood introduced; Alaskans voted in favor of prohibition
In Anchorage, baseball
diamond and grandstands built.Joe Spenard holds first ice carnival on Lake Spenard
"Skookum Jim" the miner who discovered the gold that
led to the Klondike Gold Rush, dies penniless in Dawson, Yukon Territory..
1917
Pribilof fur seal exports exceed $274,000. Total Alaska fur exports: $1,338,599.
Treadwell Mine caves in at
Douglas.
All-Alaska Mid-Winter Carnival first held.
Haines Packing Company cannery was built and began operation. Haines' oldest
business is still buying salmon, although the cannery itself has not operated for many years.
1918
Alaska salmon pack exceeds six million cases, valued at over $51 million.
The Alaska Air Expedition from New
York to Nome is successful. The Alaska Air Expedition was sponsored by the US Army. The "Black Wolf" squadron of wheeled biplanes landed at
Wrangell, Fairbanks, Ruby, and finally at Nome's Fort Davis. For Alaska, the flight was significant because it demonstrated that airplanes
capable of carrying heavy loads could fly to and across Alaska.
Train service established between Anchorage and Seward
Father
William Duncan died at Metlakatla, a town he was instrumental in founding in 1887.
1920
Anchorage is incorporated as a city.
The cannery of the Straits Packing Company burned at Skowl Arm of Kasaan
Bay.
Juneau had its first airplane overflight when one of the four planes of the Black Wolf Squadron passed over on its way to Nome.
1922
Alaska Agricultural College & School of Mines, later the University of Alaska, opens at College near Fairbanks.
When it opened in 1922, the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines had six students, one building, and an annual budget of
$30,000. It became the University of Alaska in 1935 and has since added campuses at Anchorage and Juneau.
Feb 6, The Washington
Disarmament Conference came to an end with signature of final treaty forbidding fortification of the Aleutian Islands for 14 years.
Roy
Jones makes the first floatplane trip up the Inside Passage; such small aircraft revolutionize travel in the bush.
A fire at Haines
destroyed the post office and other buildings.
Fort William H. Seward renamed Chilkoot Barracks in 1922.
1923
President Warren G. Harding died suddenly of an embolism in San Francisco on August 2, 1923, during a return trip
form Alaska. Born November 2, 1865, in Corsica, Ohio, Harding was elected the 29th U.S. president in 1920. He had just driven the “Golden
Spike” to complete the Alaska Railroad line from Seward to Fairbanks, near the village of Nenana.
Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 is
created.
1924
Congress extends citizenship to all American Indians. William L. Paul, a Tlingit, is the first Alaska Native
elected to Territorial Legislature
Airmail delivery began.
The railroad made it to Fairbanks.
Eklutna Industrial School
established in Anchorage
Fire destroyed the power plant at the Kennecott mine.
1925
January, Dr. Curtis Welch in Nome began diagnosing cases of diphtheria. An emergency delivery of serum against the
disease was arranged by dogsled. 20 mushers rushed the serum 674 miles from Nenana to Nome in 5 days. The last leg of the journey was run
by Gunnar Kaasen and his lead dog Balto. An animated film on Balto was made in 1995 by Stephen Spielberg. The longest segment of the
journey, 260 miles, was run by Leonhard Seppala and his lead dog Togo. The events were later described by Bill Sherwonit in his book:
"Iditarod: the Great Race to Nome."
Glacier Bay National Monument was dedicated in Alaska.
Anchorage Golf Club organized.
1926
13-year old Benny Benson won contest for design of Alaska flag.
Alaska Native Townsite Act allows Natives to
obtain restricted deeds to village lots.
First homestead established in South Anchorage by Thomas Hogan
A Statue of Balto, a famous
lead dog in the 674 mile serum run that saved the town of Nome the year before, was erected in NYC's Central Park.
1928
Court case resolves the right of Native children to attend public school.
1929
Pioneer aviator Russell Merrill disappears while crossing Cook Inlet
1930
Merrill Field opened in Anchorage
1931
Col. and Mrs. Charles A. Lindbergh landed at Barrow en route to the Orient.
1935
Aug 15, Humorist Will Rogers, American comedian and "cowboy philosopher," and aviation pioneer Wiley Post were
killed when their airplane crashed near Point Barrow, Alaska.
Alton C. Nordale, a Territorial Legislator, died in a plane crash near
Healy River.
Matanuska Valley Project established ane 202 farmers colonize Matanuska Valley; 900 gold mine workers struck for 40 days
1936
Congress extends the Indian Reorganization Act to Alaska.
Nell Scott of Seldovia becomes the first woman
elected to the Territorial Legislature.
1937
First Fur Rendezvous held by Chamber of Commerce
1938
Kennicott Mine closes at McCarthy.
A Pan-American Airways "Baby Clipper" landed on the Juneau airfield in a
trial flight.
1939
Providence Hospital opens in Anchorage
1940
Fort Richardson and Elmendorf Air Force Base established
1942
Japan bombs Dutch Harbor; invades Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian Islands.
Sep 16, The Japanese base at Kiska
in the Aleutian Islands was raided by American bombers.
Pioneer Service Road (Alaska-Canada Military Highway) is built between February
14th and September 24th from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Delta Junction, Alaska.
Whittier Tunnel completed
1943
Upgrading and bridge building continues on the Alaska Highway providing first start for some of today's largest
construction contractors.
American forces retake the Aleutian Islands, Attu and Kiska, from the Japanese.
Secretary of the Interior
creates the Venetie Reservation.
Haines Cut-Off Highway was built to connect with the Alcan.
1944
Alaska-Juneau Gold Mine shuts down.
1946
Boarding school for Native high school students opens at Mt. Edgecumbe.
Universal Services was formed in 1946
to provide catering and other support services for the civilian workforce rebuilding defense bases in Alaska. Extensive work was then
developed with the oil industry that was expanding its exploration activity in Alaska. As the search for energy moved to other parts of the
world, Universal followed.
An Anchorage landmark, Austin “Cap” Lathrop’s 4th Avenue Theatre opens doors.
The Fur Rendezvous World
Championship Sled Dog Race debuted in Anchorage, AK, and has been run nearly every year since. A sprint race, teams in the event traveled a
short distance (~25 miles) several days in a row.
The Open North American Sled Dog Race was first run in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Open
North American is also a sprint race, with teams traveling 20 miles on day one and two, and 30 miles on day three.
Fort William H.
Seward (renamed Chilkoot Barracks in 1922) is declared surplus and sold to army veterians who established homes and businesses.
1947
The Alaska Command is established; first unified command of the US Army, Air Force, and Navy.
First Alaska
Native land claims suit, filed by Tlingit and Haida people, introduced in US Court of Claims.
1948
Alaska Highway opens to civilian traffic.
Alaskans vote to abolish fish traps by a 10 to 1 margin.
Steve
Homer, started the first Haines-Skagway-Juneau ferry system with the landing-craft Chilkoot.
1949
First traffic lights installed on Fourth Avenue in Anchorage.
1950
First “Carrs” grocery store opens in Anchorage
Marvin "Muktuk" Marston lays out Turnagain-by-the Sea
1951
Completion of highway between Anchorage and Seward.
Territory of Alaska purchased the ferry Chilkoot from Steve
Homer - he ran it for them the first year. This was the beginnings of the Alaska Marine Highway System (although it was not officially
established until 1963) that now services all of Southeast Alaska, the Gulf of Alaska, into Prince William Sound, the Aleutians and makes
regular runs to Bellingham, Washington.
1953
Mount Spurr erupts for first time in recorded history.
Oil well drilled near Eureka on Glenn Highway marks the
beginning of Alaska's modern oil history
The first plywood operations begin at Juneau and the first large pulp mill opens at Ketchikan.
DEW-Line construction begins in the Arctic at Barter Island.
First Alaska television broadcast by KENI, Anchorage.
The Army Fuel
Pipeline and Tank Farm were built. The pipeline ran from the Haines Tank Farm through Canada to Fairbanks. It ceased operation in 1972.
1954
Anchorage Community College opens
1956
Alaska Constitution adopted.
Anchorage named "All-American City"
1957
Atlantic Richfield discovers oil at Swanson River on the Kenai Peninsula. The Swanson River field on the Kenai
Peninsula was the first commercial production site for oil and gas in Alaska's modern oil era. During the next ten years, additional oil
fields are discovered offshore in nearby Cook Inlet and production platforms are installed to bring production on-line for the Middle
Ground shoal field, the Granite Point field, the MacArthur River field and the Trading Bay field. By 1968, the Cook Inlet is producing
nearly 200,000 barrels per day, and the income generated by oil production in Alaska is contributing more than 20% of the state
government's total revenues.
1958
Congress passes Alaska Statehood Act conveying ownership of 104 million acres.
1959
Alaska is admitted to the Union as the 49th state, and William A. Egan becomes Alaska's first governor.
Sitka
pulp mill opens.
British Petroleum begins to explore for oil on Alaska's North Slope.
1960
Amoco finds offshore oil in Cook Inlet.
1963
Stevens Village and other Yukon villages protest the proposed Rampart Dam.
Alaska Marine Highway System begins
1964
Mar 27, Good Friday, Valdez, Alaska, was rocked by an 8.6 earthquake, the largest ever recorded in North America.
It lasted 4 minutes and was followed by tsunamis and fires and 32 people were killed. Survivors moved 4 miles west to solid bedrock and
rebuilt the town. This earthquake is forever dubbed the "Good Friday" Earthquake.
Greater Anchorage Area Borough created the State
legislature
1965
Anchorage again named “All- American City” for earthquake restoration efforts
1966
Secretary of the Interior, Stewart L. Udall, imposes a land freeze until Native land claims can be settled. Alaska
Federation of Natives is organized.
The Russian-built Cathedral of St. Michael in Sitka was destroyed by fire. It was later rebuilt.
1967
Chena River flooded Fairbanks
1968
The Anchorage Museum of History and Art opened.
Kincaid Park created from a former Nike missile site in South
Anchorage
Prudhoe Bay, the largest oil field in North America was discovered on the North Slope, near Barrow.
The Haines Borough
was formed as the only Third Class Borough in the State.
1969
September 10: Prudhoe Bay Lease Sale provides $900 million in lease bonuses to state treasury. In this year,
Alaska's population totals 295,000.
1970
State revenues: $1,067,264,000 First bill introduced in the legislature to establish a Permanent Fund.
Environmental studies measuring the impact of pipeline construction on Alaska wildlife begin.
Walter Hickel named to Presidential
Cabinet post, a first for any Alaskan.
Port Chilkoot officially became an integral part of the City of Haines.
1971
Congress passes Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act; transfers ownership of 44 million acres of land to newly
established Native corporations.
Sep 4, An Alaska Airlines jet crashed near Juneau, killing 111 people.
President Richard Nixon and
Emperor Hirohito meet at Elmendorf Air Force Base
1972
Dog mushing was established as the Alaska state sport.
The Post (Port Chilkoot, Fort William Seward) was
designated as a National Historic Site and again became Fort William H. Seward.
1973
Congress passes legislation allowing construction to begin on the trans-Alaska pipeline. War in the Middle East in
October causes oil prices to rise from $3 to $16 per barrel.
The Alaskan 1,159 mile Iditarod dog-sled race was first run in
commemoration of the 1925 dog-sled relay for diphtheria vaccine to Nome. Joe Redington, Sr. and others organize the first Iditarod to
finish in Nome. The race is completed by 22 mushers, and won by Dick Wilmarth of Red Devil AK in 20 days, 49 minutes and 41 seconds.
Joan Kimura designs official seal of Anchorage
1974
Construction begins on the pipeline; thousands of workers flock to Alaska in search of jobs. Construction lasts 39
months, costs $8 billion, including the Marine Terminal in Valdez.
The USS Anchorage, on a tour of Alaska ports, arrived in Sitka harbor
for a three-day stay.
Carl Huntington of Galena AK wins the Iditarod.
1975
The Alaska Permanent Fund is created to insure long-term benefits from oil revenues.
Mar 9, Work began on the
Alaskan oil pipeline.
4,000 acre Bicentennial Park created in Southeast Anchorage.
City of Anchorage and Greater Anchorage Area
Borough unified into Municipality of Anchorage.
Jerry Riley of Nenana AK wins the Iditarod.
1976
In November's General Election, Alaska's voters, by a vote of 75,588 to 38,518, approve constitutional amendment
establishing the Permanent Fund. Article IX, Section 15 - At least 25 percent of all mineral lease rentals, royalties, royalty sale
proceeds, federal mineral revenue sharing payments and bonuses received by the State shall be placed in a permanent fund, the principal of
which shall be used only for those income-producing investments specifically designated as eligible for permanent fund investments. All
income from the permanent fund shall be deposited in the general fund unless otherwise provided by law.
Alaska's population passes
400,000.
Jerry Riley of Nenana AK wins the Iditarod.
The site for the new Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center was dedicated July 3rd
as part of the Haines' Bicentennial celebration. The previous year the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church donated the land
-- the corner of the original mission to the Chilkat people. The building was dedicated in 1980.
1977
May 31, The trans-Alaska oil pipeline was completed after three years of work and the first oil through flows
through an 800 mile engineering feat. The first tanker with Prudhoe Bay oil, the ARCO Juneau, left Valdez on August 1.
The Permanent
Fund receives its first deposit of dedicated oil revenues: $734,000. A barrel of crude oil takes 5.04 days to flow from Prudhoe Bay to
Valdez through the trans-Alaska pipeline at 6.62 mph. If the pipeline were full, it would hold 9 million barrels. One barrel equals 42
gallons.
Rick Swenson wins the Iditarod.
1978
The closest Iditarod finish in history - Only 1 second separated champion Dick Mackey from runner up (and later,
5-time champion) Rick Swenson
1979
Rick Swenson of Manley AK wins the Iditarod.
1980
In the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act the size of Denali National Park was tripled to 6 million
acres. Motorized access to the land was given for traditional activities such as hunting, fishing and camping.
Congress passes and
President Jimmy Carter signs the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA).
Legislature repeals Alaska income tax.
Joe
May of Trapper Creek AK wins the Iditarod.
1981
Alaska Legislature approves second special appropriation to the Permanent Fund, this time for $1.8 billion.
Rick Swenson of Manley AK wins the Iditarod.
1982
Time zones changed to include all Alaska.
The White Pass & Yukon railroad closed after a highway opened
between Skagway and Whitehorse, and a slump in metal prices shut down mines.
State revenues peak at $4,108,400,000 after OPEC fixes oil
price at $34/barrel. Alaska Legislature enacts inflation-proofing to protect purchasing power of Permanent Fund principal. First Permanent
Fund Dividend check is distributed:$1,000.
Rick Swenson of Manley AK wins the Iditarod. Susan Butcher finishes 3 minutes later, in 2nd
place.
1983 Crab stocks so low that most commercial seasons are canceled
Heritage Land Bank created
Rick Mackey of
Wasilla AK wins the Iditarod.
Governor Jay Hammond, establishes the 48,000 acre Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, and the adjacent Haines
State Forest Resource Management Area.
1984
Dean Osmar of Clam Gulch, AK wins the Iditarod. Susan Butcher finishes 2nd.
Anchorage named “All-American City”
for third time
The first 1,000 mile Yukon Quest Sled dog race was held, running between Fairbanks, AK and Whitehorse, YT, Canada. The
race was established to commemorate the historic use of dog teams on the 'Highway of the North'; the Yukon River. Many prospectors had
followed the race route during the 1898 gold rush.
1985
Mar 20, Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod. Her run to Nome took 18 days, 20 minutes and 17
seconds.
State of Alaska purchases Alaska Railroad from federal government.
Anchorage named a U.S. bid city for Olympic games.
Oil price decline caused budget problems
1986
Susan Butcher wins the Iditarod.
Price of oil drops below $10 per barrel, causing Alaska oil revenues to
plummet.
Alaska Legislature approves third special appropriation to Fund principal: $1.26 billion.
Ground breaking for the American
Bald Eagle Foundation Center in Haines.
1987
Susan Butcher wins the Iditarod.
Congress passes amendments to the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act,
which protect lands and stocks.
Trans-Alaska Pipeline celebrates its 10th anniversary.
1988
Susan Butcher wins the Iditarod.
Two whales trapped by ice, rescued near Barrow.
The Soviets allow a one-day
visit of a group of Alaskans to the Siberian port city of Providenya.
Total annual throughput of oil in the trans-Alaska pipeline peaks
at 744 million barrels (2 million barrels per day).
Anchorage population reduced by 30,000
The White Pass & Yukon railroad opened for
tourists visiting the state from cruise ships and the new road to Skagway
1989
Joe Runyon of Nenana AK wins the Iditarod. Susan Butcher of Manley AK finishes 1 hour later in second place.
Mar 24, Good Friday, The nation's worst oil spill occurred as the supertanker Exxon Valdez ran into Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William
Sound and began leaking 11 million gallons of crude. The Exxon Valdez struck ground and spilled 10.6 million gallons of oil. Exxon then
spent some $2.5 billion to clean up the spill and filed suit against Lloyd's of London for reimbursement under a $210 million insurance
policy. In 1996 a jury in Houston voted that Lloyd's and some 250 other underwriters should compensate Exxon $250 million. The Exxon Valdez
spilled 240,000 barrels of oil in Alaska's Prince William Sound.
Apr 1, Alaska Gov. Steve Cowper announced that a "strike force" of
state officials and local fishermen were taking over some of the cleanup operations following the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill.
1990
Susan Butcher wins the Iditarod again and claims 4 Iditarod titles in 5 years (1986, 1987, 1988 and 1990),
inspiring the slogan: "Alaska, where men are men and women win the Iditarod".
Over 800,000 visitors came to Alaska. Alaska population
reaches 550,000 according to the US Census Bureau. Mining ranks as Alaska's fastest growing industry. Permanent Fund makes its first
investments in stocks and bonds outside the United States.
Jan 29, Former Exxon Valdez skipper Joseph Hazelwood went on trial in
Anchorage, Alaska, on charges stemming from the nation's worst oil spill. Hazelwood was acquitted of major charges and convicted of a
misdemeanor.
Mar 22, A jury in Anchorage, Alaska, found Captain Hazelwood not guilty in the Valdez oil spill.
Walt Disney backs
production of the movie "White Fang" in the Chilkat valley. The film became a 1991 box office hit.
1991
Rick Swenson wins his 5th Iditarod, becoming the most winning Iditarod musher in Iditarod history
8 billionth
barrel of oil arrives in Valdez. Permanent Fund Dividends are paid to all Alaska residents for the 10th consecutive year.
Mar 13, Exxon
paid $1 billion in fines and for the clean-up of the Alaskan oil spill.
1992
Alaska Highway celebrated 50th anniversary.
Final repercussions of Alaska's recession are felt as oil industry
retrenches with major job losses
The Anchorage Times, once Alaska's largest newspaper folds
Reapportionment challenges delay
primaries by two weeks
Spurr Volcano erupts three times, one blast dumping ash on Anchorage
Juneau's Hillary Lindh wins Olympic
Silver Medal in downhill skiing.
Martin Buser of Big Lake, AK wins the Iditarod.
1993
Chairman of Alaskan Independence Party, Joe Vogler, mysteriously disappeared
Jeff King of Denali Park, AK wins
the Iditarod.
1994
$5 billion verdict in Exxon Valdez case.
Tommy Moe won Olympic Gold Medal in downhill ski competition.
Several Koyukuk River communities washed away by flooding
Alaska population was 599,200
Martin Buser of Big Lake, AK wins the
Iditarod.
1995
Doug Swingley of Simms, MT wins the Iditarod and breaks the 10-day barrier, winning his first Iditarod title in 9
days, 2 hours, 42 minutes, and 19 seconds.
First annual Haines Bald Eagle Festival held in November.
1996
One of the most devastating fires in state history destroys homes and property in Southcentral near Big Lake
Arctic Winter Games held in Chugiak/Eagle River
Jeff King of Denali Park, AK wins the Iditarod.
1997
Nov 9, A family of 7 and the pilot of a commuter plane died in a crash in Barrow.
Nov 26, In the Aleutian
Islands 800 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, the Japanese freighter, Kuroshima, ran aground off Dutch Harbor in heavy winds. Two
crewmen were reported dead and 10,000 gallons of oil was reported to have leaked. As much as 240,000 gallons was reported on board.
Emergency workers removed 57,000 gallons on Dec 5 and 30,000 gallons still remained.
Martin Buser of Big Lake, AK wins the Iditarod.
1998
Jeff King of Denali Park, AK wins the Iditarod.
The moose was adopted as Alaska's official state land mammal.
1999
Feb, The snowmobile was banned from all but 7,000 of the 2 million acres of Denali National Park designated as the
Denali National Wilderness.
Mar 21, In Alaska an avalanche killed at least 4 snowmobilers at the Turnagain Pass in Chugach National
Forest.
Jun 10, A sightseeing helicopter crashed near Herbert Glacier and all seven people onboard were killed.
Doug Swingley of
Lincoln, MT wins the Iditarod.
Two legendary dog mushers died - Joe Redington, Sr., founder of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and
Edgar Nollner, Sr., the last surviving musher of the 1925 diphtheria serum run to Nome.
2000
Doug Swingley of Lincoln, MT wins the Iditarod
2001
Doug Swingley of Lincoln, MT wins the Iditarod
2002
Martin Buser of Big Lake, AK breaks the 9-day barrier, winning his 4th Iditarod title in 8 days, 22 hours, 46
minutes and 2 seconds.
State study showed glaciers melting at higher rate.
Earthquake damaged highways and rural homes
2003
Robert Sorlie of Hurdal, Norway wins the Iditarod.
2004
Federal judge ordered Exxon to pay $6.75 billion for 1989 oil spill
Mitch Seavey of Seward AK wins the
Iditarod.
2005
Robert Sorlie of Hurdal, Norway wins the Iditarod.
2006
Sarah Palin takes office as Alaska’s first woman governor
British Petrolum had 267,000 gallons oil spill at
Prudhoe Bay; crew rescued from cargo vessel listing by Aleutian Islands
Jeff King of Denali, AK wins the Iditarod.
Aug 5 - 4 time
Iditarod winner, Susan Butcher dies.
2007
Lance Mackey becomes the first musher to win both the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race and the Iditarod
Trail Sled Dog Race in the same year.
2008
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin runs on Republican ticket for US Vice President next to Presidential Candidate John
McCain. Election won handily by Democratic Presidential candidate, Barack Obama and Vice Presidential candidate, Joseph Biden.
Lance
Mackey won both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod sled dog races for the second year in a row.
2009
50th Anniversary of Alaska Statehood
The minimum wage jumps from $5.65 to $7.15, giving Alaska the highest
minimum wage on the West Coast
Sarah Palin resigns as Alaska Governor for unspecified reasons.
Lance Mackey of Fairbanks AK wins the
Iditarod.
2010
Lance Mackey wins the Iditarod
Senator Ted Stevens killed in air crash near Dillingham.
Source: Unknown
