Module V: Alaska's Economy

Essential Question:  What have been the major components of the Alaska Economy during the American period of 1867 - present?

US Navy ship in Dutch Harbor - history.navy.mil

Alaska's economy post 1867 was initially sustained by it's military presence.  Not only was the United States Army sent to Alaska to help govern the new purchase, but so was the U.S. Treasury Department, represented by customs collectors and revenue marine services, and the U.S. Navy.


This early influx of people sent by the government to set-up and oversee Alaska was an important piece of it's economical beginnings and, at one point, "...the soldiers, sailors, and officials often equaled in number or outnumbered the newly-arrived Americans whom they we're meant to serve."  
(www.akhistory.org/articles/article.php?artID=166).

Old Alaskan Miner.  library.thinkquest.org

Gold discoveries in Canada and then, eventually, Alaska, in the late 1800's brought large amounts of people eager to strike it rich.

Larger gold operation.  goldminingclaims.net

Although few miners actually struck it rich, these smaller explorations made it easier for the larger companies to come in and identify where the larger deposits actually we're.  Alaska is a mineral-rich state and these minerals account for roughly one third of our economy.

Map showing Prudhoe Bay.  sfgate.com

Government and smaller mineral resources make up approximately two-thirds of Alaska's economy.  That would leave petroleum to make up the rest.  Oil production in Alaska began with the wells at Katalla that was refined into Kerosene.  Exploration continued and expanded after World War II with the oil rigs that we're established in Cook Inlet.  It was the big oil discovery in Prudhoe Bay in 1968, however, that put Alaska on the map, brought people up here from the lower-48 in droves (including both of my parents), and currently drives a big portion of our economy.






Examine Question:  What were the primary motivations for Americans moving to Alaska in the late 1800's?


The primary reasons for the purchase of Alaska from Russia that we're listed in the newspapers at the time included:  keeping a friendly relationship with Russia, getting into position to acquire British Columbia, exploit it's natural resources, and get closer to the markets in Asia.  People who traveled up here, however, had other, more personal reasons in mind.  

The Gjoa at Nome, Alaska ca 1906.
thecanadienencyclopedia.com 

Some came because they we're sent by the government, some came to set up as merchants and trade, while others came in search of the natural resources they read about in the newspapers and heard about from the few that struck it rich.


3 blog reviews:

1. Gary provided some real good insight on what drives Kenai's economy.  I frequently travel there during the summer months to fish their famous salmon run but didn't know that oil was also important to keep things moving there.
2. Brenda's blog broke down Alaska's economy in a way that it was extremely easy to understand.  She also included good pic's to go along with her information.
3. After viewing Heather's Alaskan Exploration Blog, I knew I had found the blog to which I could go to for great style and information.  The layout is extremely professional and easy to follow and has encouraged me to be a better blogger.

Evaluate:  This module, although extremely encompassing, provided interesting information about the area I live in, the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. I didn't know that colonists we're sent here as part of a government-sponsored program to establish agriculture even though I pass the current experimental farm each day as I commute to work.

UAF Experimental Farm on Old Trunk Rd.- Palmer, AK
UAF.EDU

Russia meets Alaska - Module IV

Essential Question:

What is the legacy of the Russian Colonization of Alaska?

Anchorage Russian Orthodox Church.  Courtesy of blogs.fanbox.com

Perhaps one of the most visible remaining signs of Russia's involvement with Alaska is the Russian Orthodox church.  Located primarily in southcentral and southeast Alaska, these amazing structures are a constant reminder of our earlier beginnings.  Content from this module paints a friendly picture of the relationship between the early Russian Orthodox missionairies and the Alaska Native populations they encountered. 



Courtesy of Google Images



An excerpt taken from the website Alaska:  History and Cultural Studies, explains that the tsar in St. Petersburg at the time supported the fair treatment of the natives and even scolded his own Gregorii Shelikhov when he mixed it up with the natives of Kodiak Island when he settled there.  This fair treatment that the church showed the Natives is the primary reason why the religion flourished and, ultimately, remains part of our culture today.

Examine Question:

Why were the Russians interested in Alaska?
Russia's involvement with Alaska was an inevitable endeavor because of it's geographical location on the map.  Because of the close proximity of the two land masses, their inhabitants we're bound to interact with each other.  The eastward expansion across Asia and, eventually, the bering strait, was supported originally by Peter the Great and encouraged later trips by Vitus Bering in the 1720's and early 1740's.  Russia's increasing awareness of the global pursuit of resources from new lands helped finance these trips so that they could settle in before countries like Spain, England, and France.


Russia was already in the fur trade business when it discovered the abundant resources Alaska had to offer so it didn't take long for fur traders to locate and settle in advantageous spots located primarily in southcentral Alaska.  Ultimately, it was the exquisite, and much softer pelt of the sea otter's found around Kodiak that accelerated the Russian expansion to Alaska.


Of course, logging, mining, and fishing we're also tried in Alaska by the Russians but didn't amount to much profit and once the amount of pelt-producing animals started to decrease and wars in other countries started to deplete their bank account, Russia viewed Alaska as more of a liability and jumped at the chance at selling it to America in what is now referred to as Seward's Folly.