HISTORY. In July. 1740. the Danish navi gator Bering, who was in the Russian service, discovered a number of islands, among them that bearing his name. Russian explorers and trad ers gradually pushed further eastward and came into conflict with the natives, whom they cruelly maltreated. The coast of Alaska was visited by Captain Cook in 1778, and by the Spaniards at about the same time. In 1778 a Russian company was organized to exploit the new coun try. In 1784 the first permanent settlement was made at Three Saints, on Kadiak Island, and in 1790, Alexander Baranov was made manager of the trading company. In 1799 the Russian American Company was chartered, and was granted control of all Russian interests in North America for twenty years. Trading posts, in cluding Sitka (1799), and missions of the Greek Church were established at many new The charter of the Russian-American Company was renewed in 1820 and 1844. In 1864-67 parts of the country were explored by the Western Union Telegraph Company, with the object of connecting Europe with America by telegraph at Bering Strait, but the project was abandoned when the Atlantic cable became successful. In March, 1867, the Territory was ceded to the United States for $7,200,000 in gold, and on October 18 a. military force of the United States at Sitka took formal possession. In 1868 the laws of the United States relating to customs, commerce, and navigation were extended over the mainland, islands, and waters. A military post was maintained at Sitka for ten years, and other garrisons were established, but in 1877 all troops were withdrawn. In maintenance of its claim to joint possession with Russia of Bering Sen, (q.v.) as an inland water, the United States several times seized British vessels en gaged in taking fur seals. and the complications resulting therefrom were made the subject of prolonged negotiation between the United States and Great Britain. The whale and seal fisheries of Alaska were rapidly approaching exhaustion, when the discovery of gold along the Yukon in 1596-97. and at Cape Nome on the west coast in 1898-99, completely changed economic condi tions there, and caused a sudden inroad of popu lation. The vast importance of the Canadian
Klondike region brought the long - standing boundary dispute between the limited States and Canada to a crisis. Canada demanded such a rectification of the line in the region of the Lynn Canal as would have placed in her posses'sion Skag way, Pyramid Harbor. and Dyea, the principal entrances to her gold-fields. In 1901 nothing more than a modes rirendi between the two countries had been arrived at. By a congres.Aional act of June 6, 1900, Alaska was made a civil and judicial district.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Abercrombie, Copper River Bibliography. Abercrombie, Copper River Exploring Expedition (Washington, 1900) ; Sehwatka, Along .41a.ska's Great River (New York, 1885) : Swineford, Alaska: Its History, Climate, and Natural Resources (Chicago, ISIS) ; Bruce. Alaska: Its History and Resources (Seat tle, 1895) : Bancroft, Alaska (San Francisco, 1586) ; Elliott, Our Arctic Province (New York, 1856) ; John Burroughs et al., Harriman Alaska Expedition (New York, 1901) ; Emmons,"Alaska and Its Mineral .Vational Geograph ical Magazine (Washington, 1S9S) ; Ingersoll, Golden Alaska: A Complete Account of the Yu kon Valley (Chicago, 1897) ; Heistand, The Ter ritory of Alaska (Kansas City, 1898) ; Dail, "Report on Coal and Lignite of Alaska," United States Geological Surrey, Seren-teenth. An»nal Report, Part I. (Washington, 1396) ; Reports and Bulletins of the United States Geological Surrey for 1899 (Washington, 1899) ; United States Geological Survey, Explorations in Alaska (Washington. 1900) ; Reports of the United States Board of Education, of the Treasury, and War Departments (Washington, 1899-191)1) ; Reports of the Governor of Alaska to the Secre tary of the Interior: United States Military Affairs Committee; .Yarratires of Explorations in Alaska (Washington, 1900) ; bibliography in Aepleton's Gable to Alaska. (New York, 1896) ; Ray and Murdock, Rcport of the International Polar Expedition to Point Barrow, Alaska (Washington, 1835) ; Nelson, Report on Natural History Collections Made in Alaska, 1877 to 1881 (Washington, 1887) ; Turner, Contributions to the Natural History of Alaska ("Washington, 1886).