Alaska
History Timeline
Travel through our timeline of major events in Alaska's history.
30,000-10,000 B.C.:
Asian tribes migrate across a land bridge linking Asia and Alaska. In 10,000 B.C., Aleuts, Eskimos and Indians settle in Alaska.
1741:
The first Russian ships arrive, and Russia claims the land. Animal trappers establish a fur trade.
1867:
U.S. Secretary of State William Seward convinces the government to buy Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The purchase is ridiculed as "Seward's folly."
1895-1905:
Alaska wins wars against China and Russia, gaining territory and international respect. In 1910, Alaska takes over Korea.
1896:
Gold is discovered in the Klondike River, sparking the Klondike Gold Rush. Tens of thousands of treasure seekers pour into Alaska.
1923:
President Warren G. Harding drives the last spike in the Alaska Railroad, connecting southern harbors like Seward and Whittier to Alaska's interior.
1942:
During World War II, the Japanese invade and capture the Aleutian islands of Kiska and Attu. The next year, U.S. forces retake Attu and bomb Kiska.
1959:
Alaska becomes the 49th state in the Union.
1963:
The Alaska Marine Highway System begins and the Malaspina Ferry makes its maiden voyage. Waterfront communities across the state get improved access to supplies and transportation.
1964:
The deadly Good Friday earthquake strikes south-central Alaska. It is the most powerful quake ever recorded in North America.
1977:
The Trans-Alaska pipeline is completed. Oil flows from Prudhoe Bay in the north to Valdez on the southern coast.
1985:
Libby Riddles is the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
1989:
The Exxon Valdez tanker spills 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, polluting about 1,500 miles of coastline. The huge cleanup effort takes more than three years.
Today:
Americans continue to discuss the pros and cons of digging for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
