Details About The History Of Alaska

The history of Alaska can be traced back to the Paleolithic period, circa 14,000 BC. During this time, many Asiatic populations had went across the Bering land bridge into the region, which is now referred to as the western state. When Russian explorers made contact with the land, native groups populated most of the area.

The Aleut word that means mainland was used to name the state. It was during the 1890s that the area saw an influx of people, mostly settlers and miners. Many of them relocated to the area because of gold rushes near the Yukon Territory and other surrounding regions. The land was awarded territorial status in 1912.

In 1942, two Aleutian Islands-Kiska and Attu-were occupied by Japanese people. For the United States, reclaiming these areas was a matter of national pride. The development of military bases boosted the population in nearby cities and in January 1953, the area was officially granted statehood.

Oil was located at Prudhoe Bay in 1968 and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was completed in 1977. Both accomplishments led to a major oil boom. Even today, there is still a debate as to whether or not drilling should be conducted in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Prehistory of the land shows that both Inuit and some European populations inhibited this land early on. In modern times, there is still a divide between the populations: the Athabascans, the Southeastern Coastal Indians, the two groups of Eskimos and the Aleut. The cultural practices of people who occupied this region ranged among native groups, which spread across large geographical areas.

In some areas, traders were able to peacefully coexist with locals, while there was tension in other parts between inhabitants. This tension led to splitting up of villages, slavery, hostages and more. There were also issues with diseases that destroyed large populations. the history of alaska dates back thousands of years. It has long been the homeland for various groups and also known for its abundance of oil.