Alaska
~written by Brad Elliott
The Russians first explored Alaska in 1741. Alexei Chirkov was the expedition leader of the first exploration. Nagibin, Behring, Melnikov and others followed him. 80 explorers all together went and scouted the area for expansion of Russia. The motivation for exploring and settling Alaska was the commercial value of furs. Missionaries followed the trappers and to convert new souls to Christianity. Kodiak in 1792 was made the capital of Russian America. The city of New Archangel (Sitka) surpassed Kodiak in 1808.
Alaska turned out to be not a very advantages region for a couple reasons. The region was immense and trading posts were scarce. Food was also scarce which did not allow trappers to travel far from supplies. The climate was unfavorable and dangerous. The native Tlingits sometimes were not friendly to the Russians and they were well prepared to defend themselves. The competition between foreign trappers also was not amicable. All these different pressures were not conducive to Russia holding on to Alaska.
Alaska was in a distant region of the earth, far away from influences of the Russian Capital. The region was also poorly defended against foreign invasion and was very poorly supplied. Finally After the Crimean War Russia was weak and feeble had did not have the strength to keep Alaska. In 1859 De Stoeckel was given authority to negotiate the sale of Alaska to the USA. Alaska was ultimately sold to the United States for 7.2 million dollars with a treaty signed on March 30. Oct. 18 the transfer of Alaska to the US in the capital of Sitka.
Meetings of Frontiers The Sale of Alaska and Early Development http://memory.loc.gov/intldl/mtfhtml/mfak/mfaksale.html
Alaska http://memory.loc.gov/intldl/mtfhtml/mfak/mfalsale.html
The Russian Journal Dec 2-8 2000 Article: Russia’s Sale of the Century