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When you think of the state of Alaska, do you think of Eskimos bundled up in furry parkas, dark skies year round, and land covered with nothing but snow? Alot of people might. But, there is a lot more to the forty-ninth state that you might not know about.
Alaska was discovered clear back in the year of 1741, when an explorer by the name of Alexei Chirikof, who was with the Begin Expedition, set his sights on the land. Many years later, in 1880, gold was discovered on Gastineau Channel. Sources of gold were found in other places in later years, and these findings led up to the historic Klondike Gold Rush from 1897 to 1900.
Gold is not the only natural commodity that this land offers, though. Several years later, in 1953, an oil well that was drilled near Eureka, was just the first step in Alaska's oil history. Oil was later discovered at Prudhoe Bay in the year of 1968, and the first segment of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was installed in 1975. The oil began to flow two years later in 1977, and the pipeline gave employment to over seventy thousand people.
The pipeline is made of four foot steel piping that transports one-fifth of the nation's domestic oil production. The pipeline is one of the most important contributions that Alaska gives to the United States. Seven oil companies own the pipeline, and they are BP Pipelines of Alaska, ARCO Transportation, Exxon Pipeline Company, Mobil Alaska Pipeline Company, Amerada Hess Pipeline Corporation, Phillips Alaska Pipeline Corporation, and the Unocal Pipeline Company.
It cost a whopping eight billion dollars to build the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, but the cost was well worth the results. The pipeline puts out an average of 1,435,000 barrels of crude oil.
Life in Alaska is similar to living in any one of the other states. While there are some people who live in the backwoods, most Alaskans live a modern life with up-to-date conveniences. Alaska has fast food restaurants, theaters, modern health care facilities, and other businesses that you might normally see in other cities in other states as well. And, yes, Alaskans even have telephone service!
The native people love to participate in outdoor sports, and dogmushing, skiing, snowmobiling, kayaking, backpacking, rock climbing, and hiking are some of their favorite activities. The town of Fairbanks is actually the capitol of dogmushing, which is the official sport of the forty-ninth state. Dogmushing was once the primary means of transportation in many areas of Alaska. The most widely known dog race is the Iditarod. This race starts at Anchorage and ends over a thousand miles later in Nome. It is known as the "Last Great Race on Earth."
If you think that visiting Alaska means dark skies and no sunshine, then think again. In the summer time, the daylight hours are longer throughout the state. In Anchorage, for example, the sun sets as late as 10:42 at night! Even in February, Anchorage basks in an average amount of ten hours of sunlight a day.
Alaskans have plenty of land to enjoy their outdoor sports on too. The entire state measures 586,412 square miles. Do you think that the state of Texas is big? Alaska is actually two and a half times bigger than Texas! Over half a million people inhabit Alaska, and nearly half of the state's natives live in Anchorage.
It is also interesting to note that not all of Alaska is flat land. Of the twenty highest peaks in the United States, seventeen of those peaks are located in the state of Alaska. This state also has approximately one hundred thousand glaciers, which cover five percent of the state. The largest glacier is the Malaspina. It covers an amazing 850 square miles. There are also seventy potentially active volcanoes in Alaska too. The last eruption was nearly a hundred years ago.
Alaska officially became a part of the United States on January 3, 1959. The state's nickname is "The Last Frontier", while the state Motto is, "North to the Future." Juneau is the state capitol, and it is located in the southeast region of Alaska.
Like every other state, Alaska has its own customs and holidays that its people celebrate every year. One of these holidays is Seward's Day, which is celebrated on March 27. Seward's Day marks the signing of the treaty when the United States bought Alaska from Russia. The treaty was signed on March 30, 1867. The day is named after Secretary of State William H. Seward. He was the man responsible for arranging the purchase. Alaska was sold for over seven million dollars, or two cents an acre.
The Alaska State flag has a blue background, the North Star, and the dipper on it. The blue is symbolic of the sky, as well as the state's flower, which is the Forget-Me-Not. The North Star symbolizes the future of the most northerly state, and the dipper symbolizes the strength of the Great Bear.
For visitors to Alaska who are interested in learning more about the state, the Anchorage Museum of History and Art displays exhibits from the Gold Rush Era. The Alaska Museum of Natural History displays old-time mining equipment, as well as many other things. There are countless other museums and places of natural history located throughout Alaska as well.
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