Alaska is a state in the extreme north-west of America. Formerly constituting- Russian America. In 1741 Vitus Bering, sailing for the Russians, discovered the range of Mount St Elias. In 1783 the Russians established a trading-post on the island of Kadiak. In 1799, by consolidation of existing companies, the Russian-American Fur Company was organized, and from this time to 1862 enjoyed a monopoly of trade in Alaska and the rule of the country. By a treaty of March the 30th, 1867, the United States bought Alaska (area 580,000 square miles) from Russia, paying $7,200,000 In 1884 Alaska was organized as a district, with executive officers appointed by the President, but without representative institutions. Alaska joined the Union in 1959.
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Gazetteer
Research Alaska