When the first Americans settled into Alaska, the land and the natives who lived in it went through some profound changes.
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1 of 48A child native to Alaska.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress 2 of 48Eskimos dance near Nome.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 3 of 48A young boy raises his fist into the air on the beaches of Alaska.
Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress 4 of 48An eskimo shaman, dressed in a elaborate costume, tries to exorcise the evil spirits plaguing a young boy.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 5 of 48A group of Alaskan natives climbs out of their winter home, buried halfway under the ground and under a thick layer of snow.
Stebbins, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 6 of 48The Klondike Gold Rush sends up a rash of people from the American South, looking to get rich quick.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 7 of 48A family waits for breakfast inside their tent.
Nome, Alaska. 1916.Library of Congress 8 of 48An Alaskan reindeer team pulls a sleigh.
Alaska. 1922.Library of Congress 9 of 48Petroleum seeping through the ground lures in a group of oil men from the south.
Point Barrow, Alaska. 1900-1923.Library of Congress 10 of 48A native family poses outside of their leather hut.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 11 of 48A miner and his dogs ride the rail cart into Nome.
Alaska, 1912.Library of Congress 12 of 48A young boy with a defiant stare.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 13 of 48An elderly woman cleaning the hair off of an animal hide.
Nome, Alaska. 1929.Library of Congress 14 of 48A mother nurses her child outside of their tent.
Alaska. 1907.Library of Congress 15 of 48A woman making snow shoes.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 16 of 48A shipment of goods is prepared to send south.
Petersburg, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 17 of 48An old witch doctor sits at the base of a totem pole.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 18 of 48An ivory carver at work.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 19 of 48A train ploughs its way through an avalanche of snow.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 20 of 48A young Eskimo girl.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 21 of 48An early shipment of US mail makes it all the way to Alaska, transported across the arctic on a horse-driven sleigh.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 22 of 48Women skin a seal.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 23 of 48A group of Eskimo men hunts walruses.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 24 of 48A young girl poses in front of a growing community.
Sitka, Alaska. 1897-1901.Wikimedia Commons 25 of 48A mother poses with her child, who is resting in her hood.
Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress 26 of 48A young child climbs over a block of wood.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress 27 of 48A group of children plays on sleighs.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 28 of 48Young boys practice carpentry inside of a workshop.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 29 of 48A man holds the toy boat he made for his son.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 30 of 48A hunter poses with the bear he killed.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 31 of 48An Eskimo man sits down to read The Saturday Evening Post.
Alaska. 1913.Library of Congress 32 of 48Two men pose with their bear pelts.
Snow River, Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress 33 of 48A harnessed moose waits outside a tepee.
Alaska. 1916Library of Congress 34 of 48A group of men cut up a blue whale.
Alaska, 1900-1930.Library of Congress 35 of 48A classroom full of young girls learns how to snow.
Barrow Point, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 36 of 48An Eskimo woman.
Alaska. 1915.Library of Congress 37 of 48A child plays with a washtub.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress 38 of 48Two men pose with the ancient bones of mastodons.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 39 of 48A group of hunters poses by the head of a whale.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 40 of 48A mining company opens up operations.
Glacier Creek, Alaska. 1910.Library of Congress 41 of 48Men at work inside of the Treadwell Gold Mine.
Nome, Alaska. 1916.Library of Congress 42 of 48A family sits at the entrance of their tent.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 43 of 48A shirtless man smokes a pipe inside of his home.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 44 of 48The home of an Alaskan family, with fish drying on the line.
Alaska. 1929.Library of Congress 45 of 48A hydraulic gold mine opens.
Alaska. 1900-1923.Library of Congress 46 of 48Eskimo women sit on the newly built streets selling berries.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 47 of 48Alaskan Gothic.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 48 of 48Like this gallery?Share it:
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Settling Alaska: 47 Photographs From When Americans Moved Up North View Gallery
The United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867. From that moment on, the future of a great northern territory – and its original inhabitants – changed forever.
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21 North Korean Propaganda Depictions Of Americans
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1 of 48A child native to Alaska.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress 2 of 48Eskimos dance near Nome.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 3 of 48A young boy raises his fist into the air on the beaches of Alaska.
Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress 4 of 48An eskimo shaman, dressed in a elaborate costume, tries to exorcise the evil spirits plaguing a young boy.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 5 of 48A group of Alaskan natives climbs out of their winter home, buried halfway under the ground and under a thick layer of snow.
Stebbins, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 6 of 48The Klondike Gold Rush sends up a rash of people from the American South, looking to get rich quick.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 7 of 48A family waits for breakfast inside their tent.
Nome, Alaska. 1916.Library of Congress 8 of 48An Alaskan reindeer team pulls a sleigh.
Alaska. 1922.Library of Congress 9 of 48Petroleum seeping through the ground lures in a group of oil men from the south.
Point Barrow, Alaska. 1900-1923.Library of Congress 10 of 48A native family poses outside of their leather hut.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 11 of 48A miner and his dogs ride the rail cart into Nome.
Alaska, 1912.Library of Congress 12 of 48A young boy with a defiant stare.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 13 of 48An elderly woman cleaning the hair off of an animal hide.
Nome, Alaska. 1929.Library of Congress 14 of 48A mother nurses her child outside of their tent.
Alaska. 1907.Library of Congress 15 of 48A woman making snow shoes.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 16 of 48A shipment of goods is prepared to send south.
Petersburg, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 17 of 48An old witch doctor sits at the base of a totem pole.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 18 of 48An ivory carver at work.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 19 of 48A train ploughs its way through an avalanche of snow.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 20 of 48A young Eskimo girl.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 21 of 48An early shipment of US mail makes it all the way to Alaska, transported across the arctic on a horse-driven sleigh.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 22 of 48Women skin a seal.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 23 of 48A group of Eskimo men hunts walruses.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 24 of 48A young girl poses in front of a growing community.
Sitka, Alaska. 1897-1901.Wikimedia Commons 25 of 48A mother poses with her child, who is resting in her hood.
Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress 26 of 48A young child climbs over a block of wood.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress 27 of 48A group of children plays on sleighs.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 28 of 48Young boys practice carpentry inside of a workshop.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 29 of 48A man holds the toy boat he made for his son.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 30 of 48A hunter poses with the bear he killed.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 31 of 48An Eskimo man sits down to read The Saturday Evening Post.
Alaska. 1913.Library of Congress 32 of 48Two men pose with their bear pelts.
Snow River, Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress 33 of 48A harnessed moose waits outside a tepee.
Alaska. 1916Library of Congress 34 of 48A group of men cut up a blue whale.
Alaska, 1900-1930.Library of Congress 35 of 48A classroom full of young girls learns how to snow.
Barrow Point, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 36 of 48An Eskimo woman.
Alaska. 1915.Library of Congress 37 of 48A child plays with a washtub.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress 38 of 48Two men pose with the ancient bones of mastodons.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 39 of 48A group of hunters poses by the head of a whale.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 40 of 48A mining company opens up operations.
Glacier Creek, Alaska. 1910.Library of Congress 41 of 48Men at work inside of the Treadwell Gold Mine.
Nome, Alaska. 1916.Library of Congress 42 of 48A family sits at the entrance of their tent.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 43 of 48A shirtless man smokes a pipe inside of his home.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 44 of 48The home of an Alaskan family, with fish drying on the line.
Alaska. 1929.Library of Congress 45 of 48A hydraulic gold mine opens.
Alaska. 1900-1923.Library of Congress 46 of 48Eskimo women sit on the newly built streets selling berries.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 47 of 48Alaskan Gothic.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 48 of 48Like this gallery?Share it:
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Like this gallery?Share it:
Share
And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts:
21 North Korean Propaganda Depictions Of Americans
Inside The Battle of Hayes Pond, When 500 Native Americans Chased The Ku Klux Klan Out Of North Carolina
44 Historic Photos Of Native Americans Brought To Life In Striking Color
1 of 48A child native to Alaska.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress 2 of 48Eskimos dance near Nome.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 3 of 48A young boy raises his fist into the air on the beaches of Alaska.
Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress 4 of 48An eskimo shaman, dressed in a elaborate costume, tries to exorcise the evil spirits plaguing a young boy.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 5 of 48A group of Alaskan natives climbs out of their winter home, buried halfway under the ground and under a thick layer of snow.
Stebbins, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 6 of 48The Klondike Gold Rush sends up a rash of people from the American South, looking to get rich quick.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 7 of 48A family waits for breakfast inside their tent.
Nome, Alaska. 1916.Library of Congress 8 of 48An Alaskan reindeer team pulls a sleigh.
Alaska. 1922.Library of Congress 9 of 48Petroleum seeping through the ground lures in a group of oil men from the south.
Point Barrow, Alaska. 1900-1923.Library of Congress 10 of 48A native family poses outside of their leather hut.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 11 of 48A miner and his dogs ride the rail cart into Nome.
Alaska, 1912.Library of Congress 12 of 48A young boy with a defiant stare.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 13 of 48An elderly woman cleaning the hair off of an animal hide.
Nome, Alaska. 1929.Library of Congress 14 of 48A mother nurses her child outside of their tent.
Alaska. 1907.Library of Congress 15 of 48A woman making snow shoes.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 16 of 48A shipment of goods is prepared to send south.
Petersburg, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 17 of 48An old witch doctor sits at the base of a totem pole.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 18 of 48An ivory carver at work.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 19 of 48A train ploughs its way through an avalanche of snow.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 20 of 48A young Eskimo girl.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 21 of 48An early shipment of US mail makes it all the way to Alaska, transported across the arctic on a horse-driven sleigh.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 22 of 48Women skin a seal.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 23 of 48A group of Eskimo men hunts walruses.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 24 of 48A young girl poses in front of a growing community.
Sitka, Alaska. 1897-1901.Wikimedia Commons 25 of 48A mother poses with her child, who is resting in her hood.
Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress 26 of 48A young child climbs over a block of wood.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress 27 of 48A group of children plays on sleighs.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 28 of 48Young boys practice carpentry inside of a workshop.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 29 of 48A man holds the toy boat he made for his son.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 30 of 48A hunter poses with the bear he killed.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 31 of 48An Eskimo man sits down to read The Saturday Evening Post.
Alaska. 1913.Library of Congress 32 of 48Two men pose with their bear pelts.
Snow River, Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress 33 of 48A harnessed moose waits outside a tepee.
Alaska. 1916Library of Congress 34 of 48A group of men cut up a blue whale.
Alaska, 1900-1930.Library of Congress 35 of 48A classroom full of young girls learns how to snow.
Barrow Point, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 36 of 48An Eskimo woman.
Alaska. 1915.Library of Congress 37 of 48A child plays with a washtub.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress 38 of 48Two men pose with the ancient bones of mastodons.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 39 of 48A group of hunters poses by the head of a whale.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 40 of 48A mining company opens up operations.
Glacier Creek, Alaska. 1910.Library of Congress 41 of 48Men at work inside of the Treadwell Gold Mine.
Nome, Alaska. 1916.Library of Congress 42 of 48A family sits at the entrance of their tent.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 43 of 48A shirtless man smokes a pipe inside of his home.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 44 of 48The home of an Alaskan family, with fish drying on the line.
Alaska. 1929.Library of Congress 45 of 48A hydraulic gold mine opens.
Alaska. 1900-1923.Library of Congress 46 of 48Eskimo women sit on the newly built streets selling berries.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 47 of 48Alaskan Gothic.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 48 of 48Like this gallery?Share it:
Share
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21 North Korean Propaganda Depictions Of Americans
Inside The Battle of Hayes Pond, When 500 Native Americans Chased The Ku Klux Klan Out Of North Carolina
44 Historic Photos Of Native Americans Brought To Life In Striking Color
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1 of 48A child native to Alaska.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress 2 of 48Eskimos dance near Nome.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 3 of 48A young boy raises his fist into the air on the beaches of Alaska.
Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress 4 of 48An eskimo shaman, dressed in a elaborate costume, tries to exorcise the evil spirits plaguing a young boy.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 5 of 48A group of Alaskan natives climbs out of their winter home, buried halfway under the ground and under a thick layer of snow.
Stebbins, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 6 of 48The Klondike Gold Rush sends up a rash of people from the American South, looking to get rich quick.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 7 of 48A family waits for breakfast inside their tent.
Nome, Alaska. 1916.Library of Congress 8 of 48An Alaskan reindeer team pulls a sleigh.
Alaska. 1922.Library of Congress 9 of 48Petroleum seeping through the ground lures in a group of oil men from the south.
Point Barrow, Alaska. 1900-1923.Library of Congress 10 of 48A native family poses outside of their leather hut.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 11 of 48A miner and his dogs ride the rail cart into Nome.
Alaska, 1912.Library of Congress 12 of 48A young boy with a defiant stare.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 13 of 48An elderly woman cleaning the hair off of an animal hide.
Nome, Alaska. 1929.Library of Congress 14 of 48A mother nurses her child outside of their tent.
Alaska. 1907.Library of Congress 15 of 48A woman making snow shoes.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 16 of 48A shipment of goods is prepared to send south.
Petersburg, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 17 of 48An old witch doctor sits at the base of a totem pole.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 18 of 48An ivory carver at work.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 19 of 48A train ploughs its way through an avalanche of snow.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 20 of 48A young Eskimo girl.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 21 of 48An early shipment of US mail makes it all the way to Alaska, transported across the arctic on a horse-driven sleigh.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 22 of 48Women skin a seal.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 23 of 48A group of Eskimo men hunts walruses.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 24 of 48A young girl poses in front of a growing community.
Sitka, Alaska. 1897-1901.Wikimedia Commons 25 of 48A mother poses with her child, who is resting in her hood.
Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress 26 of 48A young child climbs over a block of wood.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress 27 of 48A group of children plays on sleighs.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 28 of 48Young boys practice carpentry inside of a workshop.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 29 of 48A man holds the toy boat he made for his son.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 30 of 48A hunter poses with the bear he killed.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 31 of 48An Eskimo man sits down to read The Saturday Evening Post.
Alaska. 1913.Library of Congress 32 of 48Two men pose with their bear pelts.
Snow River, Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress 33 of 48A harnessed moose waits outside a tepee.
Alaska. 1916Library of Congress 34 of 48A group of men cut up a blue whale.
Alaska, 1900-1930.Library of Congress 35 of 48A classroom full of young girls learns how to snow.
Barrow Point, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 36 of 48An Eskimo woman.
Alaska. 1915.Library of Congress 37 of 48A child plays with a washtub.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress 38 of 48Two men pose with the ancient bones of mastodons.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 39 of 48A group of hunters poses by the head of a whale.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 40 of 48A mining company opens up operations.
Glacier Creek, Alaska. 1910.Library of Congress 41 of 48Men at work inside of the Treadwell Gold Mine.
Nome, Alaska. 1916.Library of Congress 42 of 48A family sits at the entrance of their tent.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 43 of 48A shirtless man smokes a pipe inside of his home.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress 44 of 48The home of an Alaskan family, with fish drying on the line.
Alaska. 1929.Library of Congress 45 of 48A hydraulic gold mine opens.
Alaska. 1900-1923.Library of Congress 46 of 48Eskimo women sit on the newly built streets selling berries.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 47 of 48Alaskan Gothic.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress 48 of 48Like this gallery?Share it:
Share
1 of 48A child native to Alaska.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress
2 of 48Eskimos dance near Nome.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
3 of 48A young boy raises his fist into the air on the beaches of Alaska.
Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress
4 of 48An eskimo shaman, dressed in a elaborate costume, tries to exorcise the evil spirits plaguing a young boy.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
5 of 48A group of Alaskan natives climbs out of their winter home, buried halfway under the ground and under a thick layer of snow.
Stebbins, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
6 of 48The Klondike Gold Rush sends up a rash of people from the American South, looking to get rich quick.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
7 of 48A family waits for breakfast inside their tent.
Nome, Alaska. 1916.Library of Congress
8 of 48An Alaskan reindeer team pulls a sleigh.
Alaska. 1922.Library of Congress
9 of 48Petroleum seeping through the ground lures in a group of oil men from the south.
Point Barrow, Alaska. 1900-1923.Library of Congress
10 of 48A native family poses outside of their leather hut.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
11 of 48A miner and his dogs ride the rail cart into Nome.
Alaska, 1912.Library of Congress
12 of 48A young boy with a defiant stare.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
13 of 48An elderly woman cleaning the hair off of an animal hide.
Nome, Alaska. 1929.Library of Congress
14 of 48A mother nurses her child outside of their tent.
Alaska. 1907.Library of Congress
15 of 48A woman making snow shoes.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
16 of 48A shipment of goods is prepared to send south.
Petersburg, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
17 of 48An old witch doctor sits at the base of a totem pole.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
18 of 48An ivory carver at work.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
19 of 48A train ploughs its way through an avalanche of snow.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
20 of 48A young Eskimo girl.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
21 of 48An early shipment of US mail makes it all the way to Alaska, transported across the arctic on a horse-driven sleigh.
Nome, Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress
22 of 48Women skin a seal.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
23 of 48A group of Eskimo men hunts walruses.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress
24 of 48A young girl poses in front of a growing community.
Sitka, Alaska. 1897-1901.Wikimedia Commons
25 of 48A mother poses with her child, who is resting in her hood.
Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress
26 of 48A young child climbs over a block of wood.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress
27 of 48A group of children plays on sleighs.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
28 of 48Young boys practice carpentry inside of a workshop.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
29 of 48A man holds the toy boat he made for his son.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
30 of 48A hunter poses with the bear he killed.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress
31 of 48An Eskimo man sits down to read The Saturday Evening Post.
Alaska. 1913.Library of Congress
32 of 48Two men pose with their bear pelts.
Snow River, Alaska. 1906.Library of Congress
33 of 48A harnessed moose waits outside a tepee.
Alaska. 1916Library of Congress
34 of 48A group of men cut up a blue whale.
Alaska, 1900-1930.Library of Congress
35 of 48A classroom full of young girls learns how to snow.
Barrow Point, Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
36 of 48An Eskimo woman.
Alaska. 1915.Library of Congress
37 of 48A child plays with a washtub.
Alaska. 1905.Library of Congress
38 of 48Two men pose with the ancient bones of mastodons.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
39 of 48A group of hunters poses by the head of a whale.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress
40 of 48A mining company opens up operations.
Glacier Creek, Alaska. 1910.Library of Congress
41 of 48Men at work inside of the Treadwell Gold Mine.
Nome, Alaska. 1916.Library of Congress
42 of 48A family sits at the entrance of their tent.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress
43 of 48A shirtless man smokes a pipe inside of his home.
Alaska. 1900-1927.Library of Congress
44 of 48The home of an Alaskan family, with fish drying on the line.
Alaska. 1929.Library of Congress
45 of 48A hydraulic gold mine opens.
Alaska. 1900-1923.Library of Congress
46 of 48Eskimo women sit on the newly built streets selling berries.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
47 of 48Alaskan Gothic.
Alaska. 1900-1930.Library of Congress
48 of 48Like this gallery?Share it:
Share
Settling Alaska: 47 Photographs From When Americans Moved Up North View Gallery
Settling Alaska: 47 Photographs From When Americans Moved Up North View Gallery
Settling Alaska: 47 Photographs From When Americans Moved Up North View Gallery
Settling Alaska: 47 Photographs From When Americans Moved Up North View Gallery
Settling Alaska: 47 Photographs From When Americans Moved Up North
View Gallery
Russians had lived in Alaska before, but most moved out after their land was sold to an expanding world power. Soon, just a few old houses and churches were all that could ever indicate Russian presence in the great north of the Americas. Other than a few army bases and the homes of native tribes, Alaska was all but empty.
Then the Gold Rush began. People – some estimates have it at 100,000 – rushed up north in search of their fortune and set up some of the first American Arctic towns, like Skagway and Nome. Americans were settling Alaska and starting to turn it into the state we know today.
They weren’t the only people there – or even the first Americans, for that matter. At the time Russia formally ceded Alaska to the U.S., around 30,000 natives lived in the sprawling state – far more than the non-native population. They had their own customs and cultures – as they had had for thousands of years – but with the Americans moving in en masse to their country, their land was changing whether they liked it or not.
Many, of course, did not like it at all. As Maj. Gen. Jefferson Davis wrote in 1869, the natives “frequently take occasion to express their dislike at not having been consulted about the transfer of the territory. They do not like the idea of the whites settling in their midst without being subjected to their jurisdiction, in some instances they have expressed a determination to exact tribute for the privilege of trading among them.”
That same year, a U.S. Treasury report wrote that the Tlingits – one of several native tribes in the region – believed “that their fathers originally owned all the country, but allowed the Russians to occupy it for their mutual benefit, in that articles desired by them could be obtained from the Russians in exchange for furs.”
Any semblance of mutuality was lost upon the transfer of land possession, however. According to the Treaty of Cession, any Russians who opted to remain in Alaska would be admitted to the enjoyment of all the rights, advantages, and immunities of citizens of the United States.” The natives — which the treaty called “uncivilized” — did not receive the same privileges.
Nevertheless, development forged on. To make way for gold and copper mines, settlers used dynamite and blew expanses of Alaskan earth to bits. Whaling and fishing businesses plucked out the food supply and catastrophically dwindled the animal population. And more and more natives started moving into American towns, learning trades and sending their children to schools set up by Christian missionaries.
Today, natives make up just under 16 percent of Alaska’s population – compared to approximately 100 percent before the lands’ occupation by the Russians and Americans. Around a quarter of these natives live in poverty – more than double that of the general population. The pictures offer insight into a state and a population on the cusp of economic and cultural transformation – and one that does not always yield benefits for all.
Life, for the natives of the north, has gone through some incredible changes. Find out how much the lives of Canada’s Inuit has changed or how an entire tribe disappeared.
