ALASKA: THE LAST FRONTIER
PROGRAM TOOLKIT FOR AMERICAN SPACES
This Americana Toolkit is designed for programming at American Spaces to further understanding of the United States.
HISTORIC EVENTS
- 1728 – Danish explorer Vitus Bering discovers the Bering Strait.
- 1776 – British explorer Captain James Cook makes contact with Alaskan natives.
- 1784 – The Russians establish a permanent settlement on Kodiak Island.
- 1867 – Alaska is purchased from Russia by the United States for $7,200,000.
- 1872 – Gold is discovered in Alaska. 1897 – The Klondike Gold Rush begins. People rush to Alaska in hopes of striking it rich.
- 1942 – The Japanese capture two of Aleutian Islands in World War II. The U.S. retakes the islands in 1943.
- 1959 – Alaska becomes a U.S. state.
ALASKA – IMMENSE, BEAUTIFUL
With its mix of cultures and majestic scenery, Alaska has long captured the imagination. Also known as the “Last Frontier,” Alaska is located on the northwest extremity of North America. After its purchase from Russia in 1867, it became the 49th U.S. state in 1959.
While it is the largest state in the U.S., Alaska is one of the least populated states – most of it is uninhabited. Its largest community, Anchorage, is a port city in the southern part of the state and has fewer than 300,000 residents. Alaska’s present-day economy is based on oil production, fishing, and tourism.
About 15 percent of Alaska’s 730,000 residents are Alaskan natives, comprised of 20 distinct cultures and 300 different dialects. Many natives of Alaska live in villages along the coastline and rivers, where they still practice traditional subsistence activities such as hunting and fishing.
GLOSSARY
Arctic – The northernmost region of Earth. It includes the northern parts of Scandinavia, Russia, Canada, Greenland, and Alaska. The Arctic is almost entirely covered by water, much of it ice.
Inuit – are Indigenous people of the Arctic.
SHARE AMERICA
FOR VIEWING & READING
- Smithsonian: Thomas Edison’s Stunning Footage of the Klondike Gold Rush (2:15)
- National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/locations/alaska/index.htm
- SMITHSONIAN: Explore Alaska
Overdrive (Libby) Books
Travels in Alaska – Audiobook or eBook
John Muir made several journeys to Alaska in the late 1800s. He was fascinated by Alaska’s glaciers and diverse wildlife. As both a poet and geologist, he carefully recorded his experiences. His reflections were collected in Travels in Alaska, completed around the time of his death in 1914.
Jack London’s most popular and widely acclaimed novel.
It follows Buck, a domesticated dog whose wild instincts emerge while working as a sled dog in the Yukon. The novel has a dark, violent tone despite sometimes being considered juvenile literature.
London later wrote White Fang, a similar story about a wild wolf becoming domesticated.
This novel follows a wolf-dog’s journey from the wilderness toward civilization and life with humans. Set in Canada’s Yukon, much of the story is told from an animal’s perspective. It explores how animals might perceive humans and the world around them. The novel mirrors The Call of the Wild, in which a domesticated dog becomes wild.
The views expressed in these links and resources do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. government.
Updated August 2026
