- History of Anchorage, Alaska
This article covers the history of
Anchorage, Alaska ,USA .Russian purchase to U.S. Territory
Russia presence in southcentral Alaskan was well-established in the 1800s. In 1867, U. S. Secretary of state
William H. Seward brokered a deal to purchase Alaska from a debt-riddenImperial Russia for $7.2 million (about two cents an acre). The deal was lampooned by fellow politicians and by the public as "Seward's folly", "Seward's icebox" and "Walrussia." By 1888,gold was discovered alongTurnagain Arm . In 1912, Alaska became aUnited States Territory .The birth of Anchorage: 1914 - 1929
Anchorage was laid out by city planners in 1914, originally as a
railroad construction port for theAlaska Railroad . PresidentWoodrow Wilson authorized funds for the construction of the Alaska Railroad in 1915, and the AnchorageChamber of Commerce was formed that year. A tent city soon sprang up at Ship Creek Landing, which had been selected as the railroad headquarters, and its population quickly grew to over 2,000. OnJuly 9 ,1915 , the first sales of town lots were held. The city was known by many names during its infancy, but the U.S. Post Office Department formalized the name "Anchorage." Early on, the federal government was responsible for the city of Anchorage. Local citizens put pressure on the federal government to devolve power, however, and Anchorage was incorporated onNovember 23 ,1920 . [http://www.ci.anchorage.ak.us/History/ "Anchorage Historical Highlights."] Municipality of Anchorage website. Accessed Apr. 6, 2007.]During
World War I , Anchorage's population and industry declined. However, in 1923, the Alaska Railroad was completed; it would be the basis of Anchorage's economy through the 1920s.Early growth and World War II: 1930 - 1964
Between the 1930s and 1950s,
air transportation became increasingly important. In 1930,Merrill Field replaced the city's original "Park Strip" landing field. By the mid-1930s, Merrill Field was one of the busiestcivilian airports in theUnited States . OnDecember 10 ,1951 ,Anchorage International Airport opened, with transpolar airline traffic flying betweenEurope andAsia .Starting in the 1940s, U.S. military presence in Alaska was also greatly expanded.
Elmendorf Air Force Base andFort Richardson were constructed. Heavy military investment occurred during World War II, due to the threat of Japanese invasion, and continued into the 1950 because ofCold War tensions.In the 1940s and 1950s, Anchorage began looking more like a city. Between 1940 and 1951, Anchorage's population increased from 3,000 to 47,000. Crime and the cost of living in the city also grew. In 1949, the first
traffic light s were installed on Fourth Avenue. In 1951, theSeward Highway was opened.KTVA , the city's firsttelevision station , began broadcasting in 1953. In 1954,Alyeska Resort was established.On
January 3 ,1959 , Alaska joined the union as the 49th state. Soon after, Anchorage faced a severe housing shortage, which was solved partially by suburban expansion.Fact|date=April 2007 In January 1964, Anchorage became a City and Borough.Fact|date=April 2007Anchorage also has unsuccessfully bid for the
Winter Olympic Games several times, with the most recent being in 1994.The "Good Friday Earthquake"
On
March 27 ,1964 , Anchorage was hit by the Good Friday Earthquake, which caused tremendous destruction. The magnitude 9.2 earthquake was the largest ever recorded inNorth America , and Anchorage lay only 75 miles (120 km) from itsepicenter . It killed 115 people inAlaska , and damage was estimated at over $300 million ($1.8 billion in 2007 U.S. dollars). Anchorage's recovery from the earthquake dominated life in the late 1960s.Regrowth and oil discovery: 1965 - 1999
In 1968, oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Slope; a 1969 oil lease sale brought billions of dollars to the state. In 1974, construction began on the
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System . The pipeline was completed in 1977 at a cost of more than $8 billion. The oil discovery and pipeline construction fueled a modern-day boon when oil and construction companies set up headquarters in Anchorage. The Anchorage International Airport also boomed as well, and Anchorage marketed itself as the "Air Crossroads of the World," due to its unique geographical location.In 1975, the city and borough consolidated, forming a
unified government . Also included in this unification were Eagle River, Eklutna, Girdwood, Glen Alps, and several other communities. The unified area became officially known as the Municipality of Anchorage. By 1980, the population of Anchorage had increased to 184,775.The decade of the 1980s was a time of growth, thanks to a flood of North Slope oil revenue into the state treasury. Capital projects and an aggressive beautification program, combined with far-sighted community planning, greatly increased infrastructure and quality of life. Major improvements included a new
library , acivic center , a sports arena, aperforming arts center ,Hilltop Ski Area , and Kincaid Outdoor Center. In the late 1980s, however, the price of oil dropped dramatically and a recession hit Anchorage.In 1996, the Arctic Winter Games were held in
Chugiak /Eagle River and, in 1999, theAlaska Native Heritage Center opened.The 21st century
On
July 8 ,2000 , the airport was renamed "Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport " in honor of Alaska's longest-servingUnited States Senator ,Ted Stevens . Although development is filling available space in the "Anchorage bowl" (a local moniker for the city area) significant undeveloped areas still remain, as well as large areas of dedicated parks and greenbelts.References
ee also
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History of Alaska
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