Exploring+Alaska

Alaska Statehood America's Territory Alaska Native Cultures Denali for Kids Teaching With Documents: Migration North to Alaska Alaska's Gold Mighty Moose! Crossroads of Continents Alaska's Digital Archives The Alaska Highway: A Yukon Perspective Short Subjects The 50 States: Alaska
 * Although President Eisenhower supported statehood for Alaska, he was concerned about its proximity to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. With 99% of the land owned by the national government, it was necessary to come up with a plan to transfer power to the state government. Alaska was admitted as the 49th state in 1959. Memorandums and letters make references to a delegation of Alaskans meeting with the president. Investigate national security concerns and military concerns regarding the defense of this new state.
 * URL: http://www.eisenhower.utexas.edu
 * In the same year that gold was discovered in California, it was also discovered in Alaska. Thousands of prospectors struck out north. Some ended up working for others in the gold mines or as grubstakers. Alaska was still just a territory, but mining helped develop infrastructure like roads and telegraph lines. Expeditions gathered information on Alaska's natural resources and the coastline was charted. Rivers were used to travel inland. Trails were improved with tolls or taxes. Learn about company towns and railroads.
 * URL: http://www.akhistorycourse.org
 * Similar yet diverse, each native culture in Alaska interacts with their environment in a unique way. Subsistence lifestyles developed as they lived in harmony with the land and learned to survive in the harsh climate. They respect living creatures and cooperate with one another. Traditionally hunters and gatherers, they traveled great distances by water but had permanent winter villages. Fish, land animals, seaweed, mushrooms, and berries were among the foods they gathered. Each group has a unique language and culture.
 * URL: http://fna.community.uaf.edu
 * Are you ready to climb a famous mountain? Prepare yourself here to survive Denali. First use the map to locate Denali, also known as Mt. McKinley. Find out when you can climb safely and how many other climbers to expect. Learn survival skills that all mountain climbers should know. Get a list of food to bring along and learn the easiest way up the mountain. Find out the height of this peak and the age of the youngest person climb it.
 * URL: http://www.pbs.org
 * The promise of finding free gold caused many people to migrate from one place in the United States to another. See actual documents, letters, photos, and more from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration that tell the story of migration to Alaska. Begin with the treaty that documents the purchase of Alaska by the United States from Russia. Find out what happened as thousands of people rushed to Alaska to look for gold. Alaska's other resources that encouraged migration are also described. You will see how migration ultimately led to the statehood of Alaska.
 * URL: http://www.archives.gov
 * Investigate the risks prospectors took to try to find gold in Alaska. Avalanches were just one of the potential risks in trying to get rich. Few got rich. Explore some of the ways people traveled around Alaska, including by bicycle on the frozen river. Children were few among the gold miners. Officials wouldn't let people into Canada unless they brought enough food and equipment that they wouldn’t starve. Analyze land and water routes. Some people arrived in Alaska as entrepreneurs to provide supplies and services for the miners. Evaluate how the gold rush changed Alaska forever.
 * URL: http://www.eed.state.ak.us
 * When you see the drawing of the moose at the Ranger Rick web site, you may wonder about this odd looking creature. Did you know the moose is a huge deer? Use the image to introduce yourself to the moose. Learn about the flap of skin hanging from the mooseâs throat and get facts about a moose's antlers. See how the moose uses his nose and discover why his long legs and hoofs are helpful to him. The article explains what the moose likes to eat and talks about moose babies.
 * URL: http://www.nwf.org
 * Look at a map of the Bering Strait area, and you will see where Siberia and Alaska meet. Defined as the Crossroads of Cultures, this is where the Old World meets the New World. Explore this web site from the Smithsonian Institute to learn the history of the area beginning with early explorations in the 17th and 18th centuries. An amazing online museum introduces the peoples of Siberia with photographs and descriptions. Video and audio clips share glimpses of the culture in this region. Visit the Hall of Masks, and find out what is contained in a Ekven burial chamber.
 * URL: http://www.mnh2.si.edu
 * Alaska's Digital Archives is an extensive resource that provides you with historical photographs, oral histories, moving images, maps, documents, and artifacts related to the state of Alaska. You can begin your search of Alaska's Digital Archives by exploring materials related to Alaska's native history and cultures, its movement to statehood, or by browsing any of the ten institutions that have provided these digital materials. There is also an advanced search option that allows you to search for particular information as well.
 * URL: http://vilda.alaska.edu
 * Presented in a comic book format with real photographs and detailed descriptions, this site traces the history of the Alaska Highway and transportation in the Yukon. Discover how railroads, dog sleds, airplanes, tracked vehicles, and horses provided the earliest transportation options over mountainous terrain and wagon roads. During World War II, ten thousand army engineers and six thousand civilians built a winding 1,700 mile road through the wilderness in eight months. Investigate the corduroy road, the problem of permafrost, record low temperatures, and challenges getting supplies. Examine the impact of the road on the local people of the Yukon.
 * URL: http://www.alaskahighwayarchives.ca
 * Explore drilling units, oil and gas platforms, and ice islands as you learn about crude oil resources in Alaska. Used to make fuel and many other things, crude oil is formed over time in mud that contains decayed plants and animals. Heat and temperature can turn organic-rich mud into oil or natural gas. Offshore drilling platforms may be taller than a skyscraper because the water is deep. They must be strong enough to handle storms at sea. Find out how an ice island can be created to hold a platform.
 * URL: http://www.mms.gov
 * Alaska's flag shows the Big Dipper and the North Star. Nicknamed the Land of the Midnight Sun, Alaska became a state in 1959. The largest of the states, it doesn't border any other state. Volcanic islands, arctic tundra, mountains, glaciers, and rainforests can all be found in Alaska. Early natives probably came from Siberia and hunted caribou, moose, seals, whales, salmon, and even polar bears. Russia sold Alaska to the United States in 1867 for seven million dollars. Gold and oil were discovered in Alaska but pristine wilderness still remains. Transportation and farming are challenging.
 * URL: http://www.youthfirst.org