On this day in 1867, the United States purchased the territory of Alaska from Russia. Much like with Napoleon and the Louisiana Purchase, Russia's Czar Alexander II began contemplating the sale of Alaska following the Crimean War. He worried that with too few Russians having settled in Alaska, it would be almost impossible to adequately defend the territory from Great Britain.
Of course, the United States itself was then coming out of a bitterly fought war. The Civil War had taken a serious toll on the country, yet it looked to expand westward afterwards. That was when Secretary of State William Seward entered into negotiations with Russian minister Eduard de Stoeckl. Eventually, they agreed to terms. The Senate made it official on October 18th (this day) back in 1867.
Still, not everybody thought it was wise at the time. In fact, his detractors referred to it as "Seward's Folly", and even dismissively called it "Seward's Icebox."
As it turns out, however, Alaska turned out to be beneficial to the United States. Alaska officially became a state early in 1959. It is graced with stunning natural beauty, although I cannot say this from experience, having never been there to date. Mount Denali, at 6,190 meters (20,310 feet), the tallest mountain in North America, is located there, inside of Denali National Park and Preserve.
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