Seward's Folly
Seward's Folly

Author: Lee A. Farrow

Publisher: University of Alaska Press

Published: 2016-12-15

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1602233039

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The Alaska Purchase—denounced at the time as “Seward’s Folly” but now seen as a masterstroke—is well known in American history. But few know the rest of the story. This book aims to correct that. Lee Farrow offers here a detailed account of just what the Alaska Purchase was, how it came about, its impact at the time, and more. Farrow shows why both America and Russia had plenty of good reasons to want the sale to occur, including Russia’s desire to let go of an unprofitable, hard-to-manage colony and the belief in the United States that securing Alaska could help the nation gain control of British Columbia and generate closer trade ties with Asia . Farrow also delves into the implications of the deal for foreign policy and international diplomacy far beyond Russia and the United States at a moment when the global balance of power was in question. A thorough, readable retelling of a story we only think we know, Seward’s Folly will become the standard book on the Alaska Purchase.

The Alaska Purchase and Russian-American Relations
The Alaska Purchase and Russian-American Relations

Author: Ronald J. Jensen

Publisher:

Published: 1975

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 9780295953762

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A study of Russian-American relations during the time of the Alaska purchase, giving an explanation of the agreement and its role in the history of the two countries.

Russians in Alaska, 1732-1867
Russians in Alaska, 1732-1867

Author: Lydia Black

Publisher: University of Alaska Press

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 1889963046

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This definitive work, the crown jewel in the distinguished career of Russian America scholar Lydia T. Black, presents a comprehensive overview of the Russian presence in Alaska. Drawing on extensive archival research and employing documents only recently made available to scholars, Black shows how Russian expansion was the culmination of centuries of social and economic change. Black s work challenges the standard perspective on the Russian period in Alaska as a time of unbridled exploitation of Native inhabitants and natural resources. Without glossing over the harsher aspects of the period, Black acknowledges the complexity of relations between Russians and Native peoples. She chronicles the lives of ordinary men and women the merchants and naval officers, laborers and clergy who established Russian outposts in Alaska. These early colonists carried with them the Orthodox faith and the Russian language; their legacy endures in architecture and place names from Baranof Island to the Pribilofs. This deluxe volume features fold-out maps and color illustrations of rare paintings and sketches from Russian, American, Japanese, and European sources many have never before been published. An invaluable source for historians and anthropologists, this accessible volume brings to life a dynamic period in Russian and Alaskan history. A tribute to Black s life as a scholar and educator, "Russians in Alaska" will become a classic in the field."

Space-Time Colonialism
Space-Time Colonialism

Author: Juliana Hu Pegues

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2021-05-11

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 1469656191

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As the enduring "last frontier," Alaska proves an indispensable context for examining the form and function of American colonialism, particularly in the shift from western continental expansion to global empire. In this richly theorized work, Juliana Hu Pegues evaluates four key historical periods in U.S.-Alaskan history: the Alaskan purchase, the Gold Rush, the emergence of salmon canneries, and the World War II era. In each, Hu Pegues recognizes colonial and racial entanglements between Alaska Native peoples and Asian immigrants. In the midst of this complex interplay, the American colonial project advanced by differentially racializing and gendering Indigenous and Asian peoples, constructing Asian immigrants as "out of place" and Alaska Natives as "out of time." Counter to this space-time colonialism, Native and Asian peoples created alternate modes of meaning and belonging through their literature, photography, political organizing, and sociality. Offering an intersectional approach to U.S. empire, Indigenous dispossession, and labor exploitation, Space-Time Colonialism makes clear that Alaska is essential to understanding both U.S. imperial expansion and the machinations of settler colonialism.

Alaska Twilight
Alaska Twilight

Author: Colleen Coble

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 2006-03-05

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1418526614

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“Wonderful romantic suspense . . . took my breath away! Readers of Dee Henderson and Nora Roberts will love it!” —Hannah Alexander, award-winning author USA TODAY bestselling author Colleen Coble brings her signature blend of suspense and romance to the beautiful—and deadly—Alaskan wilderness. “You hide behind your camera instead of stepping out and engaging life with both hands. You're so afraid you'll fail at something, you won't even try.” For some people, Alaska is a breathtaking wilderness adventure, full of light and beauty. For Haley, it is a dangerous world of dark dreams and tortured memories. On the surface, she's here to document wildlife activist Kipp Nowak's bear encounters. But her real reason is to unearth the truth about a past murder. The suspense mounts when another body turns up, and Haley begins to wonder if the tragedies she experienced in the past are connected to the dangers and mysterious incidents of the present. From behind her camera, Haley observes it all, including Tank Lassiter, the wildlife biologist who has been forced to lead Kipp and his team into the Alaskan backcountry. As she watches him with his work, she feels a growing attraction. It will take great courage and faith to confront the truth she once ran away from. Before it's over, Haley may be viewing herself from an entirely new angle. Alaska Twilight is the story of a young woman's emergence from the shadows of past sorrow into the light of forgiveness and grace. “Colleen Coble will keep you glued to each page as she shows you the beauty of God’s most primitive land and the dangers it hides.” —romancejunkies.com “Colleen Coble’s Alaska setting is like an outback adventure without ever leaving the comfort (or warmth) of your own home. The reality will make you feel like there’s a grizzly bear breathing heavily over your peaceful night’s rest. Suspense, romance, and adventure, this one has it all.” —Kristin Billerbeck, author of The Theory of Happily Ever After “Coble . . . takes us on a dangerous trek through the beautiful Alaskan wilderness and introduces us to characters we can’t help but love. A suspenseful tale of murder and romance, Alaska Twilight grabs you by the heart and won’t let go until you finish the last page.” —Denise Hunter, bestselling author of The Convenient Groom and Honeysuckle Dreams

Melting the Ice Curtain
Melting the Ice Curtain

Author: David Ramseur

Publisher: University of Alaska Press

Published: 2017-06-15

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 1602233349

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Just five years after a Soviet missile blew a civilian airliner out of the sky over the North Pacific, an Alaska Airlines jet braved Cold War tensions to fly into tomorrow. Crossing the Bering Strait between Alaska and the Russian Far East, the 1988 Friendship Flight reunited Native peoples of common languages and cultures for the first time in four decades. It and other dramatic efforts to thaw what was known as the Ice Curtain launched a thirty-year era of perilous, yet prolific, progress. Melting the Ice Curtain tells the story of how inspiration, courage, and persistence by citizen-diplomats bridged a widening gap in superpower relations. David Ramseur was a first-hand witness to the danger and political intrigue, having flown on that first Friendship Flight, and having spent thirty years behind the scenes with some of Alaska’s highest officials. As Alaska celebrates the 150th anniversary of its purchase, and as diplomatic ties with Russia become perilous, Melting the Ice Curtain shows that history might hold the best lessons for restoring diplomacy between nuclear neighbors.

My One Square Inch of Alaska
My One Square Inch of Alaska

Author: Sharon Short

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2013-01-29

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 1101602856

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A pair of siblings escapes—along with a Siberian Husky—the strictures of their 1950s industrial Ohio town on the adventure of a lifetime. Talented high-school senior Donna Lane yearns to leave her Midwestern home in pursuit of a career in design, but she feels obligated to stay and care for her helpless father and her younger brother, Will. In fragile health and obsessed with the television show Sergeant Striker and the Alaskan Wild, Will’s dearest companion is a mute Siberian Husky named Trusty. The arrival of two outsiders inspires Donna to consider her dreams anew. Then Will falls sick, and Donna packs up their yellow convertible—with Will, Trusty, and a road atlas—and sets off for the Alaskan Territory. A portrait of a singular American moment, My One Square Inch of Alaska is a moving tale of exploration and love—human and canine—that dares to believe the impossible.

Buildings of Alaska
Buildings of Alaska

Author: Alison K. Hoagland

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13:

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Buildings of Alaska traces Alaska's architecture from the earliest dwellings made of sod, whalebone, and driftwood to the glass and metal skyscrapers of modern-day Anchorage. Focusing on the various cultural traditions that have helped shape the state's architecture, the volume also explores how Alaska's buildings reflect Alaskans' attempts to adapt to the unique conditions of their environment. Alison K. Hoagland examines the contributions to the state's architectural history of three major cultural groups: native Alaskans, Russian settlers, and Americans from the lower 48. Divided into six regions - South Central, Southeastern, Interior, Northern, Western, and Southwestern - entries cover such structures as aboriginal houses, Russian Orthodox churches, log roadhouses, false-front commercial buildings constructed during the gold rush, concrete Moderne public buildings of the 1930s, and high-rise office buildings erected during the oil boom of the 1970s and 1980s. Buildings of Alaska contains over 250 magnificent photographs, drawings, and maps, and will serve as an authoritative reference for scholars and students of architectural history, a compelling source of information for the general reader, and a splendid guidebook for the traveler.

Russian America
Russian America

Author: Hector Chevigny

Publisher:

Published: 1979

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13:

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A compact, fast-moving social and political history that brings to vivid life the story of Alaska's early days. Its name was not Alaska until we bought it in 1867. Until then it was Russian America. Americans at large are apt to forget that our 49th state, Alaska, was first explored and settled by the Russians. They left a definite mark on the vast Northwest. -- Amazon.