The American territory bought from Russia in 1867 — derided as 'Seward's Folly' until gold, copper, salmon and oil proved its wealth — which became the 49th state in 1959.
Organized as a district (1884) and territory (1912), Alaska became the 49th state on 3 January 1959; ANCSA (1971) settled Native land claims and the Prudhoe Bay pipeline (1977) made it an oil state, continuing to 2026.
The atlas holds 4 border frames for Alaska (United States) — the shape you scrub through changes in 1867 · 1890 · 1912 · 1959.
A leading single-volume history of Alaska from purchase through territory and statehood.
The standard reference on ANCSA and the legal status of Alaska Natives under American rule (broad reference).
Michener's sweeping historical epic spans Russian and American Alaska into the modern era, the best-known single novel of Alaska as a place, matching this record's territorial-to-statehood span.