On September 8, 1906, the office of the Governor of Alaska moved from Sitka to Juneau, completing the transfer of the territorial government and marking a turning point in Alaskan history. Founded during the gold rush of the 1880s, Juneau had grown into a major commercial and mining center. Congress had already designated Juneau […]
On September 6, 1867, Union Brigadier General Jefferson C. Davis-not the Confederate president Jefferson Davis-was appointed the first commander of U.S. military forces in the newly established District of Alaska. The following year, Davis ordered Russian residents in Sitka to leave their homes, saying the buildings were needed for Americans. Davis had a controversial […]
When Mottrom Dulany Ball left Virginia for Alaska in 1878, he was not setting out to become a pioneer in the usual sense. He was a lawyer, former Confederate cavalry officer, newspaper editor and political figure whose career had taken an unexpected turn following the Civil War. His appointment to Alaska came at a […]
The first ship to be built in what is now Alaska, as well as the Pacific coast of North America, the Phoenix. A three-masted frigate was constructed by British Naval officer James Shields. Shields, one of the most experienced captains and shipbuilders working in Russian America, built the ship for the Shelikhov-Golikov Company, under orders from […]