The Alaska citizen., 1910-08-22

The territory which at The suggcs- ton of Secretary Seward Was called Alaska. Vas purchased from Russia for SI.2uu.uuo.
 Al the time of the transfer of Alaska to the United States the coast line had practically been cN- plorcd throughout and much of il had been charted with lair degree of accuracy While Russian eXplor- atluus of the coast added many de- tails. il cannot be denied that the larger part of this work had been done hy half dozen English naVi- gators Cook. Vancouver. Franklin pease and simpson Many surveys made by these men have not been duplicated and are still the basis for all he existing charts. Soon after the transfer the Coast and Geodetic Survey took up the task of chart ing the coast line of Alaska. on which it has been actively engaged ever since. The magn tude of this task is shown by the fact that the length of the coast line exceeds 20.- uun miles Other government yes- seIs such as the Marine Service. Fish Commission. and Navy. have at various times made contri- buttons To the knowledge of Alaskan and coastHisc navigation. The results of all these surveys are embodied in the charts and coast pilots pub Hshed by the Coast and Geodetic Survey.
 Prior to the transfer in 1867. little was known of the interior of Alas ka The Russians had ascended the Yukon for l.ooo miles and the Kus- kukWim for 5uo miles; had mapped the lower stretches of the Stikine: had asccndcd the Susirma a short distance. and had made an abortiye attempt to explore the Copper river. They were also familiar with the Alaska peninsula and the Hanna Lake Region. Following the routes which had been marked out by such explorers as Franklin and Macken- zie, the Hudson Bay Company trad CTS had reached the Mackenzie river, and in the middle of the 18th cen tury crossed To the Yukon waters. The telegraph surveys explored the entire length oI the Yukon as now defined and made some additions to the knowledge of the geography of the Seward Peninsula Outside of these explorations. which were prae- tically confined To the lower regions of some of the larger rivers, the newly acquired territory was an un- known land
 On October IS, 1867, the Russian flag was lowered from the flagstaff in front of the governors residence at Sitka and the United States flag hoisted amidst the booming of can non. This was the act of formal transfer by which Russian America became Alaska and pos session of the United States. At a number of points in Southeastern Alaska and Kodiak extensive bar racks were erected and occupied by United States troops, while an army officer represented the Federal gov ernment. But ten years later all troops were withdraw and for a number of years was governed by a naval officer stationed at Sitka Then even this control lapsed, and Alaska was left for time in the anomalous position of being without either mil itary or civil government Finally. in 1884, the first civil code for Alas ka was enacted and this has been modified from time to time by Con gressional statute. Though Alaska has been in possession of the United States for upwards of a third of a century and has a population of O. 0OO il has not yet been granted even a territorial form of government, be ing still to all intents and purposes a colony.
 As soon as Alaska was transferred to the United States the Coast Sur vey began to gather notes on it's geography, and since has been stead fly engaged in charting it's shore line and compiling information valuable to navigation. Notable among the officers of the Coast Survey to in vestigate Alaska are Prof. George Davidson and Dr. William H. Dall. MT. Marcus Baker assisted Doctor Dall in this work for several years. He later took up the cartographic study of Alaska, and in 1900 made an important contribution to the knowledge of the Territory by his Geographic Dictionary of Alaska.
 Many of the reconnaissance sur veys of the coast line were made by naval officers attached to naval or Coast Survey vessels. Much was added to the knowledge of the coast geography by the cruise of the yes sels of the Revenus- Marine Service. Besides these SurVeyS other povarn-