Reflections from History and Faith: Seward: Folly or foresight

By Jeff Olson

This past June, my wife and I did something we had been wanting to do for many years: Go to Alaska. Our “Alaskan Cruise” took us to Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. Though we barely scratched the surface of this magnificent state, it was a breathtaking and memorable introduction to what we hope will be another trip, next time to the interior of Alaska. We want to see more… learn more. Our experience, as that of many others, was possible in great part because of events occurring more than 150 years ago. Let’s take a look.

Alaska had quite an interesting journey on her way to becoming one of the United States. The first people came to Alaska about 15,000 years ago crossing the Bering Land Bridge. The second migration across the Bridge brought the Na-Dene and Eskimo-Aleut. They arrived in Alaska about 12,000 B.C. and moved through the north to populate Alaska and Canada.

When the most recent ice age ended and sea levels rose to cover the Bering Land Bridge, the American populations became isolated. Of these migrant groups, the Athabaskans, Aleuts, Inuit, Yupik, Tlingit and Haida remain in Alaska. The name “Alaska” derives from the Aleut word Alaxsxaq (also spelled Alyeska), meaning “mainland” While the indigenous peoples of Alaska have been there for centuries, the modern history of this area is quite short.

In 1578 Cossack Chieftain Yermak Timofief was on an expedition in central Russia when he heard word of rich sable and valuable furs in the east. The journeys across the steppes (a large area of flat unforested grassland in Siberia) marked the beginning of Russia’s conquest eastward.

In 1639 Cossack horsemen came over the eastern mountain range in Siberia and continued to the shore of the Okhotsk Sea. Once there, they built the first Russian Village, facing east, across the Pacific.

In 1725 Peter the Great of Russia commissioned a Danish sea captain, ties in Russia, the desire to keep Alaska out of British hands, and the low profits of trade with Alaskan settlements. And the region had proved to have little other value and was remote and hard to defend.

Negotiations with the United States were opened during the Buchanan ad- signed in March 1867.

The official transfer of Alaska to the United States took place at Sitka (the last capital of Russian America) 156 years ago, Oct. 18, 1867, through a treaty ratified by the U.S. Senate. On that date American soldiers raised the United States flag over Sitka. Seward’s deal cost the United States $7.2 million, amounting to a price of about 2.5 cents per acre for an area twice the size of Texas.

Seward’s critics were not shy in expressing their views. The purchase became popularly known as Seward’s Folly, Seward’s Icebox or Andrew Johnson’s Polar Bear Garden. In a speech given at Sitka on Aug. 12, 1868, Secretary Seward claimed he did not doubt “that the political society to be constituted here, first as a Territory, and ultimately as a state or many States, will prove a worthy constituency of the Republic.”

Vitus Bering, to explore the Northwest coast of Alaska. This marked the “official” discovery by Russia, and Bering established Russia’s claim to Northwestern North America.

In 1741, the first Russian ships arrived, and animal trappers began the fur trade. By then, the Europeans had also discovered Alaska and by 1774 the Spanish were exploring parts of the region.

In 1799, Alexander Baranov established a Russian post known today as Old Sitka and the Russian American Company was granted exclusive trading rights.

By the mid-nineteenth century, Russia was ready to sell its possessions in North America. This had been coming for some time due to financial difficul- ministration but ceased with the beginning of the Civil War.

President Andrew Johnson’s Secretary of State, William H. Seward, was an ardent expansionist. He was committed to the spread of American influence throughout the Pacific as a means of enhancing the nation’s trade and military standing. Seward actually began negotiations with the Russians before receiving authorization from Johnson.

However, when the outline of a deal was presented to the cabinet, Seward was surprised to find little opposition, but there were still strong critics of the deal in the U.S. Senate and elsewhere. Seward refused to back down. After a week of debate, the Senate approved the agreement by a single vote. It was

In time, with the discovery of gold and oil in the late 1800s and with the evolving value of Alaska’s strategic location for national defense, Seward’s critics came to realize that perhaps he was more savvy and wiser than given credit for.

On Jan. 3, 1959, “The Last Frontier,” the “Land of the Midnight Sun” entered the Union as America’s 49th state.

By Ethan Nahté

Mena Art Gallery will be holding its annual Christmas show and gift sale Nov. 2–Dec. 30. There will be an amazing array of art and gift items for sale, great for oneself or as holiday gifts, created by Mena Art Gallery members. There will be all sorts of art supplies, fine art and handmade items. It’s an annual tradition. Additionally, look for the table-top trees contest and sale — trees will be displayed for all to vote on their favorite. A ribbon goes to the winner. If you purchase a tree, it goes home with you at the time of purchase. No need to wait until after the holidays. Take the opportunity to enter the raffle for a wreath by local creator Niki Dempsey. The wreath will be

The town of Hatfield held its fall community improvement event on Saturday, Oct. 14, in conjunction with the Keep America Great American Cleanup in Arkansas (GAmC), the annual fall statewide litter pickup campaign promoted by Keep Arkansas Beautiful (KAB).

raffled Saturday, Nov. 25. The gallery accepts cash, check, and debit or credit cards.

It is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday. For questions, contact them at email@menaartgallery.com

Hatfield Mayor Linda Denton said, “We were happy to have 11 civic minded folks brave the brisk morning wind and work together to pick up 28 thirty-gallon bags of trash around our community. They amounted to about 600 pounds of litter.”

Each volunteer was provided garbage bags, gloves, safety vests, and a free T-shirt all provided by the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Program. After the volunteers were finished picking up trash, they enjoyed a free lunch of hot dogs, chips, homemade cookies and bottled water at the Hatfield Park pavilion. Thanks to Brandy McCoy for donating the hot dogs, Brandon Floyd for donating the hot dog buns, Lisa Lee Sawyer for donating the cookies and Linda Denton for donating the chips, bottled water and napkins.