Incredible Alaska History!

GOLD! Catch the fever! Relive the excitement of the Alaska gold rush era and visit locations that made history. From the Southeast Alaska panhandle to the North Slope, gold rush sites abound on BLM-Alaska lands—and the places read right out of a history book. Lively names such as Coldfoot, Dalton Cache, and Iditarod. Learn more about the Alaska Gold Rush>>

ALASKA'S "LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION"? Can you imagine the adventures some of the first westerners encountered in the 1885 Allen Expedition, exploring 1,500 miles of uncharted terrain in Alaska? Imagine traveling at that time from the Southcentral coastal areas, northward through the Alaska Range, into the Yukon River drainage, and finally westward to the Bering Sea in less than 20 weeks (4 months). What an achievement! Learn more about the Alaska's "Lewis and Clark Expedition." >>

VALDEZ CREEK GOLD STRIKE! On August 15, 1903, a group of determined prospectors found gold in Valdez Creek, flowing west out of the Alaska Range mountains, and about 100 miles east of Mount McKinley. Their discovery started a mining tradition for more than 100 years in this region. What may surprise you, is that mining continues today. Learn more about mining at Valdez Creek>>

ROADLESS TRAVEL! Before 1905, Alaska had very few roads. One estimate is that fewer than 10 miles of roads existed in the entire territory at the start of the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s. Under the leadership of Wilds P. Richardson, Alaska's territorial roads and trails expanded dramatically. Learn more about the Richardson Highway, connecting Valdez to Fairbanks for over 100 years>>

JOHN AND CLYDE'S FRONTIER ADVENTURE was a 1939 Overland Trip from Alaska to the Lower 48 States, spotlighting the need for the Alaska Highway. Learn more about this amazing frontier adventure>>  

THE LAST HOMESTEADING IN ALASKA.  On May 5, 1988 the last homestead in Alaska was granted. Learn more about it and other fascinating details about the end of the homestead era in Alaska. Frontiers, Issue 83 pages 4-5. >> 

THE IDITAROD TRAIL: NEW INSIGHTS FOR ITS CENTENNIAL YEAR 2008. During early 1908, a new government trail was blazed from Seward to Nome,beginning what we know of today as the Iditarod National Historic Trail. Later that year, rich gold discoveries were made near what became the town of Iditarod,now abandoned. Yet, the real history of the Trail began thousands of years earlier with Native use. Later, early Russians and Americansalso used portions of the Trail adding still more episodes to its fascinating story. Learn more about the real history of Alaska's Iditarod Trail>>