Week Seven Module

How have the settlement patterns of Alaska been a reflection of the natural landscape, distance, resources, and the economy?

As many different types of transportation and resources were discovered and available the population patterns followed in the same direction.  New settlements were established.   For example we have Nome thanks to gold and we have Ketchikan because of fishing.

Before the Klondike gold rush mining camps were found throughout Alaska.  This is how Juneau, Douglas, Hope, Circle City, and Council all became settlements. Once people discovered minerals that could be developed and build economy people moved near railroads and roads.  The government was asked to build roads, trails, and railroads in the hopes that being better connected to others would lower freight and transportation costs.


Mining camp during the Klondike Gold Rush

Between 1890 and 1900 the population of Alaska skyrocketed to about 63,000 people.  Gold was the reason.  With gold bringing people north supply camps were established.  Skagway and Valdez are examples of supply camps.  Gold camps developed too Nome and Fairbanks are evidence of this.

Fishing brought people to settle in Ketchikan.  Canning brought others to Karluk and Homer.  Whaling drew people to settle in Barrow and Wainwright.  During the 1900s many people lived near the ocean or along major rivers not only for fishing but because ships and boats could provide supplies and transportation.   

Oil was brought to the picture in the late 1950s when it was discovered on the northern Kenai Peninsula and in Cook Inlet.  When the oil field in Prudhoe Bay was discovered in 1967 the population in Alaska increased even more.  Alaska’s population doubled during the 1970s.  People started coming up to work in the oil fields and provide services to workers as well as build the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.  Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Valdez couldn’t support all the people arriving.  As a result Eagle River and the Matsu Valley grew outside of Anchorage.  North Pole and Ester grew outside of Fairbanks.


The Trans-Alaska Pipeline

How have the health care issues impacted Alaska’s Native population?

Early explorers and traders brought diseases here like small pox, measles, and different types of influenza.  Some villages suffered devastating loses.  Throughout the years many attempts were made to establish health care to Alaskan Natives.

The pioneer doctors at times struggled to treat the Natives.  The Natives would listen to the shaman of the village.  The shaman was someone in the village that was respected very much.  Natives believed that illness was a result of anger from the super natural world.  Effective health care still wasn’t seen. The shaman still had the upper hand.


A shaman.

In the early 1900s the Bureau of Education began working towards improving health care in isolated villages.  A supply ship would hold clinics during the summer months when they would anchor.  In the winter months doctors and nurses would travel by dog sleds.  Still adequate medical treatment was struggling to emerge.  In 1930 NW Alaska had one doctor and two nurses at Barrow a nurse in Whales, and a doctor in Nome.

Influenza killed entire villages in 1900.  It was known as “The Great Sickness”.  This epidemic affected the Aleutian Islands and SW Alaska.  NW Alaska was affected by influenza in 1918 as well.  Territory-measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, mumps, and polio also hit many populations.

Tuberculosis affected Alaskan’s more than it did populations in the rest of the United States.  Before effective drugs emerged infected people were separated into hospitals or sanatoriums.  The lack of hospital beds made effective treatment difficult.

In 1946 the territorial government made great efforts to fight tuberculosis.  Programs to train village members to distribute chemotherapy (treated tuberculosis) began.  Mobile health units could be found on highways and the Alaskan Railroad.  Two ships visited the Aleutian Island communities providing vaccinations.  In 1950 tuberculosis was no longer a threat to Alaskan Natives.


A hospital in Barrow in 1930.

Multiple hospitals began to appear after health services were switched for Alaska Natives from the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Alaska Native Service to the U.S. Public Health Service in 1955. Traveling nurses went to villages to give immunizations and educate residents about healthy living. New hospitals were built in Kotzebue in 1961 and Barrow in 1965.  Older hospitals were renovated.  Even though medical treatment still remains expensive, in addition to steep fueling costs, and weather can be an issue treatment for Alaskan Natives has improved greatly.     

What are the health care services available in your community?

There are numerous health care services available in the Mat-Su Valley.  There are many resources supporting adolescents with mental illness.  Alaska Family Services, Inc. offers counseling for youth substance abuse as well as counseling.  Dorothy Saxton Youth Shelter offers a facility that provides behavioral rehabilitation services and temporary residential care for children ages 12-18 that are in immediate danger in their current environment, who may need short term care, or may need stabilization and assessment of their needs.  Female students who may need a level of care at a more restrictive environment can attend ROSA House.  This is a residential treatment program which provides 24 hour behavioral rehabilitation services and treatment for adolescent females between the ages of 12 to 18 who experience emotional and behavioral disorders.  North Star Behavioral Health and Palmer Residential Treatment Center are also services to support adolescents. 

There are also many supports offered to families and adults.  Counseling services are offered through different psychiatrists/therapists.  Alaska Family Services offers women, children, and their families support through intervention/collaboration.  In addition they educate adults and youth on drug and alcohol treatment programs.  The Alano Club gives information about Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.  They also provide meetings and sober social events.  The Veteran’s Center offers counseling for Combat veterans.


Mat-Su Regional Medical Facility

In addition to mental health care services the Mat-Su Valley also has many medical facilities.  Alaska Home Care will provide in home Personal Care Assistance and respite care for the elderly, disabled, and those with special needs.  Another resource is the Mat-Su Health Services: Primary Care Clinic they offer acute and urgent care, postpartum and baby care, prevention for teen pregnancy, vision and hearing screening, minor dental procedures, and limited laboratory procedures.  The Mat-Su Public Health Center offers free appointment to families that qualify.  Mat-Su Regional Hospital and Mat-Su Regional Urgent Care are also available in the area.

Evaluation:

This module had a lot of information.  I was really interested in the development of health care throughout the years in Alaska.  It makes you appreciate the many resources that we have today.  Even villages like Kotzebue today don’t have the resources that Anchorage has.  People really have to work together to establish a successful region.

Response to Colleagues: 

Awareness Through Adventure I agree that aircraft has made a major impact on the settlement patterns of Alaska.  Villages do count on this resource as a means of survival.

Investigate Alaska I too agree that boom and bust cycles of natural resources contributed greatly to the increase and decrease of population in Alaska.   Oil continues to be a huge up and down contributor to the economy.

Latitude 61 I thought it was really interesting that the Sisters of Providence sold "tickets" to miners in Nome at the turn of the 20th century that they would cash in if they became sick.  You can tell you spent a lot of time on your blog.  Great job!

Week Six Module

What have been the impacts on traditional Native cultures and on the environment?

During the gold rush steamboats were used in great number.  During this time Natives were impacted positively because, these boats burned a lot of wood and as a result wood camps were developed.  These camps gave Natives jobs.  Natives were also hired during this time period as guides to help the steamboats maneuver through the many channels and bends.  Another job Natives had during this time were firemen and deck hands. 

http://www.akhistorycourse.org/

 Miners climbing through Chilkoot Pass http://www.forums.com/

Looking into rail and road transportation the Natives allowed prospectors to use their land.  In the late 1870s Chilkat Tlingits allowed prospectors to use their trading trail from Lynn Canal across mountain passes to the Yukon’s headwaters (Chilkoot Pass).  In 1880 prospectors still used this trail.  As the years went by this passage was used more and more in creating roads and railroads.

www.akhistorycourse.org

Mail delivery didn’t exist in interior Alaska until the US government gave the son of the chief of the Taku Tlinglits a very important job.  Jimmie Jackson was given $700 plus $1 per letter to carry the mail from Juneau to the gold fields throughout the winter.  With two other Tlingit friends they took a canoe up the Skinkine River.  With the combination of the canoe and dog sled the group was able to make the 1,000 mile trip to Circle City to deliver the mail.  This trip continued for years with carriers being paid $600 per run. 

http://www.akhistorycourse.org/

 Barg in Alaksa http://www.alaskastock.com/

Not all developments have been positive for Native cultures.  Air and barg transportation costs are increasing.  As a result home heating fuel and grocery prices are going up.  As prices for petroleum-based fuels skyrocket smaller villages will have to either return to a more basic way of survival or simply disappear as their populations migrate to less expensive areas.

What were the factors that prompted the growth of aviation in Alaska?

After WWI aviation in Alaska really began to develop.  In 1920 the Black Wolf squadron which consisted army bombers using wheeled biplanes landed in Alaska from New York.  They landed in Wrangell, Fairbanks, Ruby, and Nome.  For Alaska this showed that airplanes could carry heavy loads across the state.

www.akhistorycourse.org

Alaskan pilot Noel Wien founded Alaska’s first scheduled airline in Fairbanks in July 1924.  During this time he made 5 incredible “first flights”.  He flew from Fairbanks to Nome, he also flew across the Arctic Circle, then flew from Alaska to Siberia, and finally flew an injured person to a hospital.  In 1924 two other trips prompted more thoughts about aviation in Alaska.  Carl Ben Eielson discovered that his several hour airmail flight from Fairbanks to McGrath could replace a three week dog team delivery route.  Next four army air crafts flew around the world.  These planes were able to touch down on land and water.  This 175 day trip began and ended in Seattle.

www.akhistorycourse.org

As Alaska began to see that it was possible to shuttle people, cargo, and mail to different areas of the state interest began to sprout in the direction of a school for aviation.  The first school opened in Fairbanks in 1928.  In 1929 Southeast Alaska aviators completed the first non-stop flight from Seattle to Juneau.  The first air mail flight from Alaska to Seattle was also completed, this same year the first passengers flew across the Gulf of Alaska.

www.akhistorycourse.org

Extend-How has air transportation affected the way of life in your community?

Until I moved to Alaska I didn’t realize how important air transportation was.  I would only look at planes as a means of transporting family and friends to and from places.  I also understood the importance of air transportation in regards to medical emergencies.

 Piper Super Cub over Cook Inlet http://www.tobinphoto.com/

Air transportation is still very important in this community to help people travel from place to place.  As far as medical emergencies go air transportation is vital.  Living in Wasilla many people still use physicians in Anchorage.  Anchorage also has different types of facilities that Wasilla doesn’t for emergency situations.

Air transportation as a recreational hobby is very common.  The neighborhood that I live in has an airstrip nearby, regardless of the time of the year you can see and hear planes all around you.  This was a new and exciting experience to be a part of when I first moved here.  When I take my dogs for a walk and we get to the landing strip (which intersects part of the road) we have to stop and look both ways to see if a plane is either landing or taking off.

Evaluation

This module did a good job of explaining how all the different types of transportation help Alaska communicate within the state as well as communicate to regions outside of the state.  Without the use of ships, boats, highways, railroads, and airplanes all working together Alaska wouldn’t be a success today.  I want to learn more about air travel.  It would be interesting to see what you need to do to get your pilots license.  Maybe one day I will be able to fly my own plane!!

3 Responses:

Alaska History- A Newcomers Perspective

I really enjoyed your comment on Carl Ben Eilsen.  He paved the way for aviation in Alaska.  This state has benefited greatly from his exploration.

Investigate Alaska

It is so interesting to know that 280 villages throughout the state are only accessible by plane or water.  It really makes me think how lucky I am to be able to go to the store and get the resources I need on a daily basis. 

Heather's Alaskan Exploration

The railroad has bridged a gap for Alaska, I really enjoyed reading this part of your blog.  This transportation link has been developed since 1902! Wow!!

 

Week Five Module

How is the Alaska economy a reflection of diverse, and sometimes conflicting, perspectives of the natural landscape?

In the 1898 the first oil well was drilled in Alaska.  Serious drilling didn’t occur until years later.  In 1957 the population of Kenai, the largest village near the drilling development, had a population of 500 people.  In the late 1970s shopping malls were brought to the area.  Many people in the area continue to work for oil companies.  Now the population of all the Kenai is about 7,000.  The Kenai Peninsula Borough, which includes Seward, Homer, and Tyonek is nearly 50,000.  Today in the opposite direction, the North Slope also has some of the largest deposits of natural gas in North America.  Oil has brought the state of Alaska a strong income and continues to strengthen the economy. 

www.alaskahistorycourse.org

Drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has been an ongoing political controversy in the United States since 1977.  It is the largest protected wilderness area in the US and was created by Congress under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980.  In module 3 we learned about the Porcupine Caribou Herd.  An agreement was made on July 17, 1987 between the United States and the Canadian government to protect the species from damage to its habitat and to their migration route. 

As Alaska began to grow different styles and types of fishing came and went.  By the late 1800s commercial whaling died out as a result of over hunting, whalers were now in search of walrus. Commercial fishing also had begun to sprout.  Commercial fisherman emerged in search of salmon, cod, crab, herring, halibut, and shrimp.  Much of the changes that occurred in the late 1800's-1930's developed Alaska's natural landscape today.  To better manage the use of these resources the game and fish manages four user groups which include commercial, sport, guided, and subsistence fishing and hunting.

walkingcatfish.blogspot.com

What is the current status of farming, herding, logging, and tourism in Alaska?

Most farming is done in the Matanuska Valley or on the Kenai Peninsula.  There is only a 100 day growing season.  The long summer days with lots of sunshine help make the growing season more productive though.  The primary crops are potatoes, carrots, lettuce, and cabbage.  The area around Delta Junction produces barley and hay.  The Alaska State Fair is a great place to view the produce grown in the area.  "Alaska Grown" is the famous slogan you will see.

Herding is seen mostly on the Seward Peninsula.  Wild caribou are herded to prevent them from mingling and migrating with domesticated reindeer.  From June through September when there is no snow reindeer are allowed to roam freely on allotted ranges.  The herder knows the general area the reindeer are in from pilot reports or other travels.  They may travel by boat, plane or ATV to check the herd.  Reindeer are brought into corrals two times a year during June-July.  During this time calves are marked, they are given vaccinations and velvet antler is harvested.  In mid-winter they are checked by a vet agin.  Most slaughtering is done during the snow season or when there is an economic need.

www.gi.alaska.edu

According to the Alaska Forrest Association the future of timber industry is uncertain.  Most of the industry comes out of Southeast Alaska.  For years Congress has been passing different laws and putting stricter stipulations on timber harvesting.  Due to these changes in management of the national forest the federal timber sale program has shrunk by 90%.  Efforts are underway to establish local sawmill operations in SE AK.   Hopefully through collaborative projects between the U.S. Forest Service, conservation organizations, local city and tribal governments, and business owners this will happen.

www.akforest.org

During the 1880s many people started writing books and conducting lectures about their travels to Alaska as a result more travelers started venturing north.  In 1884 cruise ships were seen off of the coasts of Alaska.  Hunting, fishing and mountain climbing began to attract more people to The Great State.  Today many people pay thousands of dollars to come and hunt.  Guides will lead many Dall Sheep, moose, Musk Ox, and bear hunts throughout the seasons.  Halibut charters out of Homer bring many visitors as well.  Another attraction that I have yet to experience but can’t wait is Mount McKinley National Park!!  Tourism is a large staple to AK economy.

http://www.alaskahistorycourse.org/

Extend-Describe the economic base for your area of Alaska and share any current issues confronting the local residents.

I live in the Wasilla/Palmer area which is also known as the Matanuska Valley.  The area has rich soil and long daylight hours in the summer.  As a result agriculture has become an important part of the economy in the area.  In the summer months throughout the fall months you can find stands set up in numerous places throughout the area selling fresh vegetables.   Farming dates back to the Colony Days of Alaska history.  Dairy farms were in abundance as well as farm fields.  Now these fields/farms are diminishing as subdivisions are developing.  The suburban life is spreading out.  Farmers are reluctant to sell the precious land that they have owned for years but with a struggling economy they have no choice.

www.Ktuu.com

Evaluation:

Alaska is such a vast region it was interesting to find out all the different components that make it “tick”.  One thing that I continue to enjoy learning about is all the ways that Alaskans have used the land and animals around them to survive.  It didn’t realize that caribou were herded.  Back home I have been a part of cattle drives!!  Interesting information was given throughout this module.

Three Blog Reviews

Gary's Alaska Blog

Gary’s diagrams were very helpful throughout his blog.  His explanation of the 3 components Alaska’s economy was very clear and easy to follow.    

Investigate Alaska

I found it interesting while looking at module 5 the amount of farming that Alaska does produce because the long daylight hours in the summer.  Next year at the state fair I will have to keep my eyes open for the enormous carrots and cabbage!!  

The Alaskan Adventure

I really liked how Lane described the economy with “boom and bust”.  He explained this well with examples of whaling, the gold rush, and oil spills.

Week 4 Colleague Responses

Explore Alaska Class:  I found the explorations of Bering and Chirklov were very interesting to me.  I couldn’t imagine what it was like to see what they saw.  Also it is neat to know that so many villages are named from Russian Colonization. 

Gary’s Alaska Blog:  I learned that the Tlingit weapons were more advanced at first than the Russians.  This surprised me because I would have thought that the Russian would have more fire power.  The cannons were the turning point for the Russians.  I also found it very interesting how much the Russian did come to rely on the Alaska Natives to survive.

Brenda’s Alaskan Blog: Throughout her blog she did a very nice job of explaining how the relationships between the Russians and Alaska Natives developed.  From the Natives technically being their slaves to the Russians dependency on them for their survival.

Week Four Module

What is the legacy of the Russian colonization of Alaska?

When the first Russian-Orthodox priest arrived in the 1790s Alaska began to change.  An economy began to develop through trading.  One item that was in high demand for trading was the sea otter’s fur because of the higher quality.  The Russian colony traded with China, Hawaii, the Spanish that were from California, and British, and American merchants.  It became an important factor in international trade.  

A very obvious legacy that Russian colonization left was the development of libraries, schools, and medical clinics.  Even though there are vast differences to how these organizations look they are seen throughout all parts of Alaska today.  It would be very difficult for Alaska (as well as other places) to function without them. 

Language was another legacy that was left.  As the trade networks expanded so did the amount of Russian Orthodox Churches in Alaska.  Employees from the church would marry Native women, these unions increased the number of Creoles.  Three different languages were found in some areas, the native language, Russian, and the church dialect Slavonic.  Once contact was made by Americans English emerged.

Why were the Russians interested in Alaska?

The desire to expand commerce and control trade routes was the base of why Russians began to explore Alaska.  Exploration brought Russians and other groups of people to Alaska as well.  It was a large piece of land that had not been discovered or developed.  In 1741 Vitus Bering and Aleksi Chirikov were two of the first Russians to arrive and begin investigating Alaska.

Aleksi Chirikov landed in south east Alaska in June of 1741.  He never settled here but he worked to explore the area.  Chirikov sent a group of 11 men to get fresh water and explore.  These men never returned.  A second group of men 6 days later went to see what happened to the previous group of men and they never returned.  Natives were seen the next day coming out of the entrance that the two boats disappeared into.  They yelled at Chirikov but turned and returned back to where they came.  The Russian sailors were never found.   

During that same time Vitus Bering sailed farther north to an island need Cape St. Elias.  On this voyage the naturalist on board was George Stellar.  Stellar spent hours on the island.  He never did see any Natives but recorded the plants, crustaceans, and see shells that he saw.  Stellar discovered that Natives used this area for fishing and hunting sea mammals but lived somewhere else. 

As more people came and explored Alaska new discoveries were found that attracted more people to this region.  Trading posts developed as did more travel throughout parts of the state that no one had seen before.

Evaluation:

This module really gave a nice base understanding of how Alaska began.  There is so much information.  Knowing the size of the state you wouldn’t imagine anything less.  Early explorers were so brave to venture so far from home.  The Russian Orthodox Church had a very large part in the development of Alaska today. 

In the meantime, Bering anchored off an island farther north, near Cape St. Elias. Georg Steller, the expedition's naturalist, spent a number of hours on the island and recorded observations of plants, crustaceans and sea shells, and detailed evidence of Native people and how they lived, even though he did not actually see any Native people. Natives apparently used the island for fishing and hunting sea mammals, but lived elsewhere.

Sea Otter, a Sketch from Captain Cook's Journals
VILDA  ASL-P20-057

Father Mefodii, Catechizer Simeon Kakviam and Wife
ca. late 1800's  VILDA  ASL-P243-1-081