What has Fantastic Glaciers, Spectacular Northern Lights, Land of the Mid-night sun and is the most northern and largest State of the United States? You are right, ALASKA.
Go to their WEB page at: >http://www.state.ak.us/< for a lot of interesting information.
See FACTS ABOUT ALASKA. later on in this article.
Who do you think is going to be going that way the first week in September 1998?
Right again, this writer, his wife, Thema and about 15 other relatives on our first family reunion aboard the Royal Caribbean Cruise ship the Rapsody.
>http://www.royalcaribbean.com/1.2/1.2.2/1.2.2fr.html<
We will be leaving Vancouver, British Columbia
> http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/< on September 5th 1998.
This all came about when we were out to the first Weber/Sherwood family reunion in Salt Lake City a couple of years ago. We all had such a good time, that my brother Carl's wife, Elaine, who is a travel agent, suggested it might be fun to have the next reunionon a cruise ship so she made arrangements and now two years later we will soon be on our way.
I am a great friend of warm weather and when it was learned that we would not be sailing until the first part of September I recalled that there have been several occasions in my life time that snow has fallen in Wisconsin in September. B-r-r-r-r . I have been monitoring the weather at Juneau, Alaska:
>http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=Juneau+Alaska <
this past ten days and it is not very reassuring. The forecast, as I write this on Saturday August 15th, calls for high's in the mid to upper 60's and by Wednesday the low will be in the 40's. But maybe Alaska, will have an early "Indian Summer" and we may luck out and have beautiful warm weather instead of ice on the main deck.
One of the rewards of writing this column is the fun one has in researching the Internet to get the information. Lyda Lanier, who also writes for the Tomah Journal mentioned in her last article (Tomah Journal 8/13) of how she had been able to get a new recipe for delicious Oatmeal Raisin cookies, off the Internet from Dairy Hollow House
> http://www.dairyhollow.com/Pages/recipes/oatmeal.html < I may try that recipe myself.
Many of us were saddened Sunday August 16th to learn that Steve Fossett's, around the world balloon flight ended in the Pacific Ocean about 500 miles off Australian east coast but the good news is he is well and rescue ships are on their way. Fossett's balloon had lifted off from Mendoza, Argentina at 6:30 p.m. CDT, Friday, Aug. 7. See details on his WEB site:
> http://solospirit.wustl.edu/ <. True by the time you read this it will be history. But the spirit of adventure by people like Steve Fossett, has been a part of mankind since the beginning of time. Remember reading about Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, the first person to sail around the world. A most interesting WEB site at: > http://www.mariner.org/age/magellan.html < telling about Magellan and his fleet of five ships. Although Magellan himself did not complete the Around the World voyage ONE of his five ships did . All of this occurred back in 1518-1522.
I guess we never get over the spirit of adventure in doing and seeing something new. Why Else Would Any Of Us In Our 70's Take a Cruise to Alaska?
Our September 4th article will give you a complete itinerary of our seven day cruise.
FACTS ABOUT ALASKA:
These are random facts taken from the Alaskan Web page go > http://www.state.ak.us/ < for more detailed information.
The state flower, adopted by the Territorial Legislature in 1917, is the wild Forget-Me-Not.
The state bird is the Willow Ptarmigan a small arctic grouse that lives on open tundra in boggy areas . Adopted by the Territorial Legislature in 1955.
The state tree is the Sitka Spruce. This evergreen is abundant throughout the southeastern and central regions of Alaska, and was adopted in 1962.
The state sport is dog mushing. Adopted by the Alaska Legislature in 1972, dogsledding once was the primary form of transportation in most of Alaska. Today dog sled racing is a popular winter sport.
The state song is "Alaska's Flag", written by Marie Drake, and set to music by Elinor Dusenbury:
The State Seal was created in 1910 by an "unnamed draftsman."
The state motto is: North to the future.
The state gem is jade. Alaska has a large deposit of jade, including a big mountain filled with dark green jade on the Seward Peninsula.
The state mineral is gold. This mineral plays a large part in Alaska's history, from its discovery in Juneau in 1880 to the great gold rush at Nome in the first part of this century. Gold was named the state mineral in 1968.
The state insect is the four-spot skimmer dragonfly.
The state flag was designed by 13-year-old Bennie Benson from Chignik, Alaska, in 1926. The blue field is for the sky and the Forget-Me-Not, the state flower. The North Star is for the future of the state of Alaska, the most northerly of the Union. The dipper is for the Great Bear - symbolizing strength.
Government
Every four years Alaskans elect a Governor and a Lieutenant Governor to four-year terms.
The Alaska State Legislature is made up of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Twenty senators are elected to four-year terms; forty representatives serve two-year terms.
Alaska's Constitution was adopted in 1956, and became effective in 1959, when the state was admitted to the union as the 49th state.
Alaska's U.S. Congressional Delegation is made up of two senators, Ted Stevens and Frank Murkowski, who serve six-year terms of office, and one representative, Don Young, who serves a two-year term of office.
Many State Departments: see details > http://www.state.ak.us/ <
Population
Alaska's population of 606,000 makes it the third least populous state.
The state also boasts the lowest population density in the nation. There is 1.0 person per square mile (1991) in Alaska, compared to 71.2 people per square mile for the entire U.S.
Geography
Alaska's state capital is Juneau, a southeastern city of 30,000 people.
The state's largest city is Anchorage, a south-central city with a little over 225,000 people.
The second largest city is Fairbanks, located in the interior of the state, with just over 32,000 people.
At 586,400 square miles, Alaska is the U.S.'s largest state, over twice the size of Texas.
North to South, Alaska is 1,400 miles long.
East to West, it is 2,700 miles wide.
The state's coastline extends over 47,000 miles.
The 3.5 million acres of the Alaska State Park System constitutes the largest park system in the United States.
The Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States. It covers almost the whole of Southeast Alaska.
17 of the 20 highest peaks in the U.S. are located in Alaska.
Called Denali by the natives and later named Mt. McKinley, located in Alaska's interior, is the highest point in North America, at 20,320 feet above sea level.
Climate
Alaska's climate is variable, due to the state's large size. The southeastern and southcentral coasts are wet and mild, the interior is cool and dry, and the northern region experiences very cold, dry weather.
The record high temperature in Alaska was 100 degrees Fahrenheit at Fort Yukon in 1915. The record low temperature was -80 degrees Fahrenheit at Prospect Creek Camp in 1971.
Historical Notes
Outsiders first discovered Alaska in 1741, when Danish explorer Vitus Bering sighted it on a voyage from Siberia.
The first settlement in Alaska was established by Russian whalers and fur traders on Kodiak Island in 1784.
After expanding their reach all the way to Sitka, war broke out in Europe in the 1820's, and the Russians began to lose interest in Alaska.
In 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward offered Russia $7,200,000, or two cents per acre, for Alaska.
On October 18, 1867, Alaska officially became the property of the United States, to the chagrin of many Americans, who called the purchase "Seward's Folly."
Joe Juneau's 1880 discovery of gold ushered in the gold rush era. Thousands of people flocked to Alaska, seeking their fortune in the wild frontier.
After the gold rush clamor subsided and while the country battled a depression, most of the nation forgot about the territory thousands of miles to the northwest.
When America declared war on Japan in 1941, Alaska's strategic position became apparent, and Americans once again perceived "Seward's Folly" to be an asset.
In 1943, Japan invaded the Aleutian Islands which started the "One Thousand Mile War," the first battle fought on American soil since the Civil War.
In 1958, Congress finally approved the Alaska Statehood Act, and Alaska officially became the 49th state on January 3, 1959.
Today, Alaska is prized for its natural beauty and its vast supply of natural resources.
Economy
By far, Alaska's most important revenue source is the oil and natural gas industry, about 90% of the state's revenues.
Alaska accounts for 25% of the oil produced in the United States. Located near Prudhoe Bay, on the northern Alaskan coast, is North America's largest oil field.Every day, millions of gallons of oil are removed from Prudhoe Bay and pumped through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The pipeline, maintained by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, snakes its way from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's northern coast to the southcentral port of Valdez where the oil is pumped into tankers. One of the largest pipeline systems in the world, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline moves up to 88,000 barrels of oil per hour on its 800 mile journey to Valdez.
Tourism is also one of the state's most important industries. Every year millions of people visit the state of Alaska.
Education
The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE) authorizes the operation of state postsecondary institutions, and provides postsecondary students with educational loans. Native Alaskan Information The term Alaska Native, referring to Alaska's original inhabitants, includes Aleut, Eskimo and Indian groups who differ from each other in ethnic origin, language and culture. In 1996, Alaska Natives constituted 16.5% of the state's total population.
In 1971 the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was passed by U.S. Congress. Alaska Natives received 44 million acres of land and $962.5 million, in exchange for the extinguishment of their aboriginal land claims. The cash and lands became the property of the 13 regional, 4 urban, and over 200 village Native corporations formed by the Act. Any Native Alaskan born before passage of the Act who could prove one-quarter blood Native ancestry, was eligible to enroll in a local and regional corporation, entitling him or her to 100 shares in both corporations.
Native Web Sites
The Alaska Native Knowledge Network attempts to "assist Native people, government agencies, educators and the general public in gaining access to the knowledge base that Alaska Natives have acquired through cumulative experience over millennia."
Native Web is designed to foster communication among native peoples in the present and to work toward a sustainable future for those yet unborn.
http://www.Indian.com is a list of Native non-profit organizations.
INDIANnet is an Indian-owned and operated network dedicated to establishing and developing affordable public access, computerized information, and communications services for American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
Americans for Indian Opportunity was founded in 1970 to serve as a catalyst for new concepts and opportunities for Indian people.
The Quality Education for Minorities Network was established as a non-profit organization dedicated to improving education for minorities throughout the nation.
Prehistory of Alaska provides an overview of the geological and anthropological history of Alaska and links to documents describing the cultural and historical resources (archaeology, history, ethnography) in each national park and preserve in the state.
For a list of other Native American sites, go to Native American Resources on the Internet.
Planning a Trip?
Web sites to help plan your trip to Alaska
The state Division of Tourism attempts to "assure an Alaska travel experience that is second to none."
Discover nine great driving itineraries that can get you around the North at the Division of Tourism's "north-to-alaska" site.
The Official State of Alaska Vacation Planner, provided by the Alaska Tourism Marketing Council, will make your trip planning easy.
The Alaska Visitors Association (AVA) is a statewide non-profit visitor industry trade organization.
Visitor Information Services offers information about various local communities in Alaska.
The MilePost Vacation Planner has been referred to as the "bible" of planning your trip to Alaska and Western Canada.
The Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association is a non-profit trade association which supports businesses, guides and other people working toward a responsible and sustainable tourism industry in Alaska.
Great Outdoor Recreation Pages (GORP) - Alaska Resource Listings provides a list of Alaskan attractions, books, addresses, and other pertinent information.
The Alaska Travel Guide offers hundreds of links to travel information, products and services.
Learn about Alaska's State Parks. Find out about fees, cabin rentals, and volunteer opportunities.
Visit the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System and find out about ferry schedules, fares, reservations, route maps, and more informtaion.
The Alaska Railroad fares and schedules are also online.
Need help finding something?
asl@muskox.alaska.edu