ALASKA TIMELINE-Education, Land and the People

By 1Carteaga
  • Period: 16,000 BCE to 100,000 BCE

    Paleolithic families moved into northwestern North America

    cross the Bering land bridge in Alaska 16,000-10,000 BC

  • Cossack horsemen arrive in Alaska

    Create first Russian Village in Alaska

  • Berring explored Alaska's NW coast

    Established Russian claim to the territory

  • First Russian ships arrive

    established fur trade

  • Tinglit Indians destroyed Russian fort

    at Old Sitka

  • First Mission School for Eskimos

    founded Nushagak by Russian Orthodox Church

  • New Archangel Seminary opens in Sitka with 54

    students, 23 are Alaska Natives, curriculum, 6 years Native Lang.

  • Fort Yukon established

  • Russian explorers find oil in Cook Inlet

  • Gold discovered on Stikine River

  • Russian sold Alaska to the United States

    for $7.2 million

  • Russians closed the AK schools they operated

    when left, except the Russian Orthodox Church at Sitka,

  • Variety of Christian churches founded schools

    throughout Alaska, Moravians, Episcopalians, etc.
  • Period: to

    No civil government in Alaska

    Churches filled public edu. gap with missionary schools

  • Sitka Times, first Alaskan newspaper

    published

  • US gov 20 yr exclusive fur seal hunting

    with provision to maintain schools St. Paul & St. George islands for minimum 8 months a year

  • Gold discovered near Sitka, Alaska

  • George Halt 1st man to cross

    Chilkoot Pass in search for gold

  • Gold discovered near Juneau

  • Sitka had two public schools

    one for Natives and one for Non-Natives

  • First commercial herring fishing begins

    in Alaska

  • The Organic Act passed by Congress in 1884

    to provide education for Alaskan children without regard fro race.

  • Steamships begin bringing tourist

  • Congress appropriated $40,000 for AK

    education, Funds were inadequate for vast territory.

  • Sheldon Jackson suggested different

    areas for various protestant schools

  • Sheldon Jackson is the

    Federal Education Agent for Alaska

  • Use of English in native schools

  • Over 60,000 arrive in Alaska

    in pursuit of gold

  • In many gold rush boom towns, schools opened during the winter.

    After boom days most mining town schools closed

  • Local communities authorized

    to found school boards

  • Liquor licensing system implemented

    in Alaska

  • Alaska capital Moved from Sitka to Juneau

  • Theodore Roosevelt est. Tongass Nat. Forest

  • Congress passed the Nelson Act

    edu. white children & mixed blood leading civilized life.

  • First teacher's conference held in Juneau

  • Period: to

    Voc. boarding schools AK Natives

    opened around Alaska

  • Alaska School Service

    develops first state curriculum

  • Mt. Katmai explodes creating

    Valley of 10,000 Smokes

  • Women get right to vote in AK Territory

  • AK Agricultural & Mining School open;

    later becomes University of Alaska

  • Territorial Board of Education, composed of governor and

    4 senators, to be responsible for education of non-natives in AK

  • First bill for Alaska statehood introduced;

    Alaskans in favor of prohibition
  • Period: to

    Lester Henderson organized a two-week annual teacher's

    institute. The 2nd year teachers formed Alaska Edu. Assoc.

  • Mt. McKinley National part was established in Alaska

  • Alaska Natives receive US Citizenship

  • Airmail delivery began

  • Benny Benson age 13 designed the winning Alaskan Flag

    design in contest held by the Alaska American Legion.

  • The Bureau of Indian Affairs took over rural schools

    from Bureau of Education to educate American Indians.

  • Ft. Richardson & Elmendorf Air Force

    Base established

  • Japanese invade Aleutian Islands

  • AK Highway opened to civilian traffic

  • Period: to

    Period of tremendous growth in Alaska's public

    school enrollments increased 352 percent.

  • Alaska Constitution adopted

  • First Edition of "We Teach in Alaska"

    issued to remote AK teachers

  • Alaska becomes 49th state

  • Good Friday earthquake occurred, 9.2 5:36pm

    damage over $500 million, Valdez completely destroyed

  • Alaska Legal Services sued State of Alaska for equal opportunity

    to provide high school in student's home community.

  • The name of highest mountain in N. America became

    a subject of dispute when AK legislature asked U.S. gov. to change name to Denali

  • State of AK agreed with AK Legal Services

    began $143,000,000 program constructing schools in compliance

  • Alaska Permanent Fund Corp established

    funded by oil revenues for Alaskan residents

  • Trans-Alaska Pipeline began flow of oil 800

    miles Prudoe Bay to Valdez, AK. Costs $8 billion in 1977

  • Time zones changed to all of Alaska

  • Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Prince William Sound, AK 11,000,000

    gallons of crude oil spilled, exterminating much native wildlife

  • Teacher jogging killed by pack of wolves

    near village of Chignik Lake, Alaska

  • Sec.of Interior Sally Jewel announced

    name change of Mt. McKinley to Denali in all federal documents.

  • Oil prices fell below $50 a Barrel

    first time since 2009 affecting Public School Funding