Alaska's 150th Anniversary: Still a good deal all these years later.

• Author: Swagel, Will
• Position: CELEBRATIONS

For more than sixty years, people in Sitka have taken a week in October to commemorate Alaska Day, which marks the transfer of Alaska from Russian control the United States. On October 18, 1867, atop a promontory above downtown Sitka, the Russian double-eagle banner was lowered and the Stars and Stripes was raised in its place. Sitkans observe the occasion with a week of concerts, costume balls, and contests, culminating in a parade to the base of the promontory--called Castle Hill--and a costumed reenactment of the transfer ceremony of 1867. Because 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of Alaska's transfer to the United States, commemorative events are taking place all year long.

And not just in Sitka. In communities throughout the state, Alaskans attend lectures, conferences, and view displays that examine both the importance of the Russian period and the aftereffects of the transfer to the United States. In Juneau in July, a statue of former Secretary of State William H. Seward, the American architect of the sale and transfer, was unveiled across the street from the Capitol.

Emanuel Leutze's 1868 painting "Signing of the Alaska Treaty" was displayed in Alaska for the first time in 2017 and will be in the Alaska State Museum in Juneau starting this month.

After resolving to recognize the 150th anniversary (also known as the sesquicentennial) of the transfer, the state Legislature charged the Alaska Historical Commission with encouraging and coordinating commemorative events, though no special funds were appropriated.

Alaska State Historian Jo Antonson says the hope was that public-private partnerships would sponsor sesquicentennial activities with an emphasis on high-visibility public events scheduled for March 30, the anniversary of the treaty signing, and October 18, the anniversary of the ceremonial transfer. The Alaska Historical Commission and local partners also developed materials and held events designed to educate school children about the importance of the 1867 signing. After a canvassing, about twenty-five small grants were passed out to communities and organizations.

"[The Alaska Historical Commission] wanted the events to be inclusive, to get more of the story from the Alaska Native perspective," Antonson says. "And there were a lot of cherished myths that needed to be addressed."

One of those famous myths is that William H. Seward was widely ridiculed by his contemporaries for the US purchase of Alaska, calling it "Seward's...