History, Settlement Essay

As a city, anchorage did non develop until relatively recently in American history. In fact, it was not incorporated until 1923. People had been living in Anchorage for many historic period before this, however. Like nearly of America, the bea around Anchorage, Alaska was runner be as a trading post, due to the coastal waterways surrounding Anchorage. It was first populated as Captain pay back in 1778 was looking for the toughened Northwest Passage.The land upon which Anchorage stands was discovered on Captain Cooks third gear attempt to find the Northwest Passage, and one of the fortify of the inlet he mistook as a river, which he named River Turnagain. Later, George Vancouver renamed the inlet Turnagain build up (Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, 2005). The Russians also heavily explored the area and setup trading posts passim the area. The second factor for the location of Anchorage is the discovery of specious. In 1888, gold was discovered in the region, causing the Al askan Gold Rush and carry thousands of Americans to the area to find their fame and fortune.One of the most famous gold tingle settlements was James Girdwoods stake 40 miles south of Anchorage at the Crow Creek Mine. In 1912, Alaska became an official territory of the United States. The third reason for the present day location of Anchorage was the bodily structure of the Alaskan Railroad. Anchorage was founded when the United States Congress commissioned the first railroad funded by the government and constructed across the Alaskan lands. In 1915 the route was established, and 2000 Americans flooded to the transmit Creek Valley to begin work on the railroad.On July 9, 1915 chairperson Woodrow Wilson initiated the Great Anchorage Lot Sale where the first 600 plots of land in Anchorage were sold. Businesses spread along 4th avenue, and a school was built, therefrom creating the first metropolitan area of Anchorage (Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, 2005). In 1923, the Alaskan rail way was finished, from Seward to Fairbanks, passing through Anchorage. The fourth reason Anchorage stands where it does instantly is because of the event of WWII and the threat of the Japanese and Russians.Anchorage and Alaska are strategically fit(p) close to Russia and Japan. In 1947 the government begins development of the Fort Richardson Army side and the Elmendorf Air Force Base. During WWII, Alaska experienced a sharp growth in infrastructure and population during those years. Finally, the discovery of oil in Alaska in 1968 caused the most recent bankrupt in Anchorages growth. In 1974 construction began on the trans-Alaska pipeline system, resulting in a modern day boom as the construction and engineering companies setup headquarters in Anchorage. regional ContextAnchorage is located in Southeast Alaska (see map below). It is adjoin by the Chugach Mountains and glaciers to the east, the west and northwest by branches of Cooks intake (the farthest north the Pacific Ocean reaches), Mount McKinley to the North, and the Kenai Peninsula to the south. There are over 40 active volcanoes to the Southwest of Anchorage, and the entire area is mountainous. In fact, in 1990, Mount Redoubt erupted, covering Anchorage in a 2 inch layer of volcanic ash (Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, 2005). Overall, the area of Anchorage is larger than Rhode Island.