Module 7 - American Period: Society

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

Looking at the patterns of settlement throughout Alaska, there is a trend in the locations. Communities have seemed to develop next to and near transportation routes and communication lines. In the early 1900’s, most Alaskans lived near the ocean or along major rivers. Ships and boats could provide supplies and transportation. Later, railroads, roads, and airfields started making their way onto the Alaskan landscape. This improved transportation and a means of getting and receiving goods and services.

Whaling Camp

There are many different reasons why people settled where they have in Alaska. One of them being mining camps that helped develop Juneau, Douglas, Hope, Circle City, and Council. Fishing camps brought people to Ketchikan, Karluk, and Homer. Mission stations populated Bethel and Haines. Supply camps for the gold rush introduced Skagway and Valdez. Whalers and traders came to Barrow and Wainwright. Gold camps brought many people to Nome, Fairbanks, Iditarod, and Chisana.

McCarthy's Camp near company town Kennecott

There were company towns in Douglas and the Wrangle Mountains. These towns were purchased claims and companies brought in drag lines, hydraulic equipment and dredges and hired large crews to work. They built boarding houses, dormitories, mining offices and other community buildings. They also offered recreational activities such as bowling, gyms, movies, and reading rooms. Canneries also were considered company towns. They would bring workers in the spring and return them in the fall. The offered food, lodging, and recreational facilities. Company towns were only temporary thought. Once the company left the town, it was pretty much abandoned.

Road Workers

The U.S. Army built roads and set up telegraph lines to connect the bases. Small communities grew along these routes. Roadhouses were built to serve workers and travelers. A road was built to connect Seward to Fairbanks and Cordova was a seaport end for the railroad. Stations along these routs grew into small towns. The Alaska Railroad encouraged communities along its route. The company sold lots at Anchorage, Nenana, Wasilla, and Talkeetna.

Sitka, AK Naval coaling station

The Alaskan population decreased greatly when the Gold Rush era subsided as well as when the U.S. entered WWI. However, it increased again during WWII when large Naval stations opened up at Sitka, Kodiak, and Unalaska. Army posts opened up at Anchorage and Fairbanks. Airfields were also constructed and the Glenn and Alaska Highways were built.





Many military and construction workers decided to stay in Alaska after the war because of the many job opportunities. Many people started to move to the bigger cities because of work and easier access to goods and services.

Pipeline

Oil was discovered in the 1950’s and Prudhoe Bay in 1967. In 1970 the population almost doubled. Work on the pipeline and the oil fields brought a lot of people as well as those who came to provide goods and services to the workers. In 2000, Natives were only 17% of the Alaskan population. Over half of the population lives in Anchorage.







Settlement patterns in Alaska follow the development of transportation whether by ship, boat, train, automobile, or airplane. Communities were able to develop because of the advancement in transportation. It made it easier to supply goods and services. Settlements also seemed to be determined by mining communities such as gold and ore. Mines were also the reason that roads were built in order to ship goods and services. Development gravitated to where the money was. As soon as there was nothing left in a town to make money, people moved elsewhere and the town was abandoned.

Here is a WEBSITE that I just happened upon while looking for pictures. It's got some intersting classroom activities so I thought I'd share it. :)



Extend:
What role did Sheldon Jackson play in creating an early education system for Alaska?
http://www.netstate.com/states/peop/people/ak_sj.htm

Sheldon Jackson

Sheldon Jackson was born in Minaville, New York in 1834. He graduated from Princeton and became an ordained Presbyterian minister. He began his missionary career and traveled to many states covering close 1 million miles during the course of his life and establishing over a hundred missions and churches. In 1877, he made his move to Alaska. He founded numerous schools and training centers that served native Alaskans. He became very committed to the spiritual, educational and economic well being of the people of Alaska.





He worked on passing the Organic Act of 1884 which, among other things, provided Federal aid for education for children in Alaska without regard to race. He became the First General Agent of Education in Alaska. He served under the immediate supervision and jurisdiction of the U.S. Commissioner of Education. He held the position until 1908. Jackson was responsible for making provisions for the education of the children in Alaska towns and villages, and separate schools for white and native children.

School in Deering, AK

Jackson organized a free school system for Native American, Eskimo and white children. He came up with a plan to get education to many of the towns and villages in Alaska. Since they are so spread out and the funds were not adequate enough, he asked various churches to open ministries and schools around Alaska. He suggested a different area for each group in order to cover the most territory. Schools were opened up in Bethel, Tanana, Barrow, and Kotzebue to name a few and he was able to stretch funds. By 1892, 17 government schools and 14 church schools were operating. Jackson gave some of the money to church operated schools. He designated them as “contract schools”. Religious groups provided a large portion of the financial support for the schools in Alaska. Because of this, there was essentially no separation of church and state. Eventually, the funding for the “contract schools” was taken away.

Jackson support acculturation and advocated an English-only policy, which forbade the use of Native languages, spoken and written. Jackson’s goal was to protect young Natives within the framework of law and, through education, prepare them to cope with modern times. Some Natives welcomed this. However, many now believe that the boarding schools, by separating children from their families for years at a time, it has hastened the decline of Native traditions.

Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka

Throughout Jackson’s travels in Alaska, he collected representative items from the Native Cultures. He worried that their arts and ways of life would vanish with no records of their past. This seemed interesting to me that he would force English on the students and not allow Native speaking in schools yet, was concerned their culture would vanish. His collection can be found at the Sheldon Jackson Museum located at Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka.
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ak/state/jacksonsheldon.html



Ritter, Harry. Alaska's History: The People, Land, and Events of the North Country. Anchorage, Seattle, Portland; Alaska Northwest Books. 1997.




Evaluation:
I liked the section on Education. I took a class in the fall and was introduced to some information on how the system was started. This module went deaper and I found it very interesting the way people like Sheldon Jackson went about getting it up and going. Aslo, the settlement patterns make sense compared to what was and wasn't offered as far as goods and services went. People settle where there's an opportunity to make a living.

 Reviews:
I liked reading Betty's transportation and communication response for where she lives in Dillingham. I take great interest in reading and hearing about how people live in the more remote communities in Alaska.

Crystal's blog flows very nicely and looks really good. She has quite a few really good links on her blog as well.

I like how Whitney answered her essential question with her own experience of living in a remote community.