Seward's Day in Alaska
Seward's Day is an annual holiday in Alaska, celebrated on the last Monday of March, commemorating the signing of the 1867 treaty that transferred ownership of Alaska from Russia to the United States for $7 million. The treaty was negotiated by William Henry Seward, who was initially criticized for the purchase, often referred to as "Seward's folly" or "Seward's icebox." The public perception shifted dramatically after the discovery of gold in Alaska, which highlighted the region's wealth and potential. The signing took place in a hurried fashion during an all-night negotiation between Seward and the Russian minister Baron Edoard de Stoeckl, leading to a contentious ratification process in the U.S. Senate that barely passed. Historically, Alaska had been a Russian territory since the mid-18th century, with early explorations by Vitus Bering establishing its geographic significance. The decision to sell was influenced by Russia's desire to prevent British dominance in the Pacific and to alleviate its own colonial burdens. Today, Seward's Day serves as a reminder of Alaska's complex history and the substantial resources it continues to provide, including oil, gold, and seafood.
Seward's Day in Alaska
Seward's Day celebrates the March 30, 1867, signing of the treaty purchasing Alaska from Czarist Russia for $7 million. It is an annual observance in Alaska, and since 1971 it has been observed on the last Monday in March of every year. The treaty negotiated by William Henry Seward, then secretary of state under President Andrew Johnson, was not highly regarded in his time, however. Alaska was called “Seward's folly,” “Seward's icebox,” and “Johnson's polar bear garden” until the discovery of gold in the region changed public opinion.
Seward, an expansionist, had acted quickly and quietly. With the Russian minister Baron Edoard de Stoeckl, he worked out the details in an all-night meeting. The treaty was signed by the two men at 4:00 A.M. on March 30 and on the same day was presented to the United States Senate for ratification. The senators, annoyed with the speed and secrecy of Seward's actions, debated for a week but finally ratified the treaty by a one-vote margin on April 9, 1867.
The Russian flag had flown in Alaska since the middle of the 18th century. Czar Peter the Great had in 1725 commissioned the Danish navigator Vitus Jonassen Bering to determine whether Asia was separated from America or whether it was one continuous land mass. Preparations were necessarily lengthy, and Bering finally sailed in 1728. On that first voyage, he discovered that the two continents were indeed divided by what is now called the Bering Strait. Actually, at one point only about 50 miles of water separate the two continents.
Bering found some islands but, perhaps because of fog, did not see the Alaskan mainland until 1741, during his second voyage. Returning home, he was shipwrecked and died on what is now called Bering Island in the Bering Sea. His men built a new ship out of the wreckage of the old one and finally reached Russian soil with tales of a wealth of furs to be had from the herds of seals that they had seen. For several decades thereafter, Russian adventurers and seal hunters from other nations plundered the seas and shores of Alaska. During this time, Russians set up trading posts and settlements along Alaska's coast.
By the mid-1800s, the seal herds were decimated by wanton slaughter, and Russia was more interested in preventing the British Empire from dominating the Pacific Ocean than in pursuing the exploitation of Alaska. The United States, which was expanding into the Pacific region and frequently had conflicts with Great Britain, could only be an asset in Russia's efforts to thwart British ambitions. Thus, the Russians decided to sell their North American colony to the land-hungry Americans. The negotiations proceeded slowly during the administration of President James Buchanan, and were interrupted by the American Civil War. However, they were resumed with Seward, who had been secretary of state in Abraham Lincoln's cabinet and continued in that post when Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency after Lincoln's assassination. Baron de Stoeckl helped get congressional approval by employing skillful lobbyists and also by allegedly paying substantial sums to at least two influential and supposedly incorruptible members of Congress.
Although the formal transfer ceremonies had taken place in Sitka on October 18, 1867, Congress did not actually pass the appropriations bill to pay Russia for Alaska until July 14, 1868. Seward's price for Alaska no longer seems high. Each year Alaska's natural resources return many times the original investment, particularly in the areas of oil and natural gas. Its other resources include gold, seafood, lumber, silver, copper, lead, platinum, uranium, tungsten, and molybdenum. Seward was 71 when he died on October 10, 1872, in Auburn, New York.
“Biographies of the Secretaries of State: William Henry Seward (1801–1872).” Office of the Historian, history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/seward-william-henry. Accessed 1 May 2024.
“Seward's Day 2024 in the United States.” Time and Date, 2024, www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/sewards-day. Accessed 1 May 2024.
Skilbred, Joan. “The Uniquely Alaska Holiday That Is Seward Day.” Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, 25 Mar. 2024, www.newsminer.com/features/our‗town/stories‗of‗our‗town/the-uniquely-alaska-holiday-that-is-seward-day/article‗49f5ee34-ea59-11ee-bd7d-efe6c5d0a510.html. Accessed 1 May 2024.