The United States Purchased Alaska For 7.2 Million Dollars.
When Secretary of State William Seward negotiated and signed a treaty with Russia to purchase Alaska, it was met with much dislike from American citizens. In 1867, the United States and Russia agreed to the transfer of land for $7.2 million. Referred to as “Sewards Icebox”, the complaints and disdain subsided once the Klondike gold rush in the late 1800s hit. Hundreds of thousands of people seeking quick riches trekked up the wilderness to Alaska to mine for gold. Many of Alaska’s population are descendants from those gold miners.
