{"id":5023,"date":"2017-03-30T09:35:22","date_gmt":"2017-03-30T16:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/?p=5023"},"modified":"2025-03-27T08:18:10","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T15:18:10","slug":"alaska-celebrates-150-years-in-the-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/news\/alaska-celebrates-150-years-in-the-union\/","title":{"rendered":"Alaska celebrates 150 years in the union"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than just a tongue twister, Alaska\u2019s Sesquicentennial is a celebration of the state\u2019s sale from Russia to the United States on March 30, 1867. A\u00a0century and a half ago, the Alaska Treaty of Cession was signed and the territory changed hands for the bargain price of $7.2 million. <\/span><\/p>\n

In commemoration, several cities are holding a succession of events throughout the year. Alaska\u2019s sale was not without controversy, with particular impact on the Native and Creole people living in the state at the time. In a fitting nod, an event on the actual day of the anniversary is <\/span>Tlingit Perspective of the Sesquicentennial: A Time to Heal. A highlight of Sitka\u2019s Kick-Off Week, the event will be held at Sheet\u2019ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi. Its purpose is to honor the Tlingit community with clan leaders, culture bearers, dance performances, and storytelling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Capping off the Kick-Off Week in Sitka is <\/span>Music Without Borders, a concert featuring Russian and native musical acts celebrating folk traditions, held at the Sitka Performing Arts Center on April 1. Outside of Sitka, multicultural music continues to ring out: <\/span>Arctic Lights & Moscow Nights will occur in Juneau on March 31. The concert is orchestrated (get it?) with a similar goal of promoting understanding between cultures. <\/span><\/p>\n

The celebration continues throughout the state long after the actual anniversary day. From April 21-22, the <\/span>Kenai Peninsula History Conference<\/a> will take place in Soldotna at the Kenai River Campus. The public is invited to learn about the peninsula\u2019s blend of Native, Russian, and U.S. traditions through a variety of panels and cultural and educational sessions. These include a book fair, live music from Moscow Nights, and the 1860s Alaska Traveling Exhibit, featuring historical banners about Alaska at the time of the Cession, such as Alaska\u2019s Americanization and the way Americans and Russians took advantage of Native people in pursuit of furs, gold, and fish.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Starting in May, the <\/span>Lifeways in Interior Alaska in the 1860s Exhibit will be displayed in Fairbanks through October in partnership with the University of Alaska\u2019s Museum of the North. On May 3, the Sitka Speaker\u2019s Series will focus on the <\/span>Six Saints of Sitka \u2014 little-known fact, Sitka has more saints than any other U.S. city! <\/span><\/p>\n

Fast forward to September and the <\/span>North to Alaska Road Rally Adventure<\/a> is coming to town. The Sports Car Club of America\u2019s United States Road Rally Challenge takes place from September 14-17. No previous rally experience is necessary, nor is a four-wheel drive vehicle, just an enthusiasm to explore the roads of Alaska.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This is a big year for The Last Frontier, and the state is turning out to celebrate \u2014 if you want to be a part of it, you\u2019ll find an event to suit your interests, whether that means a museum visit, historical conference, folk concert, or road rally. <\/span><\/p>\n

Explore Alaska<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than just a tongue twister, Alaska\u2019s Sesquicentennial is a celebration of the state\u2019s sale from Russia to the United States on March 30, 1867. A\u00a0century and a half ago,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":5024,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-wayfaring"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t