2022 Alaska Day observed in 49th state

Today is Alaska Day - a state holiday celebrating the transfer of the Alaska territory from Russia to the United States in 1867.
Published: Oct. 18, 2022 at 4:51 PM AKDT
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FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - October 18th is Alaska Day, a state holiday celebrating the official transfer of the Alaska Territory from Russia to the United States in 1867.

2022 marks the 155th anniversary of the event, when U.S. Army troops held a ceremonial flag-raising at Castle Hill in Sitka.

To mark the occasion, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy released a proclamation encouraging all Alaskans to celebrate and acknowledge the historical milestone.

Alaska became a state 92 years after the territory’s acquisition.

The deal purchasing the territory, referred to by some contemporaries as Seward’s Folly after Secretary of State William Seward, was struck on March 30 of the same year, an event now celebrated as Seward’s Day on the last Monday in March.