A Russian Orthodox Church in the Alaska village of Tatitlik. Alaska was a Russian colony from 1799 until it was sold to the U.S. in 1867 for $7.2 million. President Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are holding a summit in Alaska on Friday.
David McNew/Getty Images North America
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David McNew/Getty Images North America
Russia lost a war in Crimea in the 1850s, leaving the country deep in debt. To ease that burden, Russia cut a real estate deal with the U.S. government, selling its colony of Alaska to the Americans.
Now, Presidents Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin will hold a summit Friday in Alaska to discuss another difficult and costly Russian war involving Crimea, one of the territories Russia has captured in its fight with Ukraine.
The decision to meet in Alaska appears mostly practical — it’s where the U.S. and Russia almost touch, separated by just 55 miles of the Bering Strait. Yet beyond geography, there’s also symbolism and a fascinating shared history.
Alaska was a full-fledged Russian colony from 1799 to 1867. Some Russians, including Kremlin envoy Kirill Dimitriev, are pointing to that period on social media, posting photos of Russian Orthodox Churches, with their onion domes, that were built in Alaska in the 19th-century and still stand.
“Some Americans might know that we bought Alaska from Russia, but they don’t know necessarily that it was a real colony there,” said Lee Farrow, a history professor at Auburn University at Montgomery and author of Seward’s Folly: A New Look at the Alaska Purchase.
“It wasn’t just a piece of territory that [the Russians] stuck a flag in. They had a strong presence in California as well.”
Farrow was referring to Fort Ross, an outpost the Russians established in what’s now part of Sonoma County in northern California.
Sold for a pittance
Russia’s decision to sell Alaska was motivated by its need to pay off war debts accumulated during the 1853-56 Crimean War, which Russia lost to the combined forces of Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire.
By this time, Russian hunters in Alaska had killed off most of the accessible bears, wolves, otters and other animals with valuable furs and pelts, and therefore the Russians saw little economic reason to stay.
Alaska seemed more a liability than an asset, and was extremely remote even by the standards of the Russian Empire. It was sometimes called “Siberia’s Siberia.”
After brief negotiations in the spring of 1867, the U.S. agreed to pay $7.2 million, which works out to 2 cents per acre. Alaska cover more than a half-million square miles and is by far the largest U.S.
The purchase of Alaska, known as “Seward’s Folly,” was negotiated by Secretary of State William Seward under President Andrew Johnson. Despite critics calling it a frozen wasteland, Alaska’s true potential was not recognized until later years.
Initially, the U.S. government invested little in Alaska, and it was mainly missionaries and adventurers who explored the region. It wasn’t until the discovery of gold in 1896 and the finding of large oil reserves in the 1950s and 60s that Alaska began to develop.
There are still debates in Russia about the legitimacy of the U.S. purchase of Alaska, with some believing it should belong to Russia. This historical narrative has sparked discussions whenever the topic is brought up.
The Crimea Connection
In contrast to the peaceful transfer of Alaska, Crimea has a history of conflict due to its strategic location. From Russia’s attempts to gain control during the war against the Ottoman Empire to its annexation by Russia in 2014, Crimea has been a contentious region.
As tensions continue between Ukraine and Russia over Crimea, the region remains a focal point in peace negotiations. The complex history and geopolitical significance of Crimea make it a key issue in international relations.
