ments, nor their leaders, were in a position to credit the Tlingit assertion, clearly made by some Tlingit leaders at the time, that Russia had not purchased what the Tlingit owned. Assertions of Russian, then American sovereignty over the boundaries of Russian America, defined in 1825 in a treaty between England and Russia, were accepted by both countries in 1867, and by the international community of nations. Mysterious as it may be to us today, the majority, and the leadership of the people of that time, did not take seriously indigenous rights to land, dignity and equality. We live with the legacy of that dismissive, self-serving blindness today, and enlightened leadership strives to acknowledge and redress it.
So, that is the view of Alaska 150 years ago. It's not an Alaska of gold, or copper, or oil, or military engagement, all of which would come later. It's an Alaska of a used-up Russian investment, and a subject Native people.
What might be the view of Alaska 150 years from now? What character will people five generations from now ascribe to this extraordinary land? We cannot know, of course, any more than the people 150 years ago could possibly imagine the Alaska of today, even the most visionary. The gold, copper, oil and military will be part of the story, but what else? Water, perhaps, as that's going to become an increasingly critical necessity, and Alaska has an abundance of it. It won't be manufacturing or agriculture: Economies of scale will continue to make these unprofitable in Alaska.
It will be environment. Alaska has now, and will have then the greatest expanses of unbuilt, virtually unmanipulated land in the U.S. And it will continue to be a marvel to people who inhabit the densely settled and heavily utilized landscapes of the contiguous states. It is inhabited wilderness, to be sure. Alaska Natives have been harvesting its resources for subsistence since time immemorial. But one cannot hike through it, raft down its rivers, fly over it, even drive through those meager portions served by roads, and not be impressed, moved, by the vast, irreplaceable majesty of Alaska's natural environment.
Whatever else is noted about Alaska in 150 years, this will be at the top of the list.
Steve Haycox is professor emeritus of history at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
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