Module VII - American Period: Society

Essential Question: How have the settlement patterns of Alaska been a reflection of the natural landscape, distance, resources, and the economy?

Damage from the 1964 "Good Friday" Earthquake in Anchorage
Blogspot

Natural Landscape: When I first envisioned moving to Alaska, I created an image in my head of my living in a cabin, surrounded by trees with only a small dirt road to travel on.  I would be able to look out my window and see bears catching salmon in a stream, and I would encounter friendly moose as I chopped my own firewood.  Okay, okay, I admit that I was guilty of romanticizing my idea of life in the Last Frontier, especially since I ended up settling in a suburb outside of Anchorage.  According to the Alaska History and Cultural Studies site, many who moved to Alaska after 1945 were attracted to the state’s remote areas like I was, but ended up living in the larger communities where employment, goods, and services were plentiful.  Settlement patterns were also altered due to the weather.  Volcanoes and earthquakes have damaged or completely destroyed villages around Alaska.  Storms and flooding have impacted the towns of Bethel, Fairbanks, and Nome. Yukon Flats-area villages had to be relocated to higher ground due to flooding (Alaska History and Cultural Studies).

Distance: As we saw in the transportation module, available roads and railroads and navigable river really drove the movement of people in Alaska.  Most settlers lived near the ocean or rivers, where they could have easy access to supply ships.  The further you were from these resources, the more difficult it was to live comfortably day to day (but still possible).  According to the Alaska History and Cultural Studies site, when the U.S. Government built the Alaska Railroad between 1915 and 1923, communities were produced along the route.  The Alaska Railroad travels between Homer and Prudhoe Bay (Alaska Railroad).

Trans-Alaska Pipeline
Encyclopedia Brittanica

Resources: One of the main draws for people to come to Alaska was the discovery of gold.  Within a span of 10 years, the state’s population grew to 63,000 by 1900.  By 1950, the population had nearly doubled in size.  Gold was the first resource to drive the settlement patterns of Alaska.  The discovery of oil in the 1970’s also created a need for more housing.  According to the Explore Alaska! blog, thousands of people moved to Alaska in the 70’s due to the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which runs from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez (Wikipedia).  The population of the towns along the pipeline increased, which created a high demand for more housing facilities.  Anchorage’s population doubled within a few years, while smaller villages also grew as people continued to flock to the jobs that the pipeline provided.

Economy: According to the Explore Alaska! blog, population and settlement of Alaska by the newcomers, primarily Euro-Americans, has followed the stages of economic development.  “Depending on the why of a settlement, it either took on the look of impermanence with its transient population, or encouraged the establishment of family friendly institutions like schools and churches” (Explore Alaska!).  A large reason for a transient population in Alaska is due to the seasonal jobs offered around the state.  The establishment of churches (Baptist, Russian Orthodox, etc.) and schools in towns helped create a community atmosphere that families flocked to.  After moving to Alaska during WWII, many soldiers decided to stay.  According to the Alaska History and Cultural Studies site, the military started to build communication sites around the state to provide early warning of planes from the Soviet Union.

Examine Question: How have the health care issues impacted Alaska’s Native population?

Alaska’s Native population has been affected by several health care issues since the Russian and American settlers began moving to the state.  As with any indigenous culture in the United States, these populations did not have the same natural immunity to diseases that non-natives did.  According to the Explore Alaska! blog, smallpox and measles were the diseases that proved to be the most impactful during the Russian-American period in Alaska.  Tuberculosis, however, was the deadliest of diseases for the Native population.  It is not certain how TB appeared in Alaska, but as a communicable disease, it spread quickly.  The incidence of TB in Alaska during the 1900’s was more prevalent than in the lower 48.  To compare, the death rate from TB in Southeast Alaska was 1,302 per 100,000, as opposed to 56 per 100,000 (non-Natives) (Alaska History and Cultural Studies). 

Russian Orthodox orphanage for boys
Library of Congress

The spread of disease not only affected the health of the Native populations, but also their lifestyles.  According to the Explore Alaska! blog, the loss of family labor caused by death, illness, disability, or long-term absence threatened the survival of those living a subsistence lifestyle.  Orphanages were built in Alaska to accommodate children who had lost their parents.  Fears of disease caused many villages to bar outsiders from outsiders, or even abandon or move their homes.

The definition of a shaman in Alaskan Native culture was that of a mediator, healer, and the spirit worlds’ mouthpiece (Wikipedia).  The shamans were one of the most influential people within the Native cultures, especially when it came to the spread of disease.  According to the Alaska History and Cultural Studies site, pioneer doctors and nurses had to counter beliefs held by many Natives that illnesses were caused by anger of a supernatural spirit.  The doctors had to work with the shamans for two reasons: 1) to introduce modern medicines that would stop the spread of diseases, and 2) maintain the shaman’s authority.




Extend Question: What is the history of your school/system? 

Eagle River High School is the newest school in the Anchorage School District.  It was opened in 2005 to serve the Eagle River community and the students who live on the Elmendorf/Richardson Base.  We have approximately 850 students, which also makes us the smallest high school in the ASD.  Our mission statement is “Excellence, Respect, Community.”

Eagle River High School
ERHS Website

Evaluation


At first I thought that this module was kind of random, but once I read through the material, it seemed to make sense.  I found the information on the "why" of settlements very interesting, because sometimes I even think, "why is is McGrath where it is?"



Blog Reviews


Marg talked about the education of indigenous Alaskans before the introduction of Europeans/Americans, which included modeling, storytelling, and learning by doing, all necessary skills for their cultures.


Whitney explored all of the various types of recreation in Alaska.  I found it funny how she pointed out that Alaskans call it 'snowmachining' whereas to everyone else, it's 'snowmobiling.'  It took me a while to figure out that they were actually the same thing!


Brad outlined the academic areas of UAF, which included tourism, rural human services, emergency wildlife training, and snowmachine maintenance.  I find it impressive that the majors offered cater so specifically to the needs of the community.