Page 12 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

On October 18, 1880, the two men marked a 160-acre (650,000 m2) town site, and as word of
the discovery spread, it was not long before a mining camp appeared. A year later the camp had developed into a small town. This was the first town to be founded in Alaska after its purchase from Russia by the United States.
Most of the gold was found in creeks by placer mining.
The original capital of Alaska was Sitka, a place chosen because of its importance in the profitable fur and whaling trades. But by 1906 both of these activities had declined, and that is when the seat of government was moved to Juneau. At this
time Juneau was the largest city in Alaska, until Anchorage grew to be bigger in the 1950s.
In 1911, the United States Congress authorized funds for the building of a capitol building for the Alaska Territory, but it wasn’t until September 8, 1929 that construction began. The design of the building was in the Art Deco architectural style, which was very fashionable at the time. This was
a multipurpose building also housing the federal government offices, the federal courthouse and
a post office as well as the office of the governor. Today, this building is still the home of the state legislature and the offices of the governor and lieutenant governor, while other state functions have moved to other offices within the state.
The Alaska Governor’s Mansion was designed by James Knox Taylor in the old Federal Style, and was completed in 1912.
Once Alaska was granted statehood in 1959, Juneau grew with the growth of state government, especially after the construction of the Alaska Pipeline in 1977, because this brought new revenues to the state. Cruise ship tourism has been more important in recent years, and over a million visitors come each year.
Because of its huge designated size, Juneau is the only U.S. state capital located on an international border: it is bordered on the east by Canada.
The Juneau area is susceptible to damage caused by earthquakes and avalanches.
The Governor’s residence, 1911)
12