Alaska Changes Hands at Sitka
On October 18, 1867, Alaska was formally transferred from Russian to American control at Sitka.
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A Transfer Ceremony
On October 18, 1867, Alaska was formally transferred from Russian to American control at Sitka. The ceremony followed a treaty negotiated earlier that year.
The Agreement Before the Ceremony
Secretary of State William Seward and Russian minister Eduard de Stoeckl had agreed on a purchase price of $7.2 million. Signing, ratification, transfer and payment were separate steps.
A Shipboard Record
The journal of USS Ossipee records the voyage associated with the transfer and describes the ceremony. It provides a contemporary perspective on the naval and diplomatic proceedings.
More Than an Empty Territory
The agreement between governments did not mean Alaska had been uninhabited. Indigenous communities already lived there and faced the consequences of changing colonial control.
What October 18 Marks
The anniversary is the formal handover, not Alaska’s admission as a state. Keeping those milestones separate helps explain the long period between acquisition and statehood.
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