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Timeline / Defining Rights and Responsibilities / 1884: After military abuses, the U.S. establishes a government in Alaska

1884: After military abuses, the U.S. establishes a government in Alaska

After the U.S. Army and Navy, occupying the territory of Alaska, shells and burns unarmed villages, the U.S. takes steps to replace military rule with civil government. By act of Congress, the District of Alaska is established, with a district government, school system, and district and circuit courts. The district government’s concerns about the deteriorating health of the Native population, especially due to tuberculosis and alcohol consumption, spark calls for providing health care to Alaska Natives, but over the next two decades little is accomplished.

Theme
Federal-Tribal Relations
Region
Arctic, Northwest Coast, Subarctic

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Naval officers on the deck of the USS Pinta, Sitka, Alaska, 1889. The Pinta patrolled Alaskan waters from 1884 to 1889.

Courtesy Alaska State Library, Lyman E. Knapp Photograph Collection.

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To protect American interests, the U.S. Navy engaged in patrol activities in the waterways surrounding the Alaska Territory. The USS Ossipee was present during the transfer ceremony of Alaska from Russia to the United States on October 18, 1867.

Courtesy Sitka Historical Society, Sitka, AK