The United States purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire in 1867.
Secretary of State William H. Seward negotiated the agreement with Russian minister Eduard de Stoeckl. The United States paid Russia $7.2 million, or about 2 cents per acre, for the territory. The treaty was signed on March 30, 1867, and the formal transfer took place on October 18 of that year.
The purchase initially attracted ridicule from some Americans, who called it “Seward’s Folly” or “Seward’s Icebox.” Later discoveries of gold, oil, and other resources helped change public perceptions, although Alaska’s strategic location and natural resources were already important considerations.
Alaska remained a U.S. territory for decades. It became the 49th state on January 3, 1959, nearly a century after the purchase, and its transfer anniversary is commemorated as Alaska Day.