Why Alaska Panhandle? 🤔

Most Americans don’t know why Alaska has this strange panhandle. What made this land so special that Canada couldn’t keep it? It all started in the 18th century when Russian explorers settled along the coastline, claiming the land for the Russian Empire. Soon, the British arrived, establishing fur trading posts and expanding their influence.Frequent clashes between the two powers led to an 1825 treaty that set the southern border roughly where it is today, though no firm boundary was established, leaving room for future disputes. Nearly half a century later, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in a deal ridiculed as “Seward’s Folly,” as many saw the acquisition as a barren wasteland.
But that perception changed dramatically with the Klondike Gold Rush, which brought the panhandle dispute to the forefront as Canada sought a direct route to the Pacific Coast.The disagreement was then handed to an international tribunal, where British representatives eventually sided with the United States, infuriating Canada.Despite their dissatisfaction, Canada had to accept it, leaving the panhandle to become part of the U.S.

#alaska #facts #panhandle #usa #history #geography #map #mapping #facts #learning #learn

[FewVidsJustComments]

"A barren wasteland" ❌
"A Bering wasteland" ✅

[jabber]

UK: "we're siding with the USA here"
Canada: "aren't we your colony?

[ThatCanadianGuy]

“Why couldn’t Canada keep it?” Answer: They Never Had It *video ends*

[ravensLitterbox]

Canada : accepts a loss

Everyone else : war

Edit : i love reading everyone's replies from information to silly ones. I thank everyone who has updated me on information i really didnt know! Its cool to learn something new!

[abdulnorthamericanvlogs]

Not to mention Alaskan capital juneau located in that panhandle

[Vates]

I grew up in SE Alaska. This history was taught to us in middle school. Glad it is being shared now.

[kaltro_]

Tbh Canada can't really take it forcefully even if they wanted.

[imnotmark]

Alaska is a key destination when doing trade with the east. A lot of parcels also goes there.

[Abdul-Akeem_Akinloye]

Seward's folly indeed. That may well be one of the best deals in history.

[ShooterSanoff]

Because right in the other side of the panhandle is the Yukon.. and pretty much no one lives there and has really explored it. So after the panhandle and the mountains that separate it no one will try and fight you for the land

[Tyler_W]

The fact that Alaska is that freaking huge is absurd.

[johnfitzgerald]

The Klondike is in Canada. That's where the gold was, not in Alaska as your map shows. That's why Canada wanted a Canadian seaport on the Pacific. The British betrayed Canada because they wanted better relations with the US. Better relations with the country than were supposedly protecting seemed less important to them.

[alanmacification]

The Klondike Gold Rush took place in the Yukon Territories of Canada, not Alaska.

[DixieSeas]

"Couldn't keep it"? They never owed it.

[CaptOrbit]

It's like that time in order to settle a dispute between Ohio and Michigan, Ohio was given Toledo (which Michigan had wanted) And Michigan was given part of Wisconsin as a consolation even though Wisconsin had nothing to do with the conflict.

[capie]

Most people do not know the Russians created settlements down the coast as far as Oregon.

So while people are bashing the European colonization, they completely do not know how close they came to being Russian.

.

[PantaloonTV]

if the tribunal sided with Canada,
the US would say they recognise no such tribunal under US constitution and legislation. Then they would take it by force.

[Dwegles]

and if that wasnt enough, the USA made sure to have the panhandle by sticking the capital of Alaska on it, similar to the capital of British Columbia being Victoria, below the 49th parallel, on Vancouver Island to make it theirs.

[Dr.Jay-Cee]

Southeast Alaska is so pristine with over 1, 000 islands strung just offshore westward from the mainland!😅🇺🇸💕

[sanneoi]

Before gold:
Russia: well we don't gotta deal with that anymore
US: fck we just wasted our money why did we do that

After gold:
US: hey actually we got a pretty good deal
Russia: damn guess we shouldn't have sold that