Alaska Becomes a U.S. State

Setting the scene

Alaska Territory had waited decades after gold rushes and World War II strategic importance; statehood advocates like Ernest Gruening argued that continental Americans ignored Arctic resources and Native rights while relying on Alaska for defense radar and fishing.

What happened

Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the proclamation, raising the star count on the flag months before Hawaii.

Why it still matters

Oil and wilderness politics followed the 1968 Prudhoe Bay discovery and ANWR debates; the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, Native Claims Settlement Act, and climate-driven thaw reshaped a state twice the size of Texas with fewer people than many counties.

Background

Oil and wilderness politics followed.