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| Alaskans commonly share the belief that they're a different breed, perhaps more resilient, more adventurous than other Americans. And they may be right, considering the stories of Alaska’s indigenous people, the explorers who first touched Alaska's shores, and the robust settlers who made their homes in the Northland.
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Alaska's first people may be characterized as Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut, but it doesn't stop there. At least eight distinct Native people groups exist, each with a unique history and individual cultural expression.
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The ancient ways of Alaska's Natives have been handed down for generations, including potlatching, carving, dancing, and practicing subsistence hunting and fishing.
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Newspapers around the world covered the exploits of Arctic explorers who were driven to extremes in their efforts to be first - to the North Pole, to the top of Mount McKinley, to the reaches of the continent.
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These early Alaskans became famous for their scandalous or honorable deeds (or sometimes a combination of both) and made the headlines of their day.
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Alaska has drawn newcomers - adventurers, opportunists, end-of-the-roaders - since the first European set foot on its magnificent shores.
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The movers-and-shakers in territorial history served their people at a critical time, shaping policy in women's suffrage, fisheries, transportation, and land use.
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