Alaska Purchase: The Great Gamble

1867. A frozen frontier, vast and untamed, dismissed by many. Imperial Russia,

burdened by debt and distance, sought to shed this distant holding. But for U.S.

Secretary William Seward, it was an audacious vision: a strategic empire. For 7.2 million

dollars, a gamble on a land unknown. Public outcry called it 'Seward's Folly,'

a frozen wasteland. They couldn't foresee the gold, oil, and riches hidden

beneath. A visionary purchase, transforming a barren outpost into a treasure trove.