BS: Alaska was sold today....

Subject: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Alba
Date: 30 Mar 06 - 10:10 PM

I am sure Mudcatters in Alaska are fully aware of this fact..
On March 30th, 1867, US Secretary of State William Henry Seward sealed a deal with Russia to buy the territory of Alaska for $7.2 million - about 2 cents per acre.

This made me wonder....

What is the price 'per acre' today in the Great Frontier.
Any of our Mudcatters in Alaska 'in the know' regarding Land prices?

Best Wishes
Jude
( who is trying to not open any of the abundant Thrust and Tarry Threads this lovely evening:)

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Rapparee
Date: 30 Mar 06 - 11:08 PM

Hell, Tok is worth more than that!

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Ebbie
Date: 30 Mar 06 - 11:29 PM

The current average cost per acre in Alaska must vary wildly. There are many areas that are scarcely settled. And we have the Brooks Range and the Alaska Range as well as great ice fields that have almost no statistics at all.

On the other hand, in and near urban areas land is quite high in price. In Juneau there are unimproved lots that are advertized for more than $50,000; those that have utilities in can go over $100,000. On the third hand (call your neighbor over), in some areas of the Interior prices are much lower. However, on the fourth hand, on occasion people buy 2 or 5 acres with a cabin on it and with a lot of muskeg around it for around $200,000. The muskeg is a complication - you can't build on it, for instance. On the other hand (?!) that can mean that you won't have close neighbors.

One of the complicating factors in Juneau is that our land mass is quite small. Juneau proper lies between the Pacific coastline and the Tongass National Forest. Above it are icefields. Juneau is a long town but very narrow.

It's safe to say that the time of 2 cents per acre is just plain gone.

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: John O'L
Date: 30 Mar 06 - 11:30 PM

"...buy the territory of Alaska for $7.2 million"

So 140-odd years ago Alaska was only worth marginally more than the rare Shakespeare folio which could fetch $6.1M.
I am making no point here, merely drawing together two seemingly complementary threads

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Peace
Date: 30 Mar 06 - 11:32 PM

Yeah, but you haven't included the rent costs for the Folio. That drops the value considerably, John.

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Barry Finn
Date: 30 Mar 06 - 11:59 PM

If we sold it back would we make a profit? Alaskans, be very afraid of the present president.
Barry

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: bet
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 12:40 AM

Hmmmm. bet

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: katlaughing
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 12:58 AM

HeyaSis! I'll bet your offical square inch of Alaska, and Roger's would be worth more than when you got them off the cereal boxes, eh? **bg**

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Little Hawk
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 01:03 AM

Canada will take back William Shatner if you give us Alaska.

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Ebbie
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 01:14 AM

No fair, LH. You already want him back.

It occurs to me that if you took better care of your musicians you wouldn't lose so many of them to south of the border. Hmmmmm?

On the other hand, (another one?) it might not be too difficult to get Alaska's signature signing herself over. If Alaska were Canadian it wouldn't be as much of a hassle going through the border.

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Dead Horse
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 05:42 AM

I bet it would have made more on ebay!

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Rapparee
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 09:54 AM

I can scrounge up a few bucks. Can I buy it? I want to be Emperor of Alaska and invade the Yukon.

You see, those square inches from the cereal boxes reverted to the Canadian government for non-payment of taxes long ago. My brother had several, and that's why I want to invade the Yukon. Sarge Preston and Yukon King wouldn't cheat my brother out of his land, and cerainly no cereal company would cheat a kid, so it has to be the Yukon Provincial Government that did it.

They must be punished for diddling my brother out of his land.

I intend to relocate the provincial government to Beaver Creek. That'll teach 'em, boy!

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Alaska Mike
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 10:30 AM

We celebrated "Seward's Day" earlier this week (last Monday in March). This is an official State holiday. On the other hand, Seward's Day fell on the anniversary of the great earthquake of 1964, so in one single day we knocked off 2 of Alaska's major historic events. How many hands does that make so far?

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Kaleea
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 06:44 PM

I thought this thread would be about the rape and pillage of the land--oops!I mean, drilling for oil.

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Ebbie
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 10:12 PM

Between us two, AK Mike, we can provide lots of hands. Deck hands, fish hands, slime line hands, ramp hands...

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Rapparee
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 10:35 PM

I guess the hands down South as getting ready to eat some ramps about now.

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Alaska Mike
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 11:42 AM

How about a hand of poker, Ebbie?

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Ebbie
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 07:20 PM

Ah! Hand of poker, of course!

"ramp" hand, Rap, is a coastal or at least a water thing. Involves floatplanes landing and being pulled in to the ramp by a catcher. (Many a ramp hand has inadvertently bathed in frigid water.)

Hand of bananas!

Subject: RE: BS: Alaska was sold today....
From: Peace
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 07:48 PM

Little dog, big dog, Dutch straight, dutch skip, 'round the corner: hands incorporated into the usual poker hands during the Gold Rush.