Surely everyone remembers Seward’s Folly from history class in high school?
NO GOOGLING!
I don’t know—I’ll ask-a.
And don’t call me Surly.
He wanted to see Russia from his house.
America bought a frozen wasteland.
Too bad Sarah Palin came with it. 
I’ve heard Alaska is very beautiful. I want to visit someday.
It’s a bit sobering to imagine that area in Russia’s control during the cold war packed with missile bases and Soviet troops. A bit too close for comfort.
It was a bargain.
Save it for last. Everything after that will be a disappointment.
What was it, two cents an acre? Not too shabby, even for a frozen wasteland.
Seward even went to visit the acquisition, taking a ship to Sitka, which was the capital of the new territory, and remained so until 1906. The town of Seward (on the Kenai Peninsula) and the Seward Peninsula (where Nome is) are both named for him.
it was, indeed
There’s an article in the NYT in which some ultranationalist Russians indicate that they think they should have kept Alaska.
It was actually part of an unofficial diplomatic bargain. Russia had supported the United States during the Civil War so we owed them one. After the war ended, we agreed to buy their Alaskan territory for what was regarded at the time as an inflated price. It was essentially a financial pay off to the Russian government for their earlier support.
It is absolutely worth the trip.
mmm