# Seward's Folly Happened 150 Years Ago--March 30, 1867 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 30, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewards-folly-happened-150-years-ago-march-30-1867/783380 "2017-03-30T21:06:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewards-folly-happened-150-years-ago-march-30-1867/783380/1 "2017-03-30T21:06:51Z")
Surely everyone remembers Seward’s Folly from history class in high school? NO GOOGLING! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewards-folly-happened-150-years-ago-march-30-1867/783380/2 "2017-03-30T21:08:17Z")
I don’t know—I’ll ask-a. And don’t call me Surly. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewards-folly-happened-150-years-ago-march-30-1867/783380/3 "2017-03-30T21:29:59Z")
He wanted to see Russia from his house. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewards-folly-happened-150-years-ago-march-30-1867/783380/4 "2017-03-30T21:46:54Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewards-folly-happened-150-years-ago-march-30-1867/783380/5 "2017-03-30T21:48:58Z")
It was a bargain. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewards-folly-happened-150-years-ago-march-30-1867/783380/6 "2017-03-30T21:55:06Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ve heard Alaska is very beautiful. I want to visit someday. Save it for last. Everything after that will be a disappointment. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewards-folly-happened-150-years-ago-march-30-1867/783380/7 "2017-03-30T22:06:22Z")
What was it, two cents an acre? Not too shabby, even for a frozen wasteland. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewards-folly-happened-150-years-ago-march-30-1867/783380/8 "2017-03-30T23:14:59Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewards-folly-happened-150-years-ago-march-30-1867/783380/9 "2017-03-30T23:23:28Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > It was a bargain. it was, indeed ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewards-folly-happened-150-years-ago-march-30-1867/783380/10 "2017-03-30T23:32:14Z")
There’s an article in the NYT in which some ultranationalist Russians indicate that they think they should have kept Alaska. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewards-folly-happened-150-years-ago-march-30-1867/783380/11 "2017-03-30T23:38:40Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewards-folly-happened-150-years-ago-march-30-1867/783380/12 "2017-03-31T01:32:52Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ve heard Alaska is very beautiful. I want to visit someday… It is absolutely worth the trip. mmm