 Frontier Fighters. Frontier Fighters. Memorable moments from the lives of those who gave us our frontiers. One of the most intensely interesting and thrilling chapters in the annals of American history is that of Alaska. The Land of the Midnight Sun. And to those men who gave to the United States that new land, we pay tribute in this episode. Our story opens in the year 1867. In a rather dimly lighted room in Sitka, a certain transaction is being brought to a close. In the room are several Russians and several Americans. The scratching of a pen is the only sound for a moment. Then? There, gentlemen. The United States has purchased Alaska for $7,200,000. A heavy price? Yes. But the deal is finished. There is no longer any need for us to stay here. Good day, gentlemen. We hope that your government will not regret the purchase. So do I. Goodbye. Well, that's that. $7,200,000 for this. Snow and ice. I don't know what Sewed was thinking of. What will the American people say when they learn of this? The American people heard of the purchase of Alaska. With incredulous stares, they read their newspapers. One day in the lobby of Congress. What sort of nonsense did Seward do now? Over $7,000,000 for... Well, for what? I'll tell you for what, for a country of ice and snow. Why, do you know that there are only 30,000 people up there and two-thirds of them are Eskimos and other nations? It's outrageous. I am going to fight this thing. Now are you spiting something that's already gone through Congress' room? It seems that the United States will have to put up with Seward's folly. Seward's folly? Well, I believe you hid on the name for this senator. Seward's folly. Seward's ice box. Maybe we can get our money back by selling ice. That's the only way we can possibly even things up. I imagine the Russians must be laughing up their sleeves at the stupidity of any nation willing to buy a bar and waste such as a lot. $7,000,000. Well, I guess we'd just better forget about it last year and try to hush the thing up and... Oh, here comes Seward now. He doesn't seem put out about it. Wouldn't do for him to admit a mistake. Good afternoon, Mr. Secretary. Good afternoon, gentlemen. It's been nine days, isn't it? Very fine. Warm, not too warm, and not too cold. Cold? Why should it be cold in October? It's always cold in some countries, Mr. Seward. Oh, I see. Alaska, for instance. Yes, Mr. Secretary. We can't keep quiet about it any longer. Our constituents won't let us. No. Well, what's wrong with Alaska, gentlemen? What's good about it? That'll take a shorter time to tell. You gentlemen seem to forget that we bought the Louisiana Territory against our position. No comparison. Louisiana was rich in natural resources. Heaven only knows what's in Alaska. Ice and snow in Eskimos. Perhaps, Mr. Secretary, you plan to do something with them. Gentlemen, I've argued, slept, bought and bought Alaska. I think, Congressman, that you hit the nail on the head when you said, Heaven only knows what's in Alaska. Well, we're going to find out. Find out that you spent over $7 million of your taxpayer's money for a worthless, barren piece of land that Russia was only too glad to get rid of. I'm not sure what the purchase of that iceberg will go down in history as Seward's folly. Newspaper cartoons of the day reviled the purchase. President Johnson and Seward were openly laughed at. Even foreign countries were laughing at the gullibility of a young nation so foolish as to take a white elephant off the hands of Russia. Then, in the office of the President, Secretary Seward speaks to President Johnson. But I tell you, Mr. President, it's not folly. William, I've had the utmost faith in you. I sanctioned that purchase and sanctioned the spending of over $7 million. $7 million, Seward. That's a tremendous amount of money to spend for a pig in a poke, especially so shortly after a disastrous war. We've made a mistake, William, a ghastly mistake. Even you think that? How can I help but think it, William? What's in Alaska? What could possibly be in a country of ice and snow? We'll never know until we invest in it. Invest-a-gate, invest-a-gate. How are we going to do that, Mr. President? The pioneer spirit of the citizens of this country sent them out to California. Into the Northwest, the Southwest. What's to prevent them from going into Alaska? Lack of incentive. To go into a country like that? They just won't do it. We can try. All right, William, we'll try. And I pray that someday time may vindicate our judgment. And perhaps Alaska will be our last frontier. But the passing years saw neither President Johnson nor his Secretary of State esteem for having bought a worthless territory. More and more was the name Seward's Folly on the tongues of the people. The $7 million spent seemed greater and greater. Few settlers went to Alaska, but suddenly in the year 1896 in Alaska, a placer miner on the Klondike was panning for gold. Ah, it's no use, Sanjay. If there's gold here, it must be 50 miles down. We're going back to California. Mr. J, we can't. You don't want to stick out another winter here, do you? The only thing we can do, we can't go back. And we can't stay here in this government-seeking country. I should have known better than to come up here. Seward's Folly, Seward's Icebox. Everybody's right. The United States took a good skin on this deal, and... Jed, what's the matter? Nothing. I guess the sun was just getting in my eyes for a minute. But I thought it... Well, you thought what? Hand me that pan. Jed, did you see something? I don't know. I thought it did. Maybe again it didn't. Anyhow, give me the pan. Thanks, now. All right. Jed, is it... Angie, look, is it... This is a yellow mantle. Quick, quick, the big pan. I'm going out the middle of the creek. Well, you can't wait out there. It's cold now. No, no, Angie, this is gold. Give me the big pan. I'm going out there. Now, look out. Angie, look, look. It is gold. Pans of it. I can reach down and pick up pans first. Gold, Angie, gold. Thousands of dollars worth of... Jed, I'm going out there to help. Oh, we're red. On June 17th, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer received the startling information that the steam of Portland was arriving with a ton of gold. The news plunged the nation into wild speculation. A new El Dorado was spoken of. From all parts of the country came men, women, even children. Alaska was their goal. The words Seward's Folly were forgotten in the mad scramble to get to this new land of fabulous wealth. And every corner could be heard words similar to these. I'm going to Alaska. They say the gold's just broken down the river. Tim and I are leaving this afternoon for Seattle. We've taken the boat from there to Alaska. Sure, sure. Every bit of it's true. One minor took out $8,000 worth of gold in a half a day. Alaska's the place to go. Seward's dream of settlers for Alaska came true. Each person who went dreamed of wealth, untold fortunes hidden in the bountiful earth of the new El Dorado. But before they got there, there were hardships. Hardships such as they never knew existed. And along the trail. How much farther, Ed? I don't know. But look up ahead. I can't. The snow's blinding me. My feet are worn to ribbons. Pie. Puts up there. The biggest killer of them all. Kill could pass. Kill could pass. And more what they said about it here. Oh, Mother Nietzsche sure got her gold protected up here. Well, are we going on or stopping? Look. Look. They're taking another grave over there. Some other poor devil's got his. Yeah. They're taking gold. Well, I ain't stopping here. I come this far, and no pile of snow and ice is going to stop me from getting my steak and taking it easy for the rest of my life. Come on. The kill could pass took a terrible toll of human lives. Daily, the long line of gold rushers became thinner. Those unable to stand the rigors in heartbreaking trials fell. But those unnamed heroes went on. Not all of them went for gold. Some sought a land where they could start anew. Some, noticing the abundance of fish, decided to give Alaska a new industry other than gold mining. Of did did. Their courage will always be remembered. They fought desperados who sought to rule the territory by guns and killings. But law came to Alaska. The bad men of the Klondike were driven out or killed. The territory prospered, and then, just a few months before the year 1906, scenes such as this were taking place in the principal cities of Alaska. Friends, friends, in just a couple of weeks, we're going to be off to Washington, to the capital of the United States. We're going on an important mission, and I guess you know what it is. We're going down there to make them give us representation in Congress. It's about time that Alaska was recognized as part of the United States. It's about time we had something to say in the governmental affairs of this country, for we're Americans. Citizens of the United States, every one of us. We appear in the North Country, but we haven't forgotten the days of 1906 when we made Alaska over into a territory to be proud of. When we made it a part of the United States. And in the year 1906, Alaska's dream came true. She was given representation in Congress by a duly elected representative. In 1912, an act was passed giving Alaska limited territorial government. The first territorial legislature convened March 3rd, 1913, and the first law passed gave franchise to women voters for seven million dollars in the faith of a few men the United States bought for $67 million worth of valuable fur. A fish industry whose value up to 1924 was $1,619,443. And mineral resources totaling in value up to the year 1927, $586 million. So for those $7,200,000, the United States had realized thus far a profit of $687,419,443. But more than that, we have on record the glorious faith, courage and vision of those men and women of Alaska who were true frontier fighters.