Alaska's Place in WWII

By the 1940's, many things started taking place in the country to alter the traditional worker. The country was involved in a depression due to the terrible economic conditions. In addition, the U.S also entered what is now known as WWII. As a result, the price of labor went up while the price of gold went down. Therefore, the territory of Alaska, which was rich in gold, was forgotten and left in the background.

Eventually the two main gold mines, located in Juneau, ceased to operate with the A-J mine (one of the main mines) closing in 1944. As the war began in 1941, with the involvement of the U.S, it was discovered that Alaska was in a very strategic geographical position. It was the closest point of the country to Japan. So as a result the forgotten territory became a great and useful location for the U.S military and its radar installations. Approximately 140,000 military personnel were stationed throughout Alaska in WWII. It was at this time and for this reason that the Alaska Highway connecting the lower 48 states to Alaska was constructed. This strategic location again proved Alaska a large asset to the U.S and the forgetting of the term "Seward's Folly".

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