National Alaska Day Date in the current year: June 28, 2025

Alaska is one of two non-contiguous U.S. states; the other is Hawaii. It is also the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost state (the Aleutian Islands cross the 180th meridian into the eastern hemisphere). Alaska borders Canada (Yukon Territory and British Columbia) and shares a maritime border with Russia.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area was inhabited by numerous indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. The first Europeans to set foot in the regions were Russians. While there is no certain proof, Semyon Dezhnev’s expedition is believed to have visited Alaska in 1648. The first European ship to reach Alaska is generally accepted to have been the St. Gabriel, under the command of Ivan Fyodorov and Mikhail Gvozdev, in 1732.

The first permanent Russian settlement in Alaska was established by merchants and fur trappers in 1784. The Spanish also sent expeditions to Alaska and established several settlements, but they never had a significant influence in the region. The Russian-American Company expanded its colonization of Alaska during the first half of the 19th century but was not particularly successful. The border between Russian and American lands in the Pacific Northwest was determined by the Russo-American Treaty of 1824.

In the late 1850s, Russian Emperor Alexander II first considered selling Alaska to the United States, but he postponed negotiations due to the American Civil War. Negotiations resumed in 1867. Eduard de Stoeckl represented the Russian government, and Secretary of State William H. Seward negotiated on behalf of the U.S. government. On March 30, 1867, the United States purchased Alaska for $7.2 million. The formal transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States took place on October 18, 1867.

Initially, Alaska had a small civilian population and was administered as a strategic military area. In 1884, it was designated a district with a civil government, and in 1912, it became a territory. In 1946, Alaska held a referendum on statehood, with voters approving its statehood by a margin of three to two. However, more than a decade passed before Alaska finally became a state. On July 7, 1958, the U.S. Congress approved Alaska’s statehood, and on January 3, 1959, Alaska officially joined the Union as the 49th state.

In 2017, National Day Calendar launched the National State Days project, which celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of each state in the order they joined the Union. Thus, National Alaska Day is the second to last celebration in this cycle and is held on June 28.

National Alaska Day, as designated by National Day Calendar, should not be confused with Alaska Day, which is celebrated annually on October 18. The latter is a legal holiday in Alaska that commemorates the formal transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States.