| Show exploration of alaska credited to sea otter the sea otter his silky soft dense pelt the most valuable known to commerce was responsible for the exploration and early development of that part of the north american continent now known as alaska for on the throne of russia sat a pretty capricious lady who would and must have sea otter skins as she found them most becoming her imperial majesty catherine II 11 empress of russia said bring me furs and furs were brought not only to catherine the great and her court but to the markets of asia recalls a writer in the st louis post dispatch during the closing years of the eighteenth century and the opening decade of the nineteenth it is estimated that from to sea otter skins were taken to asia each year from the southern waters of alaska it was peter the great and his empress catherine I 1 who first took real interest in discovering more about the great land vaguely reported to lie to the eastward under their their command vitus bering danish captain in the russian service in 1728 discovered and named st lawrence island sailed through bering strait and rounded east cape thus bering strait was on the worlds map 15 years before the first white man gazed upon the rocky mountains on a second voyage of exploration bering in 1741 made the actual discovery of mainland alaska landing near prince william sound bering died in the new country he had discovered and after months of suffering and privation some of his men returned home bearing the first of those his tory making sea otter skins which they sold for nearly As this news spread among the fur hunters of siberia it caused an excitement second only to the frantic rush for gold that more taj than a century and a half later was to draw thousands to the mines of the klondike |
