THIS JUST IN: New discoveries of old things especially fun in old book stores

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Seward struck the deal on buying Alaska

It is the birthday of politician William H. Seward (1801), who is remembered for successfully negotiating the acquisition of Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million. Seward was widely criticized for advocating the deal. Detractors called the purchase Seward’s Folly. Russia was eager to get rid of the territory it had used principally for fur trade and considered virtually useless. The government was short on cash and nearby British Columbia was growing. Russia didn’t want to risk another war with Great Britain after losing in the Crimea in 1856, and thought it good to have an American influence in the region. For his part, Seward considered the Alaska purchase the greatest accomplishment of his career. Alaska annually celebrates Seward Day the last Monday in March.

James Oliver Curwood wrote of Northwest

It is the birthday of writer James Oliver Curwood (1878), whose bestselling 1920s novels told wilderness adventure tales of the Yukon, Alaska and the Great Northwest in the tradition of Jack London.  Among his best known books are Kazan (1914), The Grizzly King (1916), Baree, Son of Kazan (1917), The Courage of Marge O'Doone (1918), The Valley of Silent Men (1920), The Flaming Forest (1921), The Alaskan (1923), The Plains of Abraham (1928). Curwood's novels and short stories inspired at least 18 movies, including Back to God's Country (which was filmed three times – in 1919, 1927, and 1953), John Wayne's 1934 film The Trail Beyond and The Bear (1988), based on The Grizzly King. On a fishing trip to Florida in 1927, Curwood apparently was bitten by a spider and had an allergic reaction. He died a few months later from a resulting infection at his home in Owosso, Michigan.