On October 18, 1867, the Russian Empire transferred the territory of Alaska to the United States following negotiations by US Secretary of State William Seward. The US paid $7.2 million, or about 2 cents per acre, for the land, adding more than 586,0000 square miles to its territory. Today the date is known as Alaska Day and honors the history, untamed wilderness, and unwavering resilience of the state.

To mark the day, we are in the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, spread over several islands in the Kodiak Archipelago in southwestern Alaska. Our homepage image shows Kodiak Island, whose landscape includes hundreds of miles of shoreline as well as lakes, marshes, bogs, and meadows. Its towering mountains are home to fjord inlets and lush vegetation, including sedges, alders, spruces, wildflowers, and berries. A wild inhabitant of the islands, the Kodiak bear, the largest subspecies of brown bear, is named after the archipelago.