The Growth Of Modern-Day Alaska Began With The Klondike Gold discovery in 1896. Over the course of the next two decades, as prospectors, pioneers, and settlers rushed in, Alaska developed its agricultural and mineral resources, birthed a structure of highway and railroad transportation, and founded the Alaska cities we have today. All this activity occurred alongside the Progressive Age in American politics. It was a time of widespread reform, as Progressive politicians took on the powerful business trusts and enacted sweeping reforms to protect workers and consumers. The traditional view of Alaska history is that the territory was neglected and even abused by the federal government. Alton argues, however, that from 1896 to 1916 Alaska benefitted richly in the age of Progressive Democracy. As the population of Alaska grew, Congress responded to the needs of the nation's northern possession, giving the territory a delegate to Congress, a locally elected legislature, and, ultimately in 1914, the federally funded Alaska Railroad. Much has been written about the development of Alaska, especially in terms of the Gold Rush and the origins of the Alaska Railroad. But this is the first history to examine this era within the context of Progressive Age American politics. It is a look at how Progressivism reached the furthest corners of the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century and helped to transform Alaska into the modern state we know today.