Susan Smith-Peter, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of History at the College of Staten Island (CSI), weighed in on the 150th anniversary of Russia’s sale of Alaska to the United States. In the article, “150 Years After Sale of Alaska, Some Russians Have Second Thoughts” by Evan Gershkovich, Dr. Smith-Peter said, “The sea otters who were the heart of then-thriving fur trade had almost been wiped out, and the Russians also feared that if gold were discovered — as it would be, in the Klondike Gold Rush that started in 1896 — the Americans might overrun the territory.”

Read the whole story on MSN News.com.

The article can also be viewed on the NY Times.com.