While kayaking on beautiful Lake Durant near Blue Mountain Lake, NY, one June day, my wife Carol Ann asked, "Where does Blue Mountain get its name?" So we visited the nearby Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake to buy a place names book. But there was no such publication. So... I wrote What's With Those Adirondack Mountain Names?

Benny Benson holding the flag of the Territory of Alaska that he designed at the Jesse Lee Home, Seward, Alaska, 1927. Photo courtesy of Alaska State Library, Historical Collection

In the early 1970s, I shared a story with my fifth-grade students about an Alaskan seventh grader titled "Benny's Flag." In 1926, the Alaska American Legion sponsored a contest for students in grades seven through twelve to design a flag for the Alaska Territory. Before this contest, the territory had only flown the United States Stars and Stripes.

Benny Benson's flag design won the contest for the territorial flag in 1927, and it later became the official state flag of Alaska when Alaska achieved statehood in 1959. Benny's design incorporated elements observed in his everyday surroundings: a blue background symbolizing Alaska's sky, the forget-me-not flower (an Alaskan flower and now the state's official flower), the Big Dipper representing strength (often associated with the Great Bear), and the North Star, which signifies the future of Alaska, the northernmost state in the union. Benny, the thirteen-year-old who made history, lived in the Jesse Lee Home in Seward, Alaska.

Marathon Mountain, Seward, Alaska.
It is the site of the most challenging 5K race, held every July 4 since 1915. Photo Credit: Dylan Guilfoyle, dylanguilfoyle.com

William Henry Seward (1801-1872) was born in Florida, Orange County, New York. His father, Samuel, was a farmer who enslaved people in that area.

At age fifteen, Seward began his college career at Union College, Schenectady, New York, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1820. His fellow students were in awe of his 'remarkable assiduity and capacity ofacquirements,' a testament to his early determination and intelligence.

After completing his higher education at Union College, Seward settled in Auburn, New York, where he began his legal practice. His law career led him to an interest in politics. He served in the New York State Senate from 1830 to 1834 and was elected Governor of New York in 1838 and 1840, serving two consecutive terms. During his governorship (1839-1842), Seward worked to promote the rights of Black residents, supported abolitionist efforts, and advocated for the better treatment of prisoners, debtors, the insane, and immigrants. He represented New York State in the United States Senate from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1861, and was instrumental in founding the Republican Party.

In 1861, Seward assumed the role of Lincoln's Secretary of State and continued in this role for President Andrew Johnson following Lincoln's assassination. Seward's most significant achievement as Secretary of State was the intricate diplomacy that prevented Great Britain and France from recognizing and aiding the Confederacy during the American Civil War.

Seward is also known in American history for negotiating the purchase of Alaska from Russia while serving as Secretary of State under President Andrew Johnson. At the time, many believed the $7.2 million price tag was excessive for a territory considered barren and unexplored. This purchase earned the nicknames "Seward's Folly," "Seward's Icebox," and "Polar Bear Garden." However, history would prove these critics wrong. Seward's foresight and judgment in this purchase, which turned out to be a strategic acquisition and a destination, is a testament to his legacy as one of the most outstanding United States Secretaries of State, second only to John Quincy Adams, according to most historians.

William H. Seward. Photo courtesy of Special Collections, Schaffer Library, Union College.

William Seward significantly influenced the governments of New York and the United States. His legacy is also honored in two popular destinations: Seward, Alaska, and Seward Mountain, one of the famed 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks of New York State.

Author's Note: Thank you to Allison Stacy, Seward Community Library and Museum Curator, The City of Seward, Alaska, for her contribution to this article.