The United States purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire in 1867 for 7.2 million dollars -- that's about 2 cents per acre. It became the 49th state of the U.S. in 1959. Alaska is the largest state --- over twice the size of the state of Texas. Alaska has more than 12,000 rivers and 3 million lakes. It is truly the last frontier. This gallery contains a small glimpse of this amazing place.