Which of the following nicknames was not applied to the 1867 purchase of the land area now known as Alaska?

Lovers of Alaska’s mountains and streams (as well as state residents) have Andrew Johnson and his Secretary of State, William H. Seward, to thank. During Johnson’s presidency, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for the price of $7.2 million - in gold. Although most Americans supported the purchase, critics came up with several derogatory names for the area, including the best-known “Seward’s Folly”. Other less-than-flattering nicknames included “Walrussia”, “Icebergia”, “The Nation’s Ice Box”, and “Johnson’s Polar Bear Garden”.

William H. Seward, 24th United States Secretary of State (1861-1868), saw the purchase of Alaska as another step in the expansion of the United States in the west. President Andrew Johnson agreed, as did Senator Charles Sumner from Massachusetts, whose 2-1/2 hour speech to the Committee on Foreign Relations presented all of the facts then known about “Russian America” (as Alaska was then known), as well as outlining and explaining the advantages of buying the land.

Although the treaty to purchase Alaska was ratified by a large (37-2) margin, the price tag of $7.2 million caused a great deal of pro and con debate in the nation’s newspapers. The purchase, which was finalized March 30, 1867, became commonly known as “Seward’s Folly”.

It was well into the 20th century before Alaska’s purchase was generally acknowledged to be of great strategic and financial importance.