How did Alaska get its state motto?
In 1963, the Alaska Centennial Commission announced a competition to determine a distinctive centennial motto and emblem for Alaska. “North to the Future,” adopted during Alaska’s Purchase Centennial, celebrating its purchase from Russia by the United States, and was created by veteran newsman Richard Peter, the motto is meant to represent Alaska as a country of promise. According to Peter, the motto “…is a reminder that beyond the horizon of urban clutter there is a Great Land beneath our flag that can provide a new tomorrow for this century’s ‘huddled masses yearning to be free.’ “North to the future” has been Alaska’s state motto since 1967.
