The statue commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Cession that made Alaska a U.S. territory, The Juneau Empire reported (http://bit.ly/2sMTOiJ ). There were also numerous other corporate donations and private donations from citizens in town who wanted to see the statue go up. Mary Becker, co-Chairwoman of the Seward Statue Committee, said she was a bit nervous at first that they wouldn't be able to raise enough money, but she quickly saw the statue was popular enough to get people involved.