On January 3, 1959, Alaska joined the United States. Most scientists believe the first people to live in America walked across a land bridge that connected Asia to Alaska more than 20,000 years ago. Then in 1648, Semen I. Dezhnev led a group of Russians across the narrow body of water that separates Asia from Alaska. Over the years, fur brought Russian hunters and traders to Alaska. On the Aleutian Islands, and later on the mainland, a lucrative fur trade was developed. As a result, the populations of fur-bearing animals were decimated. The first white settlement in Alaska was established on Kodiak Island, in 1784. It was founded by Gregory Shelikof, who called it Russian America.