The state was rumored to have fish, furs, and gold, ad so William Seward bought this state in hopes of finding important resources. However even though in any large purchase like this one there is always the hope of turning a profit there were political reasons that far exceeded potential profit.

North America would not be well served by the presence of Russia on the Continent. The Civil war had seen European intrigue in the affairs of North America and Russian North American claims had credence far south of present day Alaska. Clearing Russian claims in North America was the primary reason for the purchase and the price was a pittance compared to the cost of a war.

Seward's thinking was vindicated over the years and on any number of fronts the economics of buying an Icebox have proven worthwhile. The military costs in defense dollars that would have been involved during the Cold War alone would have bankrupted the US and Canada.

Think of it as the most expensive King Crab dinner in the world served with a coupon good for a six month's supply of gasoline. It was a bargain.

All BMW's require a special tool to reset the Oil & Service (Inspection) indicators. The best one out there is the Peake R5 from www.peakeresearch.com. They are a bit pricey, but if your a do-it-your-selfer like me, it's a worthwhile investment!

Some may tell you that it can be done by pressing and holding buttons while turning the key to position 1, but it won't work!

The way to do it is to switch the ignition off and hold down the left button on the left side of the instrument cluster. Switch the key on but don't start the engine. Keep holding the button down tell reset pops up. It should be less than ten seconds. Release the button and instantly press and hold it down again tell reset starts to flash. Release press and release quickly again and the indicator will reset. This will work from model year 2001 to 2006.