Reading Wrangell’s Historic Newspapers
Wrangell boasts some of Alaska's most historic newspapers, dating back to 1885. These publications were instrumental in shaping the community's development and preserving a glimpse into its rich history.
(Thanks to this Chronology of Wrangell Newspapers for reference)
The Glacier
(1885 - 1889?)
February 1, 1887 Edition
July 27, 1889 Edition
By the 1880s, the Presbyterian mission in Fort Wrangel operated the Tlingit Training Academy, a boarding school for Tlingit boys. The school operated a printing press on which The Glacier was published. Around 1888, the Tlingit Training Academy closed down. The school, including the printing press, were transferred to the mission in Sitka.
Today, there are two copies of The Glacier available online (above), but archives likely hold additional physical copies, as well.
The Northern Light
(1893-1902)
Read Online: 1893 - 1898 and 1898 - 1902
In the early 1890s, Rev. Clarence Thwing assumed leadership of Fort Wrangel’s Presbyterian mission. He began the Northern Light to raise awareness and money for Presbyterian missionary work in Alaska. Around 1899, Thwing handed over control of the mission to Rev. Harry Corser who continued the publication until 1902, shortly before he had a falling-out with the Presbyterian leadership and left to form St. Philip’s Episcopal Church.
The Northern Light features information about Indigenous people connected to the mission, including occasional clan stories. Detailed etched illustrations offer a glimpse into landscapes and buildings of the past. Many articles are reflective on the past twenty years of missionary work, offering historians an insight into the formative years of the Presbyterian Church in Alaska.
Fort Wrangel News
(1898)
Read Online: Archive.org or AndOrNot.net
By 1898, the Klondike Gold Rush brought throngs of eager-fortune seekers to Fort Wrangel on their way up to the Stikine River. In the sudden population boom, the Fort Wrangel News began publication. But it was short-lived. Within the year, the paper would close shop and move north under a new name.
Stikeen River Journal
(1898-1899)
Read online: Archive.org or AndOrNot.net
The Stikeen River Journal was another byproduct of the Klondike Gold Rush boom. It outlasted the Fort Wrangel News, but barely. While the Northern Light was focused on the community’s spiritual needs, the Stikeen River Journal was all business, advertisements, and social life.
Many gold-seekers who came through Fort Wrangel made the same startling discovery: they’d been tricked. The Wrangell Route up the Stikine River was among the toughest, most punishing routes to the Klondike.
Perhaps sensing the reality of the situation, both of Fort Wrangel’s gold rush newspapers ended almost as soon as they began.
Alaska Missionary Herald
(1902-?)
Very little is known about this publication, and no issues seem to be available online. According to WorldCat.org, several institutions have one or more copies of this publication in their archives. This publication may have been a successor to the Northern Light, which ended its run in 1902.
Alaska Sentinel
(1902-1909)
Read online: Archive.org or AndOrNot.net
On November 20, 1902, an Alaskan legend was born. A.V.R. Snyder published the first issue of the Alaska Sentinel, a newspaper that would go on to become Alaska’s longest continuously published newspaper, The Wrangell Sentinel.
The Alaska Sentinel covered many important events in Wrangell’s formative years, including incorporating into the City of Wrangell, electric-powered homes, and the 1908 wreck of the Star of Bengal.
Wrangell Sentinel
(1909-present)
Read Online: AndOrNot.net
New Issues: wrangellsentinel.com
The Wrangell Sentinel has been a piece of the Alaska news landscape for over a century. As Wrangell has a unique place in Alaska history, so does the Wrangell Sentinel. It has offered original reporting on some of Alaska’s most famous events, like the 1908 wreck of the Star of Bengal, the 1923 arrest of Tillie-Paul-Tamaree, and the first-published Tlingit version of the bombardment of Wrangell story in 1940.
Today, The Wrangell Sentinel publishes a weekly edition in print and online at http://www.wrangellsentinel.com.
More to Explore
Bent Pins to Chains
Evangeline Atwood and Lew M. Williams author this interesting, detailed account of the history of Alaska’s newspapers.
Alaska’s Digital Newspapers Project
This organization is dedicated to “making Alaska's historical newspapers free to the public on behalf of the Alaska State Library, NEH, and Library of Congress.”
KSTK News
For decades, KSTK-FM 101.7FM has contributed original reporting and journalism on issues affecting Wrangell and the surrounding area.