Final Project

Wrangell, Alaska

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Eakwrapet/photos.htm

Timeline:

This picture was taken in 1914 on the Great Glacier 

on the Stikine River.  Imagine how big that glacier

 was thousands of years ago! 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:On_the_Great_Glacier,_Stikine

_River,_near_Wrangell,_Alaska,_June_21,_1914._-_NARA_-_297798.jpg 

Thousands of Years Ago: Tlingit people moved down the Stikine River to Wrangell Island.  “Tlingit migration lore tells of their people’s travel west looking for a new homeland. They encountered a glacier that was too great to cross. A meltwater tunnel was visible at its base and several young men volunteered to attempt a passage through the crevasse. At the last moment, a couple of elders took the trip upon themselves fearing loss of the youth to the future of the group. These elders passed safety through the glacier and found the rich land of Southeast Alaska, Lingít Aaní. The remaining people followed their elders into their new land and became the first Tlingits” (Sorum). 

 Ferdinand Von Wrangell

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Petrovich_Wrangel 

1834: Ferdinand Von Wrangell, the manager of the Russian-American Company, established a stockade, called Redoubt Saint Dionysius, in Wrangell to protect the fur trade from Hudson’s Bay Company (Sorum).  

1839: The British Hudson’s Bay Company leased land and founded Fort Stikine to replace Redoubt St. Dionysius.  Fort Stikine remained under British rule until Alaska was purchased by the United States (Sorum).  

1867: The United States bought Alaska from Russia giving Wrangell the unique status as the only Alaskan city to have been governed under four nations: Tlingit, Russian, British, American (Alaska Airlines). 

Route from Wrangell, AK to Cassiar, BC

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0403/feature5/map.html 

1877: The Cassiar Gold Rush occurred after a prospector found a 72 ounce gold nugget; it was the largest nugget ever recorded in British Columbia.  The Stikine served as an important transportation route for prospectors and Wrangell was one of the first jumping off points for the route to Cassiar (Heritage BC).

1889: The first sawmill in Alaska was located in Wrangell (Wrangell). 

http://www.echo-media.com/mediaDetail.php?ID=15226 

1902: A weekly newspaper, The Wrangell Sentinel, printed its first issue November 2, 1902.  It is the oldest continuous publication in Alaska (American Local History Network). 

1932: The Wrangell Institute was built by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and used as a boarding school for Native children until the 1970s (Alaska). 

Wrangell Lumber Mill Site

http://capitalcityweekly.com/stories/102611/new_905319626.shtml 

Current Economic Issues: Wrangell’s economy took a hit when the timber mill closed in the mid 1990‘s.  Many people left the community to find new jobs.  Even today the community still faces the challenge of reusing the large industrial site.  Carol Rushmore, City and Borough of Wrangell, Economic Development Director, stated that the mill site is privately owned but the community is interested in working with landowner to sell or develop the property to create jobs.  Other issues currently confronting the community of Wrangell include finding a way to increase the tourism industry without having an impact on residential quality of life, utilization of the 134 acres of great real estate which was once the Wrangell Institute, maintaining transportation to and from the island, and obtaining the necessary services and infrastructure for the aging population.  

Cause-Effect Statements:
1) Located at the mouth of the Stikine River, Wrangell, Alaska has been called home to people of all ranges, from fur traders to fishermen, for centuries. 

Two items linked: Settlement and Economy

2) The Stikine served as an important transportation route for building material being shipped to Watson Lake during World War II (Sorum).  At the same time Aleut people where relocated and place in the Wrangell Institute while the Aleutian Islands were under attack (Alaska). 
Two+ items linked: Transportation, Cultural History, Education, and WWII

3) In 1889, the first sawmill in Alaska was located in Wrangell (SEAtrails).  The sawmill was Wrangell’s largest employer until it closed in 1994.  Many people left the community to find new jobs. While the economy of Wrangell has balanced itself out again and the population has slowly risen, the community still faces the challenge of reusing the large industrial site that once was the sawmill.  
Two items linked: Economy and Contemporary Issues