Wrangell City Information
Overview
Wrangell is the only city in Alaska to be ruled
by four nations and under three flags: the
Tlingit, Russia, England, and the United States.
It provides a wealth of information regarding
native history and culture of the region and is
a magnificent place to view Alaskan wildlife.
Attractions in
Wrangell
Anan Bear & Wildlife Observatory: Anan Creek, an
ancient Tlingit native fishing site, is
accessible only by boat or plane. Anan Creek has
the largest pink salmon run in Southeast Alaska
and attracts large numbers of black and brown
bears. The U.S. Forest Service has developed an
Observatory which provides an opportunity to
watch the bears up close. The observation
platform overlooks cascading waterfalls where
bears catch the salmon fighting their way up the
river. A half-mile trail leads to the
observation deck and trained staff at the
trailhead provide safety information.
Petroglyph Beach State Historic Park:
Some of the best surviving examples of native artistic
expression are petroglyphs found in southeast
Alaska. Petroglyph is a word derived from the
Greek "petra" and "glyphe" for rock and
carving. Petroglyphs are designs or symbols
pecked into rocks. Petroglyph Beach is easily
accessible from town (approximately 1 mile from
the ferry terminal) and allows direct access to
this unique cultural collection.
Muskeg Meadows Golf Course: Surrounded by
rainforest and snow-capped mountains, Wrangell’s
Golf Course offers the opportunity to play golf
surrounded by amazing natural beauty, splendid
wildlife-viewing opportunities thrown in for
free! The regulation course is a 9-hole course,
with a 250 yard driving range. There are four
major tournaments during the season, with
smaller tournaments and contests almost every
weekend during the summer. The Course is USGA
rated and sloped as follows:
-
Blue 70.2/119
-
White 67.8/110
-
Red 68.4/112
The Stikine River: Wrangell is the Gateway
to the Stikine River, or Stik-Heen, which means
'Great River' in Tlingit. Traveling 400 miles
from headwaters in British Columbia to its mouth
near Wrangell, it continues to carve its channel
through glacial valleys and delta flats.
The river is truly a photographer's dream. The
delta is a haven for over 120 species of
migrating birds in the spring and fall,
including tundra (whistling) swans, Canadian
geese, sandhill cranes, mergansers, waterfowl
and over 150,000 shorebirds. In April, the
second largest concentration of eagles in the
world occurs when as many as 1,600 arrive to
feast on the annual hooligan run. There are
other wildlife such as sealions, otter, bear and
moose. The river can be explored by jet boat,
canoe, kayak, raft or by air.
Garnet Ledge: The famous Garnet Ledge is
located at the mouth of the Stikine River.
Garnet Sellers from Wrangell are well-known
world wide. Orders come in from all over the
world to fulfill special requests seeking local
garnets. The ledge, which lies within a
metamorphic layer of rock along the western
flank of the Coast mountains, has been mined by
amateurs and professionals for over a century.
Wrangell Garnets are found in major gem
collections around the globe.
History
The Tlingit, Haida and Tshimshian have a long
history of inhabiting this area. The first
outside influence were the Russians. In 1833,
the Russians established a Fort in order to in
order to preserve their interests in the region,
which were based mainly on the trade in the fur
of sea otters. Aleuts, Eskimos and Interior
Athabaskans were brought to Southeast as sea
otter hunters for the Russian companies.
On May 30, 1840, the Russians transferred their
men to Sitka and the British flag was raised.
The fort was renamed Fort Stikine. It stayed in
British hands until 1867.
In 1867, Alaska was purchased from Russia under
William H. Seward, the Secretary of Interior.
The purchase was names “Sewards Follly” as it
was widely believed that Alaska was nothing but
ice, snow and glaciers.
Soon after the purchase of Alaska, the fishing
industry got its start with the construction of
several canneries.
Missionaries came during the early 1870's
establishing the first Presbyterian and Catholic
churches and schools. Noted naturalist John Muir
spent quite a lot of time in Wrangell in the
1880's, staging many of his explorations of
southeast Alaska out of Wrangell.
On August 14, 1920, the first airplanes ever to
come to Wrangell landed on Sergief Island at the
mouth of the Stikine River. The four World War I
DeHavilland bi-planes were on a round-trip
flight from New York to Nome.
Wrangell has survived two fires which destroyed
the downtown areas, has survived the boom and
bust cycles of the gold rushes, the fishing
industry and timber history.
Other
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