BLog
Beaver Totem Pole
The Beaver Totem Pole was once the tallest structure atop Shustack Point before being moved around the harbor, where an additional front piece was attached. It is now in the Alaska State Museum.
Kadashan Totem Poles
The house of Kadashan was an impressive two-story Victorian home owned by Kadashan, head of the Kaaskagweidi. What made his house iconic were the two, towering totems in front bearing his name.
Wolf Grave Totem
The Wolf Grave Totem is a detailed carving that formerly appeared along the Ḵaachx̱ana.áakʼw waterfront until being moved next to the Kadashan totems. It is featured in historic photographs from the 1880s through the 1920s.
Reader Mail: The Fort Wrangel Opera House
During the Klondike Gold Rush, the Fort Wrangel Opera House provided a place for performances, parties, and social clubs to gather.
Flag First: The Life of Edward Ludecke Under the American Flag
Edward Ludecke was an American soldier when the U.S. Army raised the Stars and Stripes over Sitka in 1867. It was an event that changed Alaska and defined his life. This is his story.
Beauty Is All Around: Theodore Richardson’s Paintings of Wrangell
Before there was Bob Ross, Theodore Richardson made his name as a prolific painter of Alaskan landscapes. Over decades, he made trips to Wrangell where he captured these scenes of extraordinary beauty.
Thanks for 5 Years of Wrangell History
Five years ago this month, I released my first podcast episode and officially began this journey as an amateur historian. Here’s what it means to me.
Presidential Passage: Warren G. Harding in Wrangell
President Warren G. Harding’s 1923 “Voyage of Understanding” is the only time a sitting U.S. president has ever visited Wrangell. Though he died a month later, his arrival was a defining moment in what Wrangell means to America.
The Eyes of Skak-Ish-Tin
Skak-Ish-Tin lived to be well over 100 years old. Although much of her life remains a mystery, the stories and images that survive offer glimpses into who she was.
Time Capsule: A.C. Pillsbury’s 1898 Photos of Wrangell
Arthur Clarence Pillsbury was a revolutionary inventor and photographer who captured Wrangell's homes, people, and totems during the Klondike Gold Rush.
War Clouds: Liquor, the Gatling Gun, and the Death of Shegan
As the population of gold miners in Fort Wrangel swelled into the thousands, the death of a Tlingit headman in U.S. Army custody threatened to spark a war that would upend it all.
High Hopes: Wrangell’s Wrecked Ship That Became a Home
When the steamer Hope was abandoned in Fort Wrangel during the Cassiar Gold Rush in 1875, it became part of the formation of the Wrangell waterfront.

