The Wrangell Institute was Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) boarding school in Wrangell, Alaska. It operated from 1932 until closing in 1975. It began as a high school, and in 1947 it converted to an elementary school.
This website contains links to areas of interest for researchers. All sources are free to view online. If you have any resources related to the Wrangell Institute that you’d like to share, please get in touch!
Federal Indian Boarding Schools in Alaska by Year of Operation
I constructed this chart based off a list of boarding schools identified by the BIA as being operated or funded by the U.S. government. I used the Years of Operation as described in the BIA report, but it’s possible that some years might need adjustment. Help to improve this chart by sharing what you know.
Enrollment
This chart of the Annual Enrollment of the Wrangell Institute is a work-in-progress. I relied upon multiple sources to put it together, and I still came up short. 1951 and 1952 are missing. I’m sure they’re out there. Get in touch if you have those years!
Administrators
Head Administrators (Work in Progress). These images show the head administrator of the Wrangell Institute over the years. Some of these people held the job only temporarily in an “acting” capacity. This record and photos were assembled using publicly available newspapers and government reports. There is some discrepancy in the past between identifying this person as the Director, Principal, or Superintendent. As the school’s population grew larger, the school added additional administrators.
The Buildings
The Wrangell Institute was designed by architect N. Lester Troast, a former teacher at Sheldon Jackson College boarding school. He designed the buildings in a style popular in the 1930s, called Colonial Revival Architecture. The buildings featured symmetry, rows of equally spaced windows, entrances in the center, and few embellishments. Other buildings served as homes for teachers, staff, and facilities. (According to records in the U.S. National Archives, these photos were taken in 1938 and 1949.)
Video of Episcopal Bishop Peter Trimble Rowe meeting with students at the Wrangell Institute, early 1930s. Begins at the 1:29 mark.
Color reel video depicting Wrangell, Alaska. Wrangell Institute is shown around the 1:39 mark.
Publications
If there’s no link to an issue, that means it is not available online. Get in touch if you’ve got a copy!
Yearbooks
Wrangell Eagle
55: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | OCT | NOV | DEC
56: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | OCT | NOV | DEC
57: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | OCT | NOV | DEC
58: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | OCT | NOV | DEC
59: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | OCT | NOV | DEC
60: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | SEP | NOV | DEC
61: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | OCT | NOV | DEC
62: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | OCT | NOV | DEC
63: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | OCT | NOV | DEC
64: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | OCT | NOV | DEC
65: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | OCT | NOV | DEC
66: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | OCT | NOV | DEC
67: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | OCT | NOV | DEC
68: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | OCT | NOV | DEC
View the December 1962 Christmas Card and the Tundra Times editorial.
Many students of the Wrangell Institute also attended Mt. Edgecumbe High School, established in 1947. To see Mt. Edgecumbe’s historic yearbooks, search “Taheta” on the National Archives catalog.
Former Students Speak
Dr. Gil Truitt describes his youth in southeast Alaska, including his formative years at the Wrangell Institute. (1:01:00 mark, 1:24:00 mark, 1:38:00 mark)
Carol Feller Brady discusses her life, including her time at the Wrangell Institute. Her autobiography, Through the Storm Toward the Sun, is free to read online.
Jacob Anaġi Adams, Sr. briefly describes attending the Wrangell Institute. (7:55 mark)
Nathan Jackson describes time at the Wrangell Institute, including crafting Native art. (5:30 mark and 20:20 mark)
Sarah describes the impact of Wrangell Institute on her ability to speak her own language. See related video.
Luke Titus, of Minto, discusses the effects of boarding schools on his life (6:30 mark). Luke Titus’s story was adapted for an episode of the PBS Kids series, Molly of Denali, in an episode entitled “Grandpa’s Drum.”
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland gives update on Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, featuring Jim LaBelle
Sharing Our Knowledge 2022 Panel: Boarding Schools - Jim LaBelle, Teresa Sheldon, Bob Sam, Sophie Jenkins
Wrangell Institute: Legacy of Shame (2003)
KTUU’s three-part series Wrangell Institute: Legacy of Shame, originally broadcast in 2003, is now available to view online ( Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3). This series won the National Journalism Award from the Scripps Howard Foundation.
Etok: A Story of Eskimo Power
The book Etok: A Story of Eskimo Power by H.G. Gallagher is free to read online with an archive.org account. Pages 63 - 84 describe Etok’s experience as a student at the Wrangell Institute.
1942 Unangax̂ (Aleut) Evacuation
Broken Seals - A Documentary Directed by Rimone Brandom
Oral History With Unangax̂ (Aleut) Internment Survivor Larry Chercasen
1950 U.S. Census
In 1950, the U.S. Census identified 208 students attending the Wrangell Institute. I’ve included the census forms which show the students’ names, age, sex, race, and education level. In order to better understand this data set, I’ve included some charts, as well.
Reports
1972: Education in Alaska, by the Bureau of Indian Affairs
2001: A History of Schooling for Alaska Native People, by Carol Barnhardt
2008: Alaska Native Education, 1953-1973, A Professional Memoir, by Tom (Thomas) R. Hopkins
2017: Truth and Reconciliation Commissions: A Needed Force in Alaska? by Heather Parker
2008: “It was bad or it was good:” Alaska Natives in Past Boarding Schools
2022: Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report
Photo of the Wrangell Institute superimposed over a current photo of Zimovia Highway. (Background image by Killian Booker)