The Wrangell Sentinel

Last updated
Wrangell Sentinel
Don Young on media trip AK - July 2020 02.jpg
Don Young being interviewed at The Wrangell Sentinel in 2020
TypeDaily newspaper
PublisherAnne and Rod Loesch
Founded1902
LanguageEnglish

The Wrangell Sentinel is a weekly newspaper founded in 1902 in Wrangell, Alaska. The newspaper remains in publication with only a few short periods of inactivity. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Alaska.

Contents

The paper covered potlach traditional celebrations. [1]

The paper went through a brief bankruptcy in 1995 before its former publisher, who was also the paper's largest creditor, took back control. [2] Former Sentinel employee Jamie Bryson launched the Petersburg Press in 1974 [2]

History

The paper began in 1902 with the first issue published November 2 as the Alaska Sentinel. [3] In 1903 it was listed in the Governor of Alaska's report to the Department of the Interior as one of the newspapers in Alaska [4] and again in 1904. [5] A 1906 congressional report from the U.S. Government Printing office reported the Sentinel was among 23 papers in Alaska in 14 towns. [6]

The paper's name was changed in 1909 when Richard Bushell was induced to takeover the paper. [7] Leonard P. Dawes took over the paper two years later. [7]

August 19, 1920, the editor of the Sentinel, J. W. Pritchett, received a copy of the New York Times sent by plane, the first piece of mail to arrive in Alaska by plane. [8]

Mrs. Pritchett took over running the paper in 1930 when her husband became ill. [7] She was the paper's editor and publisher for 8 years. [7]

Lew Williams Jr. and his wife Winnie Williams ran the paper for many years until 1965. [9] He also published other newspapers in Alaska and was also the mayor of Petersburg, Alaska. [10]

Charles Willis, a former president of Alaska Airlines, also ran the paper for some time. [3]

The current publishers are Anne and Ron Loesch.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast Alaska</span> Region of Alaska

Southeast Alaska, often abbreviated to Southeast or Southeastern, and sometimes called the Alaska(n) Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The majority of Southeast Alaska's area is part of the Tongass National Forest, the United States' largest national forest. In many places, the international border runs along the crest of the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains. The region is noted for its scenery and mild, rainy climate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Totem pole</span> Monumental carvings by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest

Totem poles are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually made from large trees, mostly western red cedar, by First Nations and Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast including northern Northwest Coast Haida, Tlingit, and Tsimshian communities in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, Kwakwaka'wakw and Nuu-chah-nulth communities in southern British Columbia, and the Coast Salish communities in Washington and British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petersburg, Alaska</span> CDP in Alaska, United States

Petersburg is a census-designated place (CDP) in and essentially the borough seat of Petersburg Borough, Alaska, United States. The population was 3,043 at the 2020 census, up from 2,948 in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrangell, Alaska</span> Consolidated city-borough in Alaska, United States

The City and Borough of Wrangell is a borough in Alaska, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 2,127, down from 2,369 in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferdinand von Wrangel</span> Baltic German explorer and Russian admiral

Baron Ferdinand Friedrich Georg Ludwig von Wrangel was a Baltic German explorer and officer in the Imperial Russian Navy, Honorable Member of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences, a founder of the Russian Geographic Society. He is best known as chief manager of the Russian-American Company, in fact governor of the Russian settlements in present-day Alaska.

<i>Milwaukee Journal Sentinel</i> Daily newspaper based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently owned by the Gannett Company.

<i>Anchorage Times</i> Newspaper in Anchorage, Alaska

The Anchorage Times was a daily newspaper published in Anchorage, Alaska, that became known for the pro-business political stance of longtime publisher and editor, Robert Atwood. Competition from the McClatchy-owned Anchorage Daily News forced it out of business in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KATH-LD</span> NBC affiliate in Juneau–Douglas, Alaska

KATH-LD, virtual channel 2, is a low-powered NBC-affiliated television station licensed to both Juneau and Douglas, Alaska, United States. The station is owned by Gray Television. KATH-LD's transmitter is located in downtown Juneau.

The Inter-Island Ferry Authority (IFA) is a ferry service in the U.S. state of Alaska with its headquarters in Hollis, Alaska on Prince of Wales Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Atwood</span>

Robert Bruce Atwood was an American journalist who served as the long-time editor and publisher of the Anchorage Times. He was also an early advocate of Alaska statehood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Peratrovich</span> Native-American civil rights activist

Elizabeth Peratrovich was an American civil rights activist, Grand President of the Alaska Native Sisterhood, and member of the Tlingit nation who worked for equality on behalf of Alaska Natives. In the 1940s, her advocacy was credited as being instrumental in the passing of Alaska's Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945, the first state or territorial anti-discrimination law enacted in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert W. Ward</span> American businessman and politician from Alaska

Robert Walter Ward was an American electrician, businessman, and government executive, and Republican politician from the U.S. state of Alaska. He was the third Secretary of State of Alaska from 1969 to 1970, and was the last person to serve under that title, as the title was changed to lieutenant governor by a constitutional amendment passed by voters on August 25, 1970, making him the first lieutenant governor of Alaska.

Robert Neil DeArmond was an American historian who specialized in the history of Alaska, especially the Alaska Panhandle. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, DeArmond wrote several historical columns for southeast Alaska publications; these included Days of Yore, Gastineau Bygones, and News of the Gold Camp. He lived in Sitka, Alaska, and continued to write until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byron Mallott</span> American politician (1943–2020)

Byron Ivar Mallott was an American politician, elder, tribal activist and business executive from the state of Alaska. Mallott was an Alaska Native leader of Tlingit heritage and the leader of the Kwaash Ké Kwaan clan. He was the 12th lieutenant governor of Alaska from December 2014 until his resignation on October 16, 2018. He also previously served as the mayor of Yakutat, the mayor of Juneau, the president of the Alaska Federation of Natives and the executive director of the Alaska Permanent Fund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Persily</span>

Larry Persily is a newspaper publisher and former Federal Coordinator of the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects 2010–2015. The office was charged with coordinating federal agency responses to private-sector efforts to develop a natural gas pipeline from Alaska's North Slope to supply the North American market. The Federal Coordinator is nominated with advice and consent of the Senate by the President of the United States. He was nominated by Barack Obama on December 9, 2009, and was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 10, 2010. The office closed down in 2015 as the private companies turned their attention to a gas export project instead.

Alaskan of the Year awards are an Alaska tradition dating from 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evangeline Atwood</span> American historian, activist, and philanthropist

Evangeline Atwood (1906–1987) was an American historian, activist, and philanthropist. She was the co-founder of numerous organizations in Alaska, including the Alaska Statehood Association, the Anchorage League of Voters, the Alaska World Affairs Council, Parent-Teacher Council of Anchorage, and the Cook Inlet Historical Society. In 2009, she was named to the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame. Her husband was Robert Atwood and was the co-owner, alongside him, of the Anchorage Times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice E. Brown</span> Native American activist and tribal leader (1912-1973)

Alice E. Brown was a member of the Kenaitze Tribe of Dena'ina peoples, who worked for Native Alaskan rights. She was involved in defending the rights of Alaska Natives and disenfranchised groups in Alaska. She was the only woman to serve on the original Alaska Federation of Natives' Board of Directors and pressed for passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Brown was posthumously inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2010.

References

  1. Ostrowitz, Judith (21 November 1999). Privileging the Past: Reconstructing History in Northwest Coast Art. University of Washington Press. ISBN   9780774807531 via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 Atwood, Evangeline; Williams, Lew Jr. (13 June 2006). Bent Pins to Chains: Alaska and Its Newspapers. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN   9781469120867 via Google Books.
  3. 1 2 Sentinel, Wrangell. "About Wrangell Sentinel". www.wrangellsentinel.com.
  4. Governor, Alaska (22 November 2018). "Report of the Governor of Alaska to the Secretary of the Interior" via Google Books.
  5. Governor, Alaska (22 November 2018). "Annual Report of the Governor of Alaska to the Secretary of the Interior". U.S. Government Printing Office via Google Books.
  6. Congress, United States (22 November 2018). "Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress". U.S. Government Printing Office via Google Books.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Atwood, Evangeline; Williams, Lew Jr. (13 June 2006). Bent Pins to Chains: Alaska and Its Newspapers. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN   9781469120867 via Google Books.
  8. "The Pathfinder". Pioneers of Alaska. 22 November 2018 via Google Books.
  9. "Juneau Public Libraries--Juneau, Alaska". www.juneau.org.
  10. "Members — Creating Alaska". alaska.edu. 28 April 2015.