Wrangell Island

Not to be confused with Wrangel Island.

Wrangell Island

Wrangell Island, Alaska
Wrangell Island
Geography
Location	Alaska Panhandle
Coordinates	56°17′51″N 132°10′30″W
Archipelago	Alexander Archipelago
Area	210.05 sq mi (544.0 km^2)
Length	28.5 mi (45.9 km)
Width	3.75–14.2 mi (6.04–22.85 km)
Administration
United States
State	Alaska
Borough	Wrangell
Largest settlement	Wrangell
Demographics
Population	2,009 (2020 census)

Wrangell Island (Russian: Остров Врангеля) is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in the Alaska Panhandle of southeastern Alaska. It is 28.5 miles (45.9 kilometres) long and 3.75 to 14.2 miles (6.04–22.85 kilometres) wide. It has a land area of 210.05 square miles (544.03 square kilometres), making it the 29th largest island in the United States. Wrangell is separated from the mainland by the narrow Blake Channel.

History

The first European to sight the island was James Johnstone, one of George Vancouver’s officers during his 1791-1795 expedition, in 1793. He only charted its east coast, not realizing it was an island.^[1]

The island was occupied in 1834 by the Russians.

It is named after Ferdinand von Wrangel, a Baltic German explorer in Russian naval service, and a Russian government official. He was appointed chief manager of the Russian-American Company in 1829, effectively the first married governor of its settlements in North America (present day Alaska).^[2] Wrangel cultivated potatoes on the island, started mines, laid out roads, built bridges and government buildings and recorded geographical and ethnographical observations in a report to the navy, in his years as governor, 1829 to 1835.

After the U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia, from 1867 to 1877, it was a U.S. military post. Later, it became an outfitting point for hunters and explorers, and for miners using the Stikine River route to the Yukon.

The island contains the city of Wrangell, Alaska. Wrangell Island is heavily forested and contains an abundance of wildlife. The only other community is Thoms Place on the southwest side, across the Zimovia Strait from Etolin Island.

Fishing and mining are pursued in the area. A lumber mill closed in the 1990s. The island and surrounding areas contain many recreational areas. It is at the mouth of the Stikine River, which provides many recreational opportunities.

Population

Wrangell Island's total population was 2,127 at the 2020 census, reported as Wrangell City and Borough.

References

1. Vancouver, George; Vancouver, John (1801). A voyage of discovery to the North Pacific ocean, and round the world. Vol. III. London: J. Stockdale.
2. O'Grady, Alix (2001). Pierce, Richard A. (ed.). From the Baltic to Russian America 1829–1836: The Journey of Elisabeth Von Wrangell. Alaska History no. 51. Kingston, Ontario & Fairbanks, Alaska: The Limestone Press. pp. 21–25. ISBN 978-1895901276.

External links

• Blue Book of Boats Cruising Destinations- Wrangell, Alaska

• "County summary: Wrangell City and Borough", US Bureau of the Census, 2022, retrieved June 18, 2024