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About Fort Wrangel news. [volume] (Fort Wrangel, Alaska) 1898-1898
Fort Wrangel, Alaska (1898-1898)

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Title:
Fort Wrangel news. [volume] : (Fort Wrangel, Alaska) 1898-1898
Alternative Titles:
  • Fort Wrangell news
  • Wrangel news
Place of publication:
Fort Wrangel, Alaska
Geographic coverage:
  • Fort Wrangel, Alaska  |  View more titles from this: City State
  • Wrangell, Alaska  |  View more titles from this: City State
Publisher:
A.G. McBride
Dates of publication:
1898-1898
Description:
  • Vol. 1, no. 1 (June 8, 1898)-v. 1, no. 21 (Oct. 26, 1898).
Frequency:
Weekly
Language:
  • English
Subjects:
  • Alaska--Wrangell.--fast--(OCoLC)fst01203254
  • Wrangell (Alaska)--Newspapers.
LCCN:
sn 93049269
OCLC:
29376033
Succeeding Titles:
Holdings:
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Fort Wrangel news. [volume] June 8, 1898 , Image 1

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The Fort Wrangel News

The Fort Wrangel News was started on June 8, 1898, by Angus G. McBride, who had previously been associate editor for the Stikeen River journal. McBride was joined by Fred L. Henshaw formerly of the Seattle Review. Both served as editors and publishers for the Fort Wrangel News, and Charles A. Hopp, McBride's brother-in-law, was the business manager.

The first issue of the eight-page weekly was brimming with confidence in the future of Wrangell, predicting that it would become "the metropolis of the district." However, the optimism about Wrangel was not universal at the time. A reprinted article from The Skaguay News in the June 29 issue wished them well but noted "we cannot help but feel that they have cast their lot in a town that is doomed to an early demise." McBride and Hopp's families moved out to Wrangell in July, but Henshaw's family stayed in Seattle and the August 3, 1898, issue announced that he had returned to Seattle to be with them Hopp purchased Henshaw's share and took over as a second editor and publisher.

The Fort Wrangel News announced in its salutatory issue that it would focus on Alaska news and avoid taking positions on national politics. However, while it did report on local news heavily, much of the paper's news coverage focused on the Spanish-American War. The Fort Wrangel News published numerous articles about the war and also previewed the new colonial possessions the U.S. would attain from the conflict, writing about their history, demographics, strategic significance, and even architecture. Other content in the paper included serial fiction installments and territory-wide news.

Despite their early optimism, McBride and Hopp ended up deciding to move their newspaper to Douglas Island, a decision that Evangeline Atwood and Lew Williams, Jr., in Bent Pins to Chains: Alaska and its Newspapers (2006), chalked up to the paper's unprofitability in Wrangell. By November 23, 1898, they had transferred themselves and their press to Douglas Island for the launching of their new paper, the Douglas Island News.

Provided by: Alaska State Library Historical Collections