About Stikeen River journal. (Fort Wrangel, Alaska) 1898-1899
Fort Wrangel, Alaska (1898-1899)

The Stikeen River journal

The first issue of the Stikeen River journal was printed on January 1, 1898. Theodore R. Needham was the editor and Angus G. McBride, a practicing attorney from Seattle, was the associate editor. Needham purchased the plant for the Journal during a December trip to Seattle and left for Wrangell in time to get the plant set up and put out the first issue on New Year's Day. The newspaper was a four-page weekly that was well patronized by advertisers and focused on news and development of Alaska and included a directory of Alaskan officials on the front page. The May 14 Special Edition was edited by B.A. Stephens and celebrated the opening of the Stikeen River route for navigation and highlighted Wrangell's potential.

McBride left after a few months and Needham sold his share of the newspaper in late July and left for Ketchikan to go prospecting. The newspaper was taken over by the business manager, J. R. McKeand, a former gold stampeder, and Henry M. Stowe. Stowe left on a trip to develop some mining claims over the summer, as the local economy went through a depression, and his name was dropped from the publisher’s block in October. Stockholders of the newly formed Journal Publishing Company hired T. G. “Tug” Wilson to be business manager in fall 1898 as McKeand recovered from an illness. Wilson left after three months, once McKeand was recovered. McKeand continued to run the paper up to September 1899. By October 1899, W. J. Sully had taken over as editor and manager of the paper. Sully lamented in an editorial that so many prospectors and miners passed through Wrangell but none ever stayed and tried to mine around the area. Publication was permanently suspended by late 1899.

Provided by: Alaska State Library Historical Collections