1869 Bombardment to be studied

A largely forgotten piece of Wrangell history may soon come to light, with the awarding of a Sealaska Heritage Institute grant to research the 1869 Bombardment of Wrangell.

SHI received a one-year National Park Service Battlefield Preservation grant to document the 1869 bombardment through oral history work with elders. The work will be done in partnership with the Wrangell Cooperative Association.

“This is the first ever Battlefield Preservation Grant awarded to an organization in Alaska to study a U.S. military conflict with a Native American tribe,” said WCA’s Tis Peterman.

The 150-year-old...