The Way We Were

BLACKOUTS, COLD, TOYS FOR ALL

Reprinted from the Dec. 24, 1970, Wrangell Sentinel

In 1898 a Christmas gift was promised to every child in Wrangell. Four years later, in 1902, Wrangell shivered in 5-degree weather. Thirty-nine years later in 1941 it was blackouts and war, but Christmas still came.

These excerpts from accounts of Christmases past are taken from issues of the Wrangell Sentinel.

Some of the stories, reprinted here as historic notes on holiday seasons gone by, follow:

Dec. 24, 1898: The St. Michael's Trading Co. carried a half page ad on the front page advertising Christmas gifts,...