Every local knows that Wrangell has a fascinating, complex history, but people outside the island may not be aware of the community's many stories. Now that a Wrangell history podcast has received national recognition, tales of the island's past are becoming accessible to a broader audience.
In mid-June, the American Association for State and Local History gave Ronan Rooney's "Wrangell History Unlocked" podcast an award of excellence for its five-part "Rise and Fall of the Star of Bengal" series. The podcast series details a 1908 shipwreck off Coronation Island in which 111 men - primarily Asian cannery workers - were drowned.
Though the wreck was "one of Alaska's worst disasters," Rooney wrote, no one was held responsible. His series explores the prejudices against the Chinese, Japanese and Filipino workers that likely influenced the tragedy, and tracks the way stories can be told, retold and twisted throughout time.
The award of excellence goes to leaders in the field of state and local history. This year, 51 people, projects and exhibits across the country received it.
When Rooney heard about his award, he was "thrilled," he said. "I'm just an independent, little historian and getting this kind of recognition is great because I knew it would bring a lot of attention to 'Star of Bengal.'"
The honor has helped Rooney grow his audience, both for the "Star of Bengal" series and the "Wrangell History Unlocked" podcast in general. In the past month, he's received more visits to his website than ever before and new listeners have been downloading his podcast episodes. "It's not a coincidence," he said. "I did not release anything new this month."
Katie Ringsmuth, state historian at the State Historic Preservation Office, nominated him for the award. When she first came across the "Star of Bengal" series, she was impressed by the "serious scholarship supporting his work," she said. Rooney "understood the ramifications and the historical significance of the stories he was telling."
As state historian, Ringsmuth oversees the national registry of historic places for Alaska. She was impressed by Rooney's ability to make history accessible and interesting to casual listeners, not just to professional academics. In his hands, 19th century newspaper clippings and journal entries took on new life, entertaining and educating audiences in Wrangell and beyond, rather than sitting behind paywalls in academic journals.
Though Ringsmuth appreciates state and national history, she stressed the importance of telling local, often underrepresented stories like the ones Rooney has focused on. "Think of all the history that's occurring in people's local hometowns," she said. "I think that local history is a lot more ... robust than we really think it is and I think Ronan's podcast really highlights (that.)"
The Star of Bengal story is also important, she added, because it emphasizes how ethnic and racial diversity have been part of Alaska culture for centuries.
"Oftentimes, the rest of the country has fairly preconceived ideas about Alaska," Ringsmuth said. "Stories like this, these events in our history, I think surprise people. Most people don't realize we have an extraordinarily multicultural society today, which is tied in part to the commercial fishing industry." Mexican, Chinese and African American workers made massive contributions to the state's economy and have shaped - and continue to shape - its future. These workers "are often completely ignored in history," she said.
In particular, the podcast series "(honors) the Asian American workforce that contributed to Alaska's economic history, social history and cultural history."
Now that his audience is growing, Rooney hopes to expand his efforts by collaborating with other historians and exploring new forms of media. He's considering incorporating video into his future efforts or reaching out to other researchers who've studied the history of Chinese cannery workers. Regardless of the new shapes his work may take, he remains interested in Wrangell's frontier past, particularly during the first decade after the United States purchased Alaska from Russia.
"I'd love for the 'Star of Bengal' to be part of a bigger network of historical storytelling," he said. "I managed to bring some new things to light, pick out some voices that had been silenced or not been heard. Now that we know this, I'm really curious to know, what's the reaction in our own community across people who study this topic? How does this impact what we know or what we say? How can we take this event and bring it to light for people?"
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