Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve in Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
Traversing the Wilderness
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 13, 2024
1. Traversing the Wilderness Marker
The first people of interior Alaska arrived hundreds of generations ago They moved slowly across the low-lying land known as Beringia, or the Bering Land Bridge.
Jean S. Agner, Professor of Anthropology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
On this day we signed land This land consisted of huge, high snow-covered mountains.
Russian Officer Sven Waxell, under Captain-commander Vitus Bering, on their sighting of Alaska, July 16, 1741
On this pass, with both white and yellow buttercups around me and snow within a few feet, I sat proud of the grand sight which no visitor save an Ahtna or Tanana had ever seen.
U.S. Army Lieutenant Henry T. Allen, 1885 Expedition
Indians use cumbersome rafts for navigating the rivers, which they construct very ingeniously....
Alfred Brooks, 1899
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical date for this entry is July 16, 1741.
Location. 62° 1.248′ N, 145° 21.854′ W. Marker is in Wrangell-St. Elias
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Alaska’s Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) Region, specifically in the Athabascan Region, in the Prince William Sound, and in Southcentral Alaska. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Opening Up the Country (here, next to this marker); Can't Run & Never Will! (here, next to this marker); Intrepid Travelers (here, next to this marker); Ciisi nekeghalts΄et (within shouting distance of this marker); Violent Silhouettes (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line).
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 13, 2024
2. Traversing the Wilderness Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 150 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 27, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 2. submitted on August 28, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
