Bigfoot! Kushtaka! And an alien! For generations, The Strangest Story Ever Told has delighted—and frightened—audiences. Today, we get to the truth and shed new light on one of Alaska's most enduring myths.

learn more and read a transcript at https://www.wrangellhistoryunlocked.com/strangest-story

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When Bill Taylor was a young boy, he accompanied his father on board the steamship Hattie Gage, as it towed the Star of Bengal to sea. Thanks to advances in AI audio restoration, for the first time ever, you can now hear the story in his own words.

Learn more, and read a transcript, at http://wrangellhistoryunlocked.com/blog/taylors-version

The Army has its man, but the Courts have the final say. A gruesome death threatens to rekindle a bloody conflict between the Army the Tlingit. And Senator John Hipple Mitchell flexes his political muscle to shut down the Army's case against his henchman, John Carr.

Learn more and read a transcript at http://www.wrangellhistoryunlocked.com/strangecustoms

The Cassiar Gold Rush floods Fort Wrangel with miners, merchants, and people hoping to make it rich. Deputy Collector John Carr makes his stake on smuggling, extortion, and fraud. While he makes friends with the local merchants, he finds an enemy in a man called King Lear. As the gears of government turn, Army has surprises in store.

Learn more and read a transcript at http://www.wrangellhistoryunlocked.com/strangecustoms

It's a true story of crime in the Alaskan frontier. Our story kicks off with the many lives of John Carr, a career criminal on the run from justice. When he finds his calling in Portland's criminal underground, the doors of political power open for him — including one in far away Fort Wrangel, at the peak of the Cassiar Gold Rush.

Learn more and read a transcript at http://www.wrangellhistoryunlocked.com/strangecustoms

Strange Customs is a three-part series debuting Thursday, February 15, 2024 and each week after!

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James Kennedy was the Chief Engineer aboard the steamship Kayak the night the Star of Bengal was lost forever. Today, you'll hear the story in James Kennedy's own words. Thanks to his grandson, Bob Kennedy, we'll play a tape recording of him from 1947. And thanks to his great-great-grandson John Schenk, we'll hear his testimony read aloud from 1908. Taken together, it's one man's story of a harrowing, deadly night.

Transcript and more available at http://www.wrangellhistoryunlocked.com/star

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Election results help historians to track change over time. Today's episode covers votes for president from Wrangell 1960 - 2020. If you'd like to follow along with charts, visit us at http://wrangellhistoryunlocked.com/president