The Wrangell Sentinel, Alaska's oldest continuously published newspaper, was started in November 1902 as the Alaska Sentinel. A dozen owners over the past 100 years have seen the paper through the Depression, the Klondike Gold Rush, two fires, and the downturn in the timber industry.
Past publishers include Former President of Alaska Airlines Charles Willis; Lew Williams Sr. and his wife Winifred; former Ketchikan Daily News, Sitka Sentinel and Petersburg Press Publishers Dorothy and Lew Williams, Jr.; and Larry Persily and Leslie Murray. Larry returned as publisher on Jan. 1, 2021, taking over from Pilot Publishing Inc. in Petersburg, Anne and Ron Loesch.