Wrangell Garnet Sellers

Leslie Tuesday, June 10, 2008

A small cruise ship pulled into Wrangell this morning. The ship holds 203 passengers (a fact told to us by every child who was waiting to sell garnets). As I mentioned a few days ago, because of the narrow access to Wrangell Island, large cruise ships can’t come to Wrangell.

We went down to meet the cruise ship because we had been told that the children of Wrangell would meet the cruise ship to sell their garnets. Children selling garnets? This is an interesting story. There is a rock ledge of industrial-grade garnets near Wrangell. Apparently in 1906 an all-women mining company was formed. The women worked the mine for about 10 years and in the 1920s leased the mine to various British companies. From the 1930s to 1962 the mine was dormant and the area was an informal picnic site. In 1962 the mine was deeded to the Boy Scouts. The deed stipulates that the Boy Scouts can use the ledge for scouting purposes but that the children of Wrangell must be permitted to take garnets without charge. The children sell the garnets to visiting tourists. Many of the current children are carrying on a tradition that their parents enjoyed.

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We then walked the main street of Wrangell. Notice the smoker attached to a building. Smoking fish is a very common method of preservation.

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There is an old fashioned service station on the main street. It may be the only place to purchase fuel on the island. Check out these prices! Yes that is $5.499/gallon for diesel.

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We’re hopeful that we won’t need to purchase fuel until we’re back on the road system at the end of the month.