Where Did The Park Get It's Name?
The park is named after the Wrangell and St. Elias Mountain ranges. These mountains form the rugged backbone of the park.
The Wrangell Mountains were named after Baron Ferdinand Petrovich von Wrangel (1796-1870), who was a Russian Naval officer, arctic explorer, and government administrator. He was a governor of the Russian colonies in Alaska (1829-35), director of the Russian American company (1840-49), and Minister of the Navy (1855-57). He was highly critical of the sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867. Several islands are named for him.