Tlingit people and their ancestors have
inhabited this island for thousands of years. According to Naanyaa.aayí clan
traditions, Tlingit people migrated down the Stikine River during a time when
the river still flowed underneath glaciers. The numerous petroglyphs found at
Petroglyph Beach just north of Wrangell, as well as those scattered on the
beaches of the many islands in the vicinity, attest to the long Tlingit
occupation.
The salt water inlet that is now Wrangell
Harbor was traditionally called literally "Ḵaachx̱án’s little lake"
