PHOTOS: Mysterious 30-Year-Old Letter Found in New York

A letter written by a 6 year-old New Yorker in 1993 was recently uncovered in a Hudson Valley attic, and its message could be just as powerful today as it was three decades ago.

1993 was an interesting year. Pablo Escobar was arrested, President Bill Clinton was inaugurated, and the Buffalo Bills lost their third consecutive Super Bowl. According to the recently uncovered letter, there was also a big to-do about a specific type of hunting.

New York Kindergartner's Letter from 1993 Found in 2025

The letter (below) is endearing in several ways. First, the kindergarten handwriting is classic, complete with backwards numbers and adorably sprawling sentences. It also contains a very serious message about the hunting of wolves.

Letter Against Wolf Hunting in the United States

"Dear Governor", the letter begins. "I hope you really really change the law about the fur hunters killing the wolves. You already have jackets to keep you warm". While the message is sweet, is also raises an obvious question: were New Yorkers hunting wolves in the 1990s?

Wolf Hunting in New York State

The quick answer is no. Wolves were hunted to extinction in nearly every area of the country in the early 1900s, and research into environmental laws in 1993 shows nothing related to New York wolves. So what could the letter be referencing?

Aerial Wolf Hunting in Alaska

The answer could be that the letter was meant for the governor of Alaska, not New York. In 1993, there were plans for aerial wolf hunting in the state, which would have targeted upwards of 400 wolves. The letter, it seems, was part of a very important campaign.

Letter-Writing Campaign to End Aerial Wolf Hunting

According to the Los Angeles Times, "the sudden turnabout announced by Alaska Gov. Walter J. Hickel could be attributed to the grass-roots fury of thousands of Americans who reacted to the wolf-kill plan with an angry tide of letters, demonstrations and boycott threats".

While the "Great Alaska Wolf Kill" was cancelled, wolves are still harvested in the state. With populations in Alaska estimated to be between 7,000 and 11,000, it is legal to both hunt and trap wolves for their fur. Laws against aerial hunting have been established, but many wolf advocates say it still continues. Could it be time for more letters?