Dutch Harbor
City Information
Overview
Unalaska on
Unalaska Island and its sister town Dutch Harbor
on Amaknak Island, are at the confluence of the
North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, one of
the richest fisheries in the world. Dutch Harbor
is the only natural deep-water port in the
Aleutians. The two towns lie deep in Unalaska
Bay and are connected to each other by a
500-foot bridge.
Attractions in
Dutch Harbor
The Aleutian
World War II National Historic Site was
established in 1996 to honor the troops who
served, recognize the Aleuts who lost their
homes and share the history of an area critical
to the defense of the U.S. during World War II.
Besides the ruins of Fort Schwatka and numerous
bunkers and gun turrets, Unalaska also houses
the Aerology Building Visitor Center, located in
the original central weather monitoring station,
one of the most intact and architecturally
significant World War II building in the
Aleutian Islands.
The Church of
the Holy Ascension, built in 1825 and the oldest
Russian-built church still standing in the
country, dominates Unalaska. The church is the
repository of more than 700 Russian Orthodox
icons, books and paintings.
The Henry
Swanson Visitors Center, the former home of
Henry Swanson, a fox farmer and fisherman
invites visitors to browse through his
collection of books, maps and other tourist
information.
Attractions
around Dutch Harbor
Within Dutch
Harbor there is the Sitka Spruce Park, a
national historical landmark where six trees
planted by Russians in 1805 have somehow
survived. The otherwise treeless landscape makes
hiking easy.
As one of the
richest fisheries in the world, charter fishing
opportunities for salmon and halibut are
plentiful.
This area is a
great location for bird viewing enthusiasts and
for watching a wide variety of marine mammals.
The area is also famous for magnificent
wildflowers in summer.
History
Unalaska was the
first headquarters for the Russian-American
Company and a cornerstone in the lucrative
sea-otter fur trade in the 1700s. It was also an
important harbor for miners sailing to the
golden beaches of Nome. In 1939, the U.S.
built navy and army installations and at one
time the area supported 60,000 servicemen. In
1942, the Japanese opened their Aleutian Islands
campaign by bombing Dutch Harbor and occupying
Attu and Kiska Islands in the only foreign
invasion of U.S. soil during World War II.
Today, Dutch Harbor is one of the richest
fisheries in the world.
Other
Information
Population: 4,297
Location:
The city of Unalaska is on the northern end of
Unalaska Island, the second largest island in
the Aleutian Chain, and Dutch Harbor totally
encompasses Amaknak Island. A 500-foot bridge
connects the two islands. Unalaska is
approximately 800 air miles southwest of
Anchorage.
Access: Scheduled daily air service from
Anchorage. Ferry service is provided by the
Alaska Marine Highway System, once a month, from
April through October.
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