Voyage: Dutch Harbor, Unalaska

  Dutch Harbor, Alaska
Sunday, July 27, 2008

"Unalaska and Dutch Harbor are often thought of as two separate communities, and although they are on two separate islands, Dutch Harbor (on Amaknak Island) is within the city limits of Unalaska. Amaknak Island and Unalaska Island are connected by a bridge. Like Kodiak, Unalaska, although small and remote, is a culturally diverse community due to the commercial fishing industry and fish processing activities. The latest estimates suggest the population of this island community is 7% Aleut, 19% Asian/Pacific Islander; 13% Hispanic, and 61% Caucasian.

Unalaska's Port of Dutch Harbor harvests phenomenal amounts of seafood from the Bering Sea and distributes it throughout the world. The Port of Dutch Harbor is located on Amaknak Island and is connected to Unalaska by a bridge. Dutch Harbor is home to the Museum of the Aleutians, the historic Russian Orthodox Church and the World War II Memorial Park, all of which you will visit.

Dutch Harbor provides a natural protection for fishing vessels. The harbor has been ranked the #1 port in the nation for seafood volume and value for the past 11 years. While thriving as an important port for commercial fishing, fish processing, and related services, subsistence activities remain vital to the community.

It is estimated that as many as 24 separate villages inhabited these islands in the mid 1700's. Many residents were relocated to the Pribilof Islands by the Russian fur traders in 1787. In 1825, a Russian Orthodox priest, Ivan Veniaminov (later, Saint Innocent), constructed the Church of the Holy Ascension of Christ, and began a life's work that is still evident today. The Church is the oldest Russian Orthodox cruciform-style church in North America, and the prevalence of Russian Orthodox in rural Alaska, and particularly among Native Alaskans, is largely attributed to Veniaminov, who worked with the Aleuts to develop a written language and then translated the liturgy. Native Alaskan myths, legends, and celebrations parallel much of the scripture and feasts of the Russian Orthodox church.

Residents of Unalaska were forced to relocate to camps in Southeast Alaska after the island was bombed by the Japanese in 1942. Upon their return in 1945, residents found many homes and buildings destroyed or ransacked. It is considered nothing short of a miracle that the church and its precious historic icons were preserved. The community rebuilt itself, and today serves as a regional hub for transportation, fisheries, and international trade"


The quoted description together with the photographs above and referenced in the description encompass most of what we did during our day in Dutch Harbor. The description of the doctor's activities as depicted in the exhibit at the Visitor Center, and the Eskimo depictions and crafts at the Dutch Harbor Museum were additional highlights of our visit.


We thoroughly enjoyed our day there; enjoy the photos.