Dutch Harbor (Aleutains)

Here are some photos of Dutch Harbor (Unalaska). This was our jump off point to Atka and Nikolski where we did 2 GPS installs and 2 maintenance sites. We do have a site in Dutch that we did maintenance on. Lots of fish, lots of boats, lots of bald eagles, lots of beauty! We were here in the Aleutians for 2 weeks!

The Russians “discovered” the Aleutians mid-1700s. This is the oldest cathedral in Alaska! They had a lot of influence on both the architecture and the natives here. Many Aleuts were used for their hunting skills to get seal skins and sea otter fur for the Russians. We bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for the same reasons…fur!

Lots of crab cages. Mmmm...king crab!

This was this dude’s loot. He would sit here for hours and munch on the yummy scraps from the super expensive hotel restaurant in the background. You could see him out the window of the restaurant munching on the leftovers while you were eating your meal.

Oh yeah, it’s a party at the dumpster! I counted 13 bald eagles while I was taking the photo. I didn’t get too close for fear of pissing anybody off, ha! These guys are huge!

Smile, you’re in the Aleutians!

Beautiful Dutch Harbor! Blue skies! We lucked out!

Dutch was the largest defense outpost in the Aleutians in WWII with 10,000 people. It was bombed by the Japanese in 1942 triggering the relocation of all the Aleuts to camps for 3 years where 10% died from unsanitary conditions (abandoned canneries). Afterwards when they returned, many of their homes were ransacked by the soldiers. The Aleutians were a big part in the Pacific Theater, but many don’t know about the bombings, the occupations, and the relocation camps. Many think of it as the “forgotten war”. Also Attu and Kiska were occupied by the Japanese for a while. These little pillboxes are all over the island and are where soldiers would sit all day and scout for the Japanese.

Ally on the lookout at this pillbox!

Dad, this one’s for you! Huge Coast Guard boat and helicopter in port. All the "coasties" as they call them were really partying at the hotel we were staying at. I had to wear earplugs to get any sleep.