I believe this is the area you were talking about. Aleutian Arc Tectonics: Unga Island, AlaskaUnga Island, the largest of the Shumagin Island Group, is situated on the Pacific side of ... Our captain mentioned a ghost town on the spit of Delarof Bay. ...
www.emporia.edu/earthsci/student/schmidt3/unga.html - 23k - Cached - Similar pages ALSO The Harriman Alaska Expedition Retraced: A Century of Change, ... - Google Books Resultby Thomas S. Litwin - 2005 - History - 287 pages
Island-based canneries and fishing camps operated for a time but were abandoned ... Unga gradually weathered and collapsed to become the ghost town that ...
books.google.com/books?isbn=0813535050...
AND good pictures at: PBS - Harriman: Souvenir Album - Unga IslandMegan Litwin by a petrified stump. (Photo by Devon Ducharme). ... Church in the abandoned fishing village on Unga Island (Photo by National Ocean Service, ...
www.pbs.org/harriman/explog/080901_photos.html - 17k - Cached - Similar pages
The settlement of Unga was founded in the late 1800s and was supported by codfishing and hardrock mining. However, as economic opportunities dwindled away it became a virtual ghost town. By 1969 it was abandoned, people were forced to relocate in search of employment and educational opportunities for their children. Many buildings still stand but are slowly decaying into ruin.
Culture and History
The Aleutians East Borough's population is a mix of Western and Eastern Aleut, Russian and Scandinavian cultures. The area's communities have smaller Native populations, compared with the rest of Southwest Alaska. The Aleutian Islands' cultural history dates back at least 8,000 years. The Unangan people, known since Russian colonial times as Aleuts, have preserved their arts and lifestyle amid a bustling commercial fishing economy. Russian influences began in the 1740s, when fur traders descended upon the islands in search of sea otter pelts. The Russian Orthodox faith remains the dominant religion in many communities. The Aleutians were strategically important during World War II in preventing Japanese invasion of the U.S. mainland. Japanese forces occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska in 1942, and traces of this era are still evident throughout the islands.
The area's cultural and historical attractions include, the King Cove Aleut Dancers, the old Unga Village, Russian heritage and the Russian Orthodox churches (listed on the National Register of Historic Places), an old mining operation turned ghost town, and the stories and relics associated with the fishing industry, past and present. Sand Point is home to the largest fishing fleet in the Aleutian Chain. A wreck of a 1902 schooner, "Courtney Ford," rests near Cold Bay. World War II enthusiasts and history buffs will be interested in the area's artifacts and sites. During WWII, the U.S. military established a "secret camp" at Cold Bay, staffed by 40,000 soldiers. Parts of this complex are still visible. As a result, most of Cold Bay, like King Salmon in nearby Lake and Pen Borough, has the look of a quickly built military installation. WW II artifacts and sites are also found in King Cove and other locations.
