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Aleutian WWII National Historic Area
In 1996 the US Congress created this 134-acre national historic area to preserve the bloody history of the WWII battles on the Aleutian Islands. The park is unique because the Alaska Native Ounalashka Corporation not the Federal Government, owns and manages it, with NPS providing only technical assistance.
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Bunker Hill
An easier climb is Bunker Hill, also part of the national historic area. This coastal battery was known to the military as Hill 400 and was fortified with 155mm guns, ammunition magazines, water tanks, 22 Quonset huts and a concrete command post at the top. You can hike to the peak of Bunker Hill along a gravel road picked up just after crossing the bridge to Amaknak Island.
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Church of the Holy Ascension
Unalaska is dominated by the Church of the Holy Ascension, the oldest Russian-built church still standing in the country. It was built in 1825 and then enlarged in 1894, when its floor plan was changed from to a pekov (the shape of a crucifix). On Broadway overlooking the bay, the church and its onion domes are a photographer's delight. The church contains almost 700 pieces of art, ranging from Russian Orthodox icons and books to the largest collection of 19th-century paintings in Alaska.
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Fort Schwatka
Most of the Aleuation WWII National Historic Area preserves Fort Schwatka on Mt Ballyhoo, the highest coastal battery ever constructed in the USA. Looming nearly 1000ft above the storm-tossed waters of the Bering Sea, the US Army fort encompassed more than 100 concrete observation posts, command stations and other structures built to withstand earthquakes and 100mph winds.
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Museum of the Aleutians
The impressive Museum of the Aleutians, within easy walking distance of the Grand Aleutian Hotel, traces the Aleutian culture from prehistory and the Russian America period to WWII and the present. The museum is best known for its collection of Aleut grass baskets, but for many visitors the most interesting exhibit is devoted to the mummy caves of the Aleutian Islands.
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Sitka Spruce Park
Sitka Spruce Park, within Dutch Harbor, is a national historical landmark where three of six trees planted by Russians in 1805 have somehow survived where all other foliage can't. Because of the treeless environment, however, hiking is easy here. And don't worry about bears - there aren't any.
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Unalaska City Hall
Just for the halibut, stop in at Unalaska City Hall, up on the hill on the way to Dutch Harbor; the lobby holds a replica of the world-record halibut, a 459-pounder caught locally.
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USS Northwestern Memorial
More war history can be found in Unalaska by following Bayview Rd to the southeast end of town. In a picturesque hillside graveyard along the bay is the USS Northwestern Memorial. Launched in 1889, the passenger and freight ship was retired in 1937, then repaired by the military in 1940 to serve as a floating bunkhouse. It was bombed during the attack on Dutch Harbor and burned for five days.
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Showing 1-8 of 8 results
