Aleutian World War II National Historic Area

On Amaknak Island in Alaska’s Aleutian chain, this protected historic area centers on the remains of Fort Schwatka above Dutch Harbor, a vital World War II defense point regarded as a “back door” to the United States. One of four coastal defense posts built to protect the harbor, Fort Schwatka stood at the nation’s highest coastal battery and was engineered to withstand earthquakes and severe winds. The area also preserves the deeper history of the Aleut, or Unangan, people, including devastation under Russian colonization and the wartime evacuation of 881 Aleuts from nine villages after the Japanese occupation of Attu and Kiska in 1942.

Unalaska, Alaska · United States