Group of people around a Russian cross in tall grass
In September 2009, Nick Lekanoff, Sr., former Makushin resident, traveled with his daughter and other descendants of Makushin on the Tiglax to visit the village site, which had been left behind in the evacuation of 1942 and never permanently resettled. NPS Photo

Aleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area

National Historic Site · Alaska · National Park Service

The remote Aleutian Islands, home to the Unangax̂ (Aleut) people for over 8,000 years, became a fiercely contested Pacific battleground in World War II. Some Unangax̂ were taken from their homelands as Japanese prisoners of war while the others were evacuated from the islands by the government. Both groups suffered greatly during the war, and some would never return to their villages.

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Know before you go

Phone
907-581-9944
Official site
www.nps.gov
Managed by
National Park Service

Getting there

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Things to do

Highlights: Archeology · Aviation · Colonization and Settlement · Forts · Incarceration · Maritime · Coastal Defenses · Maritime - Military · Ships and Shipwrecks · Military · US Army · US Navy · US Marines · US Coast Guard · US Air Force (Army Air Corps) · Indigenous and Native Warrior · Battlefields · Monuments and Memorials · Native American Heritage · Religion and Spirituality · Tragic Events · Forced Marches · Massacres · Wars and Conflicts · World War II · Arctic · Tundra · Coasts, Islands and Atolls · Mountains · Scenic Views

Activities & features: Guided Tours · Self-Guided Tours - Walking · Self-Guided Tours - Auto · Junior Ranger Program · Wildlife Watching · Birdwatching · Museum Exhibits

Photos

  • People crowd at the railing of a ship
    Photograph courtesy National Archives
  • Six men with guns carry a person on a stretcher in a valley.
    Photo courtesy National Archives
  • A uniformed man holds up a broken Russian cross
    Photo courtesy National Archives

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Sources: National Park Service · updated 2026-08-12