Aleut History
Timelines
1648 Russian Semeon Dezhnev sails through Bering Strait and lands in the Diomede Islands. Russians in Siberia are aware of trade between Alaska, Chukchi, and Asiatic Eskimos.
1732 Russians M.S. Gvozdev and Ivan Fedorov in the Sv. Gabriel venture north from the Kamchatka Peninsula. Expedition members go ashore on Little Diomede Island and later sight the North America mainland at Cape Prince of Wales and King Island. Contacts with Natives are recorded.
Pre/post-1700 On-going contact among inhabitants on both sides of Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea; contact also on-going among inhabitants of southeastern Alaska and north Pacific coast; pre-Russian contact population estimated at 12,000-15,000 Aleuts
1728 Vitus Bering sighted and named St. Lawrence Island and the Diomede Islands
1741 Bering and Chirikov voyages to northwestern North America; Alexei Chirikof first European to sight Alaska
Georg Wilhelm Steller on board Bering second expedition extensively recorded fauna and flora
Shumagin Islands site of first meeting between Europeans and Aleuts
Aleut population throughout Aleutians estimated at 16,000
Shumagin Islands sighted by Lt. Sven Waxell on Bering second expedition
1742 First scientific report on the North Pacific fur seal
1745 Russian fur hunters on vessel Sv. Evdokim landed on Agattu Island and were greeted by armed Aleut residents
1747 Sv. Edokim wintered on Attu; armed encounters occur with resident Aleuts, villagers killed
1750 Arctic foxes introduced to Attu from Bering Island by Andreian Tolstykh
Russian ship Sv. Petr wrecked in Near Islands group, crew rescued
1753 Sep. 2-3, Russian ship Sv. Iermiia wrecked at Adak Is.
1756 Petr Bashmakov sailed eastward, sighting 13 new islands
1758 Russian navigator Pankov landed on the Fox Islands
Russian fur trader Stephen Glotov was first European to visit and trade peacefully with Umnak and Unalaska Islanders
Andreian Tolstykh introduced sea otter nets to Attuans
1760 Russian merchant Andriian Tolstykh conducted first detailed census of Adak Island inhabitants Armed conflicts throughout Aleutian Islands and Kodiak Island occurred between Russians and Aleuts
1760-80 Height of Aleutian sea otter hunting
1762 Russian merchant vessels destroyed by Aleuts at Unalaska Island
Russian vessel Sv.Petr i Pavel wrecked at Shemya Is., most of the crew survived
1763 Kodiak Island sighted by Stephen Gloto
1764 Massacre of Russians on Umnak Island by Aleuts
1765 Armed conflict on Sedanka Island between Russians and Aleuts
Soloviek massacres of Aleuts in the Unalaska area
1767 Russian Afanasii Ocheredin and Aleuts of Umnak Island attack and destroy villages in the Islands of the Four Mountains in the Aleutians
St. Matthew Island sighted by Russian expedition under Lt. Synd
1768 Steller sea cow presumed extinct
1768 Russian Navy Captain Levashov winters at Unalaska, adopts two Aleut boys, and does watercolors showing Unangan/Eastern Aleuts tools and weapons, clothing, and houses
1770 Russian fur traders working for Pavel Lebedev-Lastochkin build a warehouse at Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands. Although not occupied permanently, the building indicates a sustained Russian presence in Alaska
1778 Captain James Cook and crew explored Bering Sea and Alaskan coastline, named the Barren Islands
1780 Unknown Japanese wreck at Rat Island. Rats escaping the wreck invaded the island; it has been known ever since as Rat Is.
1780s By this time all of the Aleutian Islands had been sighted and exploited for fur
1781 Shelikov-Golikov (Northeastern Company) organized
By this year, Aleut population estimated at 1,900
1784 First permanent Russian settlement established on Kodiak Island at Three Saints Bay
1785 Russian ship Sv. Evpl wrecked at Pankov harbor, Amlia Is., crew and cargo save
1786 Russian fur trader Gavriil Prilbylov finds the islands in the Bering Sea that bear his name. Russians took Unangan/Aleuts to the islands to hunt the Northern Fur Seals that breed there, and later moved families to the islands to live permanently
The last private fur-hunting vessel, the Ioann Rylskii, left Russian American waters for Kamchatka
1787 Russian merchant vessel discovered St. Paul
Pribylov brought to St. Paul 137 Aleuts who had been removed from Atka and Unalaska
Empress Catherine the Great orders crests to be placed on all islands which accepted Russian sovereignty
1788 Russians enslave Aleuts to hunt fur seals
1790 Appointed by Catherine the Great, Capt. Joseph Billings commanded A Secret Astronomical and Geographical Expedition throughout the Aleutian Islands
1790-92 Gavrila Andreevich Sarichev explored and surveyed the Aleutian Islands
1795 First Russian Orthodox clergy arrive in the Aleutian Islands
1796 Volcanic action resulting in Bogoslof Island
Orthodox Hieromonk Makarii leaves Unalaska with six Unangan/Aleuts for St. Petersburg to protest Russian treatment of Native people. The tsar met with the two Natives who reach St. Petersburg and Makarii, but nothing comes of the meeting. The three men die returning to Alaska
1741-98 Over 400,000 seals, 96,000 sea otters, 102,000 foxes taken in Russian American
1799 Russian American Company granted 20 year political authority and trade monopoly over Russian America
Tsar Paul I grants the Russian-American Company, formed by Shelikhov?s heirs and other Siberian entrepreneurs, sole trading rights in North America for 20 years. Baranov remains General Manager. The third and last charter, issued in 1844, classifies Native people as dependent (Unangan/Aleuts, Koniag), semi-dependent (Chugach), and independent (Tlingit).
1802-04 Gavril Ivanovich Davidov led scientific research voyage throughout Aleutians
1804 Led by Baranov, Russians and Unangan/Aleuts return to reoccupy Sitka. They are aided by a Russian navy ship Neva. After two weeks of fighting what some call the Battle of Sitka, the Tlingit leave the area. Tlingit oral accounts describe their survival march across Baranof Island. Tlingit return to live at Sitka in 1819 at the invitation of the Russians after Baranov?s departure.
1805 Russian American Company banned sealing on the Pribilof Islands
1806 Russian merchant vessel Eclipse, with a cargo of furs, wrecked on the Sanak Islands
1808 Pribilof Island sealing ban lifted
Flu epidemic decimates Aleuts
Unalaska''s first Russian Orthodox church constructed
1812 The Russian-American Company establishes Fort Ross, north of today?s San Francisco. Russians, Unangan/Aleut and Alutiiq settle there to hunt sea otters, grow food for Alaska settlements, and establish Russian sovereignty. The company sells the post in 1841.
1816 Otto von Kotzebue captain brig Rurik sailed throughout Bering Sea
1820 Yunaska Island on fire
1821 Russian Orthodox church built on St. Paul
Russian tsar issued a ukase, which claimed Russian sovereignty from 51E north latitude to Bering Strait and prohibited foreign vessels from trading, whaling or fishing within 115 miles of shore.
1823 Sanak residents relocate to Belkofski/Russians settle Aleuts at Belkofski to harvest sea otters
1824 Ivan Veniaminov, Russian Orthodox missionary, arrives in the Aleutian Islands. Assisted by Ivan Pankov, a Tigalda Island leader, Veniaminov learns the Unangan/Eastern Aleut language, develops an alphabet, and records information about the people and their customs. The two write a Unangan/Aleut catechism, the first book written in an Alaska Native language. Veniaminov moves to Sitka in 1834 and does similar work with the Tlingit. There he starts an all-colonial school to educate Natives and Creoles and obtains Russian-American Company support for it. Veniaminov leaves Alaska in 1845. As head of the church in Moscow, he continues support of the Alaska mission after Russia sells Alaska to the U.S.
1825 Attu chapel in existence by this date
By this time, Aleuts were present on only 16 islands and their total population was less than 2,000
1824-34 Ivan Veniaminof recorded extensive notes on Unalashka district
American and British sea otter trade ceased
1831 Russian ship Sivutch wrecked E. of Wall Bay, Atka Is., ship lost but crew and cargo saved
1843 First bowhead whales taken in north Pacific waters
1844-54 Russian Hydrographic Department issued charts of northwestern North America, Bering Sea and the Arctic
1846 Two hundred ninety-two whalers from New England sailed for the north Pacific
1848 By this date chapel built on Amchitka
1849 Amchitka Island abandoned after 2,500 years of occupation
1851 First of six whaling ships outfitted by the company SUOMI, was sent out
1855 U.S. Navy North Pacific Exploring Expedition
1861 Third Charter of the Russian American Company ran out
1862 Mass drowning off Ilak
1863/4 Flu epidemic hits Atkha (Atka) and Amlia area
1864 San Francisco based Ice Company offered to purchase from the Tsar the 20 year Russian American charter
1865 June 22-28: last shots of American Civil War fired in the Bering Sea by Confederate vessel Shenandoah on New England whaling boats
1867 Russian America sold by Russia to the United States; Congress proposed it be called Alaska, a derivative from the Aleut term Alaxaxaq "for land east of the Aleutians"
Vessels and property of Russian-American Company purchased by American interests
1868 Three American vessels landed in the Pribilofs seeking to trade food, alcohol and clothing for fur seal skins. 365,000 fur sealskins taken in this one year
1869 Pribilof Islands Reservation, encompassing Walrus and Otter Islands, established by proclamation to protect fur-bearing animals, making it the oldest wildlife reservation in the United States
1870 The U.S. Government awards the Alaska Commercial Company a lease to exclusively harvest fur seals on the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea. The lease requires the company to hire local people and provide food, housing, and education for them.
1871 July 10th, junk Jinko Maru wrecked at Atka Is.
September - fleet of 32 New Bedford whaling ships trapped in Chukchi Sea ice; crews eventually rescued by other whalers, the ships were crushed
1871-72 William Healy Dall surveyed Aleutian Islands and recorded bird numbers reduction from foxes
1872-73 Henry Wood Elliott conducted Pribilof Islands bird and marine mammal reports
1878 Lucien M. Turner noted scarcity of birds due to fox and human activities; effects upon Aleutian Canada geese by foxes
Western Fur & Trading Company established a fur storage and trading port at Akutan
1880s American trapping established in the Aleutian Islands
1881 Samuel Applegate, US Signal Corps meteorologist, mapped area using schooner Nellie Juan
Only two Aleut settlements remain in western and central Aleutians, at Atkha (Atka) and Chichagof harbor
1884 Ivan Petroff recorded historical research and travel throughout Aleutian Islands
Semidi Propagation Company founded
1886 U.S. Treasury revenue cutter ordered to seize all domestic and foreign craft caught hunting Alaskan fur seals
1890 Samuel Applegate prepared census of Aleut population and resources for Third Alaska District
1891 Last walrus shot on Walrus Island
1892 Afognak Island proclaimed a Fish Cultural Reserve and Forest Reserve by President Harrison
1893 Fish Commission steamer Albatross transported Treasury Department agents to investigate fur seal herds of Pribilof Islands and Bering Sea
1894 May 11th, whaling bark James Allen struck a rock at E. end of Amlia Is. and sank, 15 crew saved, 25 lost
Long Island stocked with foxes
1896 Sept.7th, schooner Hueneme struck a rock near Scotch Cap, Unimak Is. during S.E. squalls and immediately started to break up. Crew rescued but ship and cargo lost
Cattle introduced to Simeonof Island by O.W. Carlson
1897 Will Duffield conducted topographical survey of Pribilof Islands and their seal rookeries
Ogliuga, Samalga Islands stocked with foxes
Feeding of foxes began in Pribilof Islands; old trapping methods ceases
1898 U.S. Geological Survey began extensive exploration and mapping of Alaska
Sidewheel steamer Eliza Anderson wrecked at Unalaska Is.
1898 Sand Point was founded
1899 Harriman Expedition: 9,000 mile journey along Alaskas coastline
1900 Alaskas first game law created which protected eggs of wild fowl
1901 Feb. 20th, schooner Iliamna wrecked at Kagalaska Is., crew saved
1902 Legal provisions created to set closed and open hunting seasons, bag limits and restrictions
December 6th, 27 ton schooner J.B. Ward wrecked on Unimak Is.
1903 National Wildlife Refuge System began with Pelican Island in Florida
1906 Armed conflict between Pribilof Island Aleuts and fur seal hunting schooners
1906-11 Reign of Terror: efforts by Pribilof Islanders to hold off fur sealing pirate vessels
1907 Sept.30th, schooner Glen stranded at E. Anchor Cove, Unimak Is.
Oct. 6th, schooner St. Paul wrecked on W. side of Chowiet Is.
1908 Jan. 8th, schooner John F. Miller wrecked at E. Anchor Cove while attempting to salvage Glen, 10 lives lost
Legal authority given to territorial governor to issue hunting, guiding and export licenses and permits for scientific collection
1909 Feb. 27th--St. Matthew Island, Hall Island and Pinnacle Island established as the Bering Sea Reservation by President Theodore Roosevelt
Feb. 27th--Tuxedni Reservation established by President Roosevelt, encompassing Chisik and Egg Islands
Feb. 27th--Saint Lazaria Reservation established by President Roosevelt
Feb. 27th Walrus and Otter Islands proclaimed Pribilof Bird Reservation
March 2--President Theodore Roosevelts Executive Order established the Bogoslof Reservation, containing the volcanic islets of the Bogoslof islands
Apr. 30th, American square rigged ship Columbia wrecked at Unimak Bay, Unimak Is
1909-10 Waldemar Joechelson led Aleut-Kamchatka anthropological expedition under Imperial Russian geographical Society
1909-53 Active cod fishing base stations maintained in the Shumagin Island and Sanak Island
1910 End of North American Commercial Company lease and beginning of U.S. government control of Pribilofs
Act to Protect the Seal Fisheries of Alaska approved
1911 International Fur Seal Treaty banned pelagic sealing in the North Pacific
Arthur Cleveland Bent conducted extensive Aleutian Islands bird work
Alaska Whaling Company built whaling station on Akutan
Semichi Island stocked with foxes
King Cove was established
1912 Alaska becomes a territory of the United States
Jan, 11th--President Tafts Executive Order established Forrester Island Reservation, encompassing Forrester, Lowrie and Wolf Rocks islands
Jan. 11th--Hazy Islands Reservation established by President Taft
Dec. 7--Chamisso Island Reservation established by President Taft
President Tafts Executive Order barred foreign vessel visitation of Kiska Island
1913 March 3rd--Aleutian Islands Reservation established by President Taft, encompassing all islands of the Aleutian chain, including Unimak and Sanak islands, and extending to Attu Island
Federal Migratory Bird Law fixed closed hunting seasons on migratory birds
Reindeer stocked on Unalaska and Umnak
1914 First canvas bidarka cover made on Pribilofs
Sagchudak, Unalga Island stocked with foxes
Sept. 20th, U.S. Revenue cutter Tahoma wrecked on an uncharted reef 31 miles off Buldir Island. Vessel broke up the following day, all crew survived by taking to the lifeboats
Sulphur was discovered on west end of Akun Island; tramway built which was destroyed in 1921 or 1922
1916 Kavalga, Unak, Tagalak, West Unalga, Salt, Ananiuliak Island stocked with foxes
1917 May 14th, the 1,898 ton ship St. Francis stranded at Middle Point, Unimak Is. after missing a tack. All 281 crew and cannery workers saved
July 13th, Japanese steamship Kotohiro Maru wrecked on S.E. end of Amchitka Is., crew survived, ship became a total loss
1918 Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act signed by the United States and Great Britain (upon Canada s behalf) addressed migratory birds of both countries
Tanaklak, Little Kiska, Yunaska, Poa Island stocked with foxes
Chankliut Island planted mice for fox feed
1919 May 13th, 307 ton three masted schooner Premier wrecked at Unimak Is.
Nohatamie Island stocked with foxes
1920 Nohatamie Island stocked with ground squirrels to be used for fox food
1920-25 Donald Stevenson assigned as Aleutian Islands Reservation warden
1921 Amchitka, Keegale, Tangik Island stocked with foxes
Pelt tax and license fee required for Territorial game privileges
1922 Ilak, Kagalaska, Chugul, Igitkin, Rat, Semisopochnoi, Tanaga, Umak, Little Tanaga, Vsevidof, Aiktak, Kaligagan stocked with foxes
1923 Eight out of ten islands in the Aleutian Islands Reserve leased for fox farming; Chowiet and Simeonof Islands not leased
1924 Citizen Act collectively naturalized all Alaskan native peoples
Sheep were landed on Unalaska and Unimak and grazing permit issued
1925 Alaska Game Law established to protect game, fur-bearing animals and birds through administration of Alaska Game Commission
Eastern Aleutians patrolled by Alaska Game Commission vessel M/V Seal
Amchitka Island resettled
Olaus Murie conducted biological reconnaissance of Amak Island
1928 May 22-23, the 2,163 ton steel sailing ship Star of Falkland wrecked at Akun Head, Unimak Pass. All but one of the crew was saved, ship became a total loss
Akun deleted from refuge to encourage development
August 19th, the three masted schooner Maweema wrecked on St. George Is.
1929 Fur farming lease applied for on Amak Island
Commercial herring fishing began out of Unalaska
Migratory Bird Conservation Act authorized purchase or rental of lands suitable for bird refuges
1929-31 Misao Tatenaki and Yoshio Kokayaski conducted botanical investigations from Attu to Unalaska; speculation existed about their true motives
???? Kanaga Ranching Company - Bowman
1930s Homer Jewel was Aleutian Islands game warden
1930 President Hoover added Amak Island, Sea Lion Rocks and an unnamed island to Aleutian Islands Reservation
1931 June 17th--Semidi Islands Wild Life Refuge established by President Hoover
1932 Sept. 27th, freighter Nevada wrecked on Amatignak Island, three out of 37 crew survived
Eric Hulten and W.J. Egerdam conducted extensive flora studies and noted recovering western Aleutians sea otter populations
Ushagat Island planted with breeding fox pairs
1934 Indian Reorganization Act
Nov., M/V Brown Bear patrolled Aleutian Islands for Alaska Game Commission
Six US Navy minesweepers assigned to augment the US Coast and Geodetic Survey fleet in an extensive charting expedition in the Aleutian Islands
1936 Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act amended to include Mexico
Isobel Wylie Hutchinson collected botanical specimens from Attu to Atka aboard Cutter Chelan
1936-37 Olaus Murie led scientific work aboard M/V Brown Bear
1936-38 Ales Hrdlicka led Smithsonian Aleutian expeditions
1937 Dec. 14--Hazen Bay NWR created out of two unnamed islands
1937-40 sC.L. Loy and O.A. Friden worked as sea otter wardens on Amchitka Island
1938 Division of Predator and Rodent Control established
Anangula discovery on Umnak Island
Feb. 19th, U.S.Navy minesweeper USS Swallow (AM-4) stranded on rocks at the entrance to Kanaga Bay, Kanaga Is. while conducting work with the Aleutian Island Survey Expedition. Crew of 40 officers and men taken to Dutch Harbor by U.S.C.G. cutter John C. Spencer, ship became a total loss
1939 Proposed Plan for Administration of the Aleutian Islands NWR
1940 Forrester Island changes from reservation to national wildlife refuge
Bureau of Fisheries and Bureau of Biological Survey merged to form the Fish and Wildlife Service
Name of Aleutian Islands Reservation changed to Aleutian Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Japan announced their withdrawal from the International Fur Seal Treaty and began gathering military intelligence on the Aleutian Islands under the guise of halibut and cod fishing
1941 U.S. military evacuated residents from Pribilof Islands to southeastern Alaska
Mar. 18th, Alaska Steamship liner Mt. McKinley wrecked at Scotch Cap, Unimak Is. No loss of life, ship a total loss
1942 Attu and Kiska islands invaded by Japanese troops
June 19th, Japanese oiler Nissan Maru bombed and sunk in Kiska Harbor, Kiska Is.
June 20th, American submarine S-27 (SS-132) grounded off Amchitka Island, crew escaped in rafts
July 5th, Japanese destroyer Arare torpedoed and sunk at entrance of Kiska Harbor, by U.S. sub USS Growler (SS-215)
July 15th, Japanese subchaser SC-25 sunk in Kiska Harbor by U.S. sub USS Grunion (SS-216)
July 15th, Japanese subchaser SC-27 sunk in Kiska Harbor by U.S. sub USS Grunion
July 30th, U.S. submarine USS Grunion went missing in vicinity of Kiska Is., presumed sunk
Aug. 8th, 8,572 ton Japanese cargo vessel Kano Maru sunk at Kiska Harbor, by U.S. aircraft and surface vessels
Sept. 1st, Japanese submarine RO-61 sunk by depth charges and shelling off Atka Is., five crew survived
Sept. 15th, 7,190 ton Japanese troop transport Nozima Maru bombed and sunk at Kiska Harbor
Oct. 5th, 5,863 ton Japanese steamship Borneo Maru bombed and sunk at Gertrude Cove, Kiska Is.
Oct. 17th, Japanese supply destroyer Oboro bombed and sunk at Kiska Is.
Nov. 4th, Japanese submarine RO-65 bombed and sunk at Kiska Is.
Bird and mammal reservations officially renamed national wildlife refuges
Attuans removed by Japanese and shipped to Japan for duration of war
American military evacuated all Aleuts west of Unimak and transported them to southeastern Alaska
Dutch Harbor bombed by Japanese military
U.S. military scouts put ashore on Kiska, found no sign of Japanese
1943 Battle of Attu; Americans landed on Attu on May 11
Jan.12th, U.S.Navy destroyer USS Worden (DD-352) struck a rock at the entrance of Constantine Harbor, Amchitka Is., and sank, 14 of the crew were lost
Jan. 12th, American military occupied Amchitka Island
Jan 23, Japanese discover American presence on Amchitka
Apr.4th, Japanese steamship Uragio Maru bombed and sunk at Kiska Harbor
Aug. 18th, USS Abner struck floating mine off Kiska Island; stern damaged extensively and broke off. Was towed from near Kiska Reef by destroyer Bancroft. Salvage tug Ute towed Abner to Adak for repair. It was the only warship casualty in Kiska operation.
Nov.21st, Russian steamship Turksib wrecked at Seal Cape, Unimak Is., no loss of life, ship became total loss
American salvage ship USS Rescuer (ARS-18) wrecked at Seal Cape, Unimak Is., while attempting to salvage SS Turksib. One crewmember killed.
American military recon flights served as detailed sea otter surveys under Frank Beals, Refuge Manager
Using the Aleutians as base, Americans flew bombing raids on Japanese islands of Shimushu and Paramushiru
1943-44 Henry B. Collins and group conducted war background studies of Aleutian Islands
1944 Pribilof Islanders returned to the Pribilof Islands
From Aleutian bases, over 100 sorties flown over Kurile Islands
1945 Feb.2nd, U.S. air Force pilot Art Kidder crashes in P-38 on Buldir Island, pilot assisted by U.S. navy weather station crew
The few surviving Attuans released in Japan and returned to Alaska and settled in Atka
1946 Motorship Crown Reefer wrecked at Amchitka Is., no loss of life, ship became a total loss
Douglas Gray became Refuge Manager of Aleutian Islands NWR
1948 Robert D. (Sea Otter) Jones became Refuge Manager of Aleutian Islands NWR
Two B-29s land on Amchitka during eclipse observation flights of May 8-9
1949 First tourists allowed to visit Pribilof Islands
Aleutian Islands NWR began fox eradication program on Amchitka Island
1950-70 W.S. Laughlin directed Aleut-Konyag Prehistory and Ecology Project; extensive archaeological work
1950s-60s Cape Thompson site of proposed harbor to be built by hydrogen bomb explosion
1950 Merger of Bureau of Fisheries with Bureau of Biological Survey
1951 Mail delivery initiated to St. George Island
1951-52 First salvage of WWII military materials by Bankers Life and Casualty
1953 Salvage operations conducted by General metals of Tacoma
1955-66 Karl Kenyon conducted extensive sea otter studies
1956 The Fish and Wildlife Service reorganized as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
coastal tanker Dulcinea stranded on Buldir Is., all crew rescued. Salvage attempts were made but ultimately the vessel and its cargo of 285,000 gallons of aviation gasoline became total losses
1957 Famous Aleutian explorer Greg Thomson born
Last live fox seen on Amchitka Island
1958 Caribou introduced on Adak Island
Alaska statehood achieved
Oct.22nd, fuel barge Barge #18 wrecked at Shemya Is.
Oct. 30th--Simeonof Island Reservation becomes Simeonof Island NWR
1959 Alaska becomes a state
Trina Fellows resided on Adak Island
1959-61 Atomic Energy commission bioenvironmental studies resulting from Project Chariot
1960 Amchitka declared fox-free
1962 USCG vessel Clover sailed to Buldir with Sea Otter Jones, Vern Berns and a dory, on June 25, they sighted 56 Aleutian Canada geese, first seen since 1938. Sighted over 10,000 sea lions hauled out on landing beach
1963 Bob Jones landed on Buldir Island and found about 300 Aleutian Canada geese; first goslings captured for rearing program at Monte Vista NWR in Colorado. Goslings ate F&M chow readily. Therm X heater used to keep their tent warm and dry.
1964 Good Friday earthquake
First open season permit caribou hunt on Adak Island
Agattu Island fox eradication program initiated
December, 521 Liberian steamship San Patrick wrecked on Ulak Is., broke up with loss of its entire crew of 32
1965 Underground nuclear bomb Long Shot detonated on Amchitka
October, Greek steamship Ekaterina G. goes aground on Great Sitkin Island, all crew rescued
Alaska SteamshipLine S.S. Oduna wrecked at Cape Pankof, Unimak Is., no loss of life, 200,000lbs. of frozen crab and other cargo salvaged, ship became a total loss
1966 Dec. 15th, F/V Shelikof grounded at Cape Lazaref, Unimak Is, crew rescued, vessel pounded to pieces by seas
The Aleut League was formed to become the Aleutian Planning Commission a few years later
1967 Aleutian Canada goose identified as endangered species under a new endangered species list
1967-76 Amchitka Bioenvironmental Program studied Amchitka Island environment and impacts of nuclear detonations
1968-71 Future Supervisory Wildlife Biologist Vernon Byrd in U.S. Navy on Adak Island
1969 Palmer Sekora conducted wilderness studies of Near Is. group by dory
Greenpeace created, in part due to nuclear testing on Amchitka Island
Nuclear device Milrow detonated on Amchitka Island
Fox eradication program initiated on Nizki Island
1970 Ex-U.S. Army t-boat M/V Aleutian Tern placed in service, replaced dory for wilderness surveys
Forrester Island Wilderness established; also designated as wilderness are St. Matthew, Hall, Pinnacle, Bogoslof, St. Lazaria, Chisik, Duck and Hazy Islands
Dorothy M. Jones conducted sociological studies in Aleutians
1971 Nuclear device Cannikan detonated on Amchitka Island
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act signed; reviews federal lands in Alaska to recommend areas for NWR, Parks, National Forests and Wild and Scenic River
1971 The Aleut Corporation was formed as a result of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA)
1972 Refuge headquarters transferred from Cold Bay to Adak
1973 Endangered Species Act amended; farthest reaching in its attempt to protect endangered and threatened species; Aleutian Canada goose listed as endangered under this new act
U.S. Air Force C-118 cargo plane crashes on Great Sitkin Island
1974 Aleutian Canada Goose recovery Team formed
1974Jay Hammond begins either years in office as Governor of Alaska 1974 to 1982
1975 First accurate count of Aleutian Canada geese at spring stopover point in California revealed only 790 birds
Chamisso Island Refuge designated as wilderness
Alaid Island fox eradication program began
1976 Alaid/Nizki islands declared fox-free
Simeonof Island designated as wilderness
Construction of the Alaska Pipeline began on March 27, 1975
1976 Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association, Inc. was chartered as a nonprofit corporation
Congress passed the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which gave American fishermen first crack at all stocks of fish within 200 miles of the U.S. coast.
1977 Six-year survey of refuge wildlife begins; monitoring to continue @ 3-5 year intervals for population trends
Aleutian Canada goose (ACG) total population 1160
Refuge facility established at Amchitka to captive rear Aleutian Canada geese
1979 Agattu Island declared fox-free
2nd breeding population of Aleutian Canada geese discovered on Kiliktagit Island in the Semidis; prior to this, only known surviving population was on Buldir Island
1980 Feb. 12th Withdrawal for Alaska Marine Resources NWR
Dec. 2nd--Alaska Maritime NWR created under Alaska National Interest Lands Claims Act; 3.5 million acres
Semidi Islands and 2.3 million acres of the Aleutian Islands unit (AMNWR) designated wilderness
1980 96th Congress of the U.S.A. established a commission on wartime relocation and internment of civilians
1981 AMNWR Homer HQ established
358 Aleutian Canada geese (ACG) released on Nizki Island
1982 291 ACG released on Agattu Island
Start of cattle removal from Simeonof, Chernabura and Caton Islands
St. Paul bird cliffs became part of NWR system
3rd population of Aleutian Canada geese discovered on Chagulak Island in central Aleutians
The first Alaska Permanent fund Dividend amount was $1,000. The first checks were distributed June 14, 1982
1983 Amukta Island, Adugak Island fox eradication program initiated
1984 Six species of never before recorded in the Aleutians birds were seen
Seven observed short-tailed albatross in Aleutians between 1944 and 1984
Record number of ACG observations made; 399 sightings of 40-50 birds
Fox eradication wrapped up on Amukta Island
Fox eradication programs initiated on Rat, Uliaga, Kasatochi and Bird Island
St. George Island bird cliffs become part of refuge
1985 St. George bird cliffs became part of AMNWR
Big Koniuji Island fox eradication program initiated
Commercial seal harvesting ceased on St. Paul Island
1986 Kiska Island fox eradication program initiated
Al Bayer appointed Captain of M/V Tiglax 1986 - 1995
1987 March 8th, 123 crabber Birgit N. grounded at Patton Cove, Ulak Is., crew rescued, vessel became a total loss
March 20th, 340 processor All Alaskan grounded at St. Paul Is., crew rescued, ship and cargo became a total loss
March 21, 80'' F/V Ocean Clipper wrecked on S. side of St. Paul Is. when anchor dragged during storm, crew of six made it to a nearby reef in raft, were taken to St. Paul by USCG cutter Midgett
May 6th, 227 South Korean fish processor Tae Woong # 603, grounded at Uliaga Is., crew of 49 rescued, vessel became a total loss
July 2: Refuge commissions research vessel, M/V Tiglax
For first time since 1975, Aleutian shield fern discovered on Adak
Ushagat Island fox eradication program initiated
132 ACG transplanted from Buldir Island to Amchitka Island
WWII memorial dedicated on Attu Island
1988
