Short History . . . Adak Island

From volcanic origins
to earthquakes and war,
Adak has an active history

Violent geologic events formed Adak Island: erupting volcanoes and tectonic subduction (movement of the oceanic crust toward and beneath the continental crust). Advancing and receding glaciers, frequent rainfall, and high winds sculpted the island’s dramatic hills, valleys, cliffs, and floodplains.

Mountainous Scene

The highest point on Adak Island is Mt. Moffett (elevation ~ 3,875 feet). Some sea cliffs on the island rise 2,500 feet from the surf below.

Earth-Shaking Geology

Adak Island is adjacent to and overlying a zone at the boundary of the Pacific and the North American tectonic plates. The Pacific plate moves under the edge of the other. Earthquakes continue to shake Adak. Three of the largest recent quakes in the vicinity occurred on June 9, 1996 (magnitude 7.7), May 7, 1986 (magnitude 8.0), and March 9, 1957 (magnitude 8.6).

First Inhabitants

The first people to inhabit the islands of the Aleutian Chain were ancestors of today’s Aleut/Unangan people and migrated thousands of years ago from Asia, probably across a land bridge that connected the continents during the Ice Age. They built villages along the seacoasts and lived on the abundant marine mammals, fish, seabirds, marine invertebrates, and seaweed. The northwest area of Adak Island shows evidence of some of these prehistoric village sites. The island was also an important hunting and fishing site for these early inhabitants of the Aleutians.

Early Russian Contact

The Aleuts traded with the Russian fur entrepreneurs who came to the island in the mid- to late-1700s. By 1830, Russia had occupied the island and, through diseases and conscription for hunting sea otters, removed the local Natives.

Fur Harvest Threatens

After purchase of Alaska by the United States from Russia on March 30, 1867, fur harvests continued and by 1910 overhunting had nearly depleted the sea otter and fur seal populations. The first international treaty to protect wildlife was aimed at saving those remnant populations and was signed in 1911.

Islands Become a Refuge

To further ensure that sea otters would make a comeback, Adak and other islands in the chain were declared a national refuge. The sea otter populations slowly grew and some animals gradually recolonized nearby islands.

World War Comes to American Soil

Few Americans know that an important phase of World War II occurred on these refuge lands. Japanese bombers and fighters from a nearby carrier group attacked Dutch Harbor in the eastern Aleutians in June 1942.

Nearby Islands Seized

Japanese forces then seized Attu and Kiska islands. U.S. forces responded by establishing bases on Adak and Amchitka in the central Aleutians to bring their reconnaissance planes, bombers, and fighters within closer striking distance to those westernmost islands.

Base Occupation

The Army Air Corps sent bombers and fighters to soften the enemy defenses on Attu and Kiska. Naval activities began on Adak with the establishment of Albert Mitchell Field in March 1943. The U.S. Army established a base on the island at the same time.

Successful Mission

Adak and Amchitka bases were pivotal in launching assaults that eventually ended in a nearly three-week land battle by Allied Forces to retake Attu. An even larger force prepared to invade Kiska, only to find that the Japanese had evacuated under the cover of fog. Quonset huts, old runways, metal dumps, gun posts, and other military debris still remain as signs of war on the Aleutian landscape.

Cold War Continues Use of Adak Base

After the war, the base was transferred to the U.S. Air Force and renamed Davis Air Force Base. After the Air Force withdrew, the Navy assumed all facilities on Adak Island. Three naval commands operated on the island, including the Naval Air Facility (NAF), Naval Facility (NAVFAC), and Naval Security Group Activity (NSGA).

Military Relinquishes Adak

The Navy closed operations on Adak on March 31, 1997. After an extensive contaminant clean-up operation, much of the former base was traded from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the Aleut Corporation in 2004. The southern part of the island remains refuge lands.