Local Culture

The Izembek Refuge region was near the southern edge of the Bering land bridge and probably played an important role in the migration of Asiatic peoples to North America. The presence of numerous kitchen middens suggests that the area was at one time inhabited by a relatively large population of Native people.

The Aleutian tradition began around 3000 B.C. in the Aleutian Islands and lower Alaska Peninsula, and continues to the present. The early tradition was characterized by nearly total dependence on marine resources and the almost exclusive use of chipped stone tools. Ground slate appeared around 1000 A.D., and was usually restricted to the transverse knife or “ulu”.

Although the later boundary between Aleut and Eskimo has not been accurately located and is still a matter of debate, it was probably northeast of Izembek Refuge. Aleut sites have been located at Chignik on the south side of the peninsula and Port Moller on the north side. No Eskimos are believed to have lived in Izembek Refuge prior to European contact.

Europeans first discovered the Alaska Peninsula in 1741 when ships of the Bering-Chirikov expedition passed by the Shumagin Islands. The first Russian to actually reach the peninsula was Gaviil Pushkarev in 1761. Fur and other exploratory expeditions followed. Russian ships wintered in Bechevin Bay during the first coastal explorations by Europeans. The name “Izembek” was bestowed on the region in 1827 by Count Feodor Petrovich Lutke when he named Izembek Lagoon in honor of Karl Izembeck, a surgeon aboard the Russian sloop Moller.

Evidence indicates that there were about 16,000 to 17,000 Aleuts in 169 settlements in southwestern Alaska at the time of discovery. By 1790, within the first 10 years of colonization by the Russians, the population had declined by an estimated 50%. More than 5,000 Aleuts were killed by Russians, and starvation and disease continued to reduce the population until the 1820's. Consolidation of settlements and relocation of Aleuts was common in this era; only 39 villages existed a century after Russian colonization. Today, descendants of these Aleuts and Europeans live in Nelson Lagoon, King Cove and False Pass. First established in the early 20th century, these communities began as salmon cannery villages.

Last updated: July 18, 2008