Ikatan Village: 1917- early 1960's

Prior to the 19th century Ikatan Peninsula was still an island. At low tide people could walk from the there to Unimak. "The neck or strait was estimated to be no more than 1400 feet wide. In the 18th century, walrus hauled out there and puffins were abundant."

About a month ago Bob and I anchored the skiff on the shore of Ikatan Peninsula to explore the village. To get a better idea of where we were, look back to "The First Few Days..." post and find the map. You will see abandoned cannery written near the shoreline of the southern peninsula. This is the village of Ikatan. We toured around the structures in various stages of collapse. Later we read more about the village's history.

We did not find any writings about Ikatan prior to the establishment of it's canneries in 1917. So whether people were living there before the cannery, we do not know. The canneries where relatively large-scale. "One cannery occupied 160 acres near the flats linking the Ikatan Peninsula to Unimak Island. It processed cod as well as salmon and included a by-products plant manufacturing fish oil and meal." For reasons, we have not yet found, the Ikatan canneries closed down between 1931-1935. When the canneries shut their doors some people relocated to False Pass, where another cannery was still in operation. Many residents of Ikatan village stayed on the peninsula. From 1949 until 1956 a Territorial school was open, but by the early 1960's the community had dissolved. People had relocated to neighboring villages in search of economic opportunity.


A section of the canneries