Abandoned Alaska

 

Some of the most abandoned places in the world are mining towns that tapped out the resources and moved on, towns hit by natural disasters, and ones in the most extreme climates. Here are some examples of what Alaska has left behind, beautiful and sometimes quite mysterious!

Kiska

In 1943, allied forces landed on an island off of Alaska which the Japanese had held since 1942. When they landed, they found the Japanese had abandoned it two weeks earlier.  

Wikipedia:  On August 15, 1943, the 7th Division (U.S.) and the 13th Infantry Brigade (Canada), landed on opposite shores of Kiska. Both U.S. and Canadian forces mistook each other as the Japanese and, as a result of friendly fire, 28 Americans were killed and 54 Canadians either killed or wounded. A stray Japanese mine caused the USS Abner Read (DD-526) to lose a large chunk of its stern. The blast killed 71 and wounded 47. 191 troops went missing during the two-day stay on the island and presumably also died from friendly fire, booby traps, or environmental causes. Four other troops had also been killed by landmines or other traps.

Now the island remains abandoned - 

Ukivok (King's Island)

This island was once important to the Native people to fish and gather food, but in the mid 1900s, the government forced the children to go to the mainland to school. Without the extra help, the elders were forced to relocate to the mainland too. 

Naukan

The village of Naukan was abandoned in 1958 when the Yupik people were relocated.  This was once the most easterly settledment in Eurasia. 

St. Lawrence Island

This was once the site of an air force base was closed in the 1970s but leaves a very cool trace of it still - 

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