Refuge Rock (Awa'uq)

USA / Alaska / Old Harbor /
 island, historic site, historic ruins
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Refuge Rock (Awa'uq in Alutiiq)

In 1784, Russian fur trader Grigori Shelikhov harbored at Three Saints Bay on Kodiak Island, establishing the first non-native Russian settlement in Alaska. Shelikhov sent parties out to native villages as a show of force. Native villagers were killed or kidnapped and forced to hunt for furs as slaves.

The villagers of the settlement now named Old Harbor fled to this small island with sheer cliffs for protection, building a small fortress atop the rock. Shelikhov sent a crew of 130 to attack the island with cannon and muskets, killing all of the estimated 1,000-2,000 refugees. Many leapt to their deaths off the cliffs to avoid capture.

community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19920...
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Coordinates:   57°6'21"N   153°4'59"W
This article was last modified 13 years ago