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The island of Unalaska was first inhabited by the Aleut people. Between 1963 and 1766, the first Russian group came to trade. By 1774, a permanent Russian fur trading post was established on Unalaska. On October 18, 1967, the U.S. purchased Alaska. Between 1988 and 1905, the Gold Rush brought many ships through Dutch Harbor. Dutch Harbor is a natural port that protects ships from the waves and currents if the Bering Sea. The harbor is close to some of the richest fishing in the world, and is ice-free.

Between 1865 and 1900, an average of 10 ships annually fished for cod in Alaska. The introduction of the canning process sparked development of Alaska's large salmon fisheries. By the end the 19th century, 42 salmon canneries operated in Alaska. In 1878, Alaska canneries packed 8,000 cases of salmon; in 1900, they packed 1.5 million cases. By 1917, 118 canneries operated in Alaska, That year, they packed more than half of the worlds's supply of salmon, nearly six million cases valued at $46 million. From the beginning, non-residents dominated the salmon fishing and canning industry in Alaska.

In the 1740s to 1780s, the Russian Orthodox religion had been informally introduced by the fur traders. In 1784, the first resident missionaries and clergymen were introduced. This missionary activity would continue into the 19th century, ultimately becoming the most visible trace of the Russian colonial period in contemporary Alaska. The Aleut accepted the Russian Orthodox Church because it offered them support and educated their children.

In June 1912, Alaska experienced the world's largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century at Novarupta. The eruption spread downwind more fallout than all other historical Alaskan eruptions combined. Although, almost all the magma erupted at the Novarupta vent, most of it was stirred beneath Mount Katmai, 10 kilometers away, which collapsed during eruption. Airborne ash from the 3-day event blanketed all of southern Alaska. Humans directly affected by the eruption were located in Katmai village, Douglas village, and Kodiak village. Most of the Douglas and Katmai village inhabitants were at summer fishing camps on Kaflia Bay. The few Katmai villagers left behind fled in fear early on June 6 when the earthquakes worsened. After the eruption, darkness, and suffocating conditions caused by the falling ash and sulfur dioxide gas rendered villagers helpless. Buildings were destroyed as avalanches of ash rushed down from nearby hillsides. Because of the damage done to the villages, a total of 92 survivors of the settlements of Katmai and Douglas were resettled at Ivanof Bay. There were no fatalities.

Whaling was very risky but profitable. Although the price of whale oil dropped by half in the 1870s, the price of baleen rose. Between 1875 and 1900, baleen replaced oil as the most valued product of whale hunting. In 1884, the Pacific Steam Whaling Company of San Francisco established a whaling station at Point Barrow, Alaska. This first shore station in the arctic was so successful that within a few years 15 stations operated along the coast. Stram-powered whaling ships arrived off Alaska's coast about the time that the first shore stations opened, which proved successful. However, soon whaling ships began to disappear but shore whaling continued. The United States Whaling Company operated at Port Armstrong. The company killed 314 whales in 1912, its first season of operation.

An Aleut is a native of the Aleutian Islands and the western portion of the Alaska Peninsula of northwestern North America. Before contact, there was estimate of around 25,000 Aleuts. However, the number of Aleut has dwindled to about 2,000 as they suffered high fatalities in the 19th and early 20th centuries from new diseases and the disruption of their traditional lifestyles. Barbaras were the traditional, main or communal dwellings used by the Alutiiq people of Aleuts. They lay partially underground like an earth lodge or pit-house, and most of the house was excavated from the dirt so as to withstand the high forces of the wind in the Aleutian chain of islands. The roof of a barabara was generally made from sod and grass layered over a frame of wood or whalebone, contained a roof doorway for entry, and has a small hole in the ceiling to allow smoke to escape. Barabaras are no longer used.