The village of St. George offers much in the way of history, sights and activities. The village itself is located on a bluff, which is the summer nesting habitat for millions of seabirds. Along with the birds that literally fill the sky, seals can be seen from your hotel window, playing on the beach in the village. Arctic Foxes are also permanent residents in the village and can be seen and heard year round.

Long before the arrival of the Russians, the Aleuts or Unangan people told stories about fog-shrouded islands in the Bering Sea that teemed with life. These were the Pribilofs, remote, wild, untouched and until the late 1700s, uninhabited. Settlements were not established on the Pribilofs until the Russian Period, when fur traders enslaved Aleuts and brought them to the Pribilofs to hunt fur seals.

The Aleuts are skilled hunters, renown for their sophisticated maritime culture developed to live off the land and sea in the Aleutian Islands. Today the local people are skilled commercial fishermen and active partners in efforts to manage and preserve the Pribilof environment, fisheries and wildlife. They continue to depend on food gathered on the land and sea including marine mammals, fish, shellfish, sea birds, bird eggs, local plants and reindeer.

St. George is part of the Seal Islands National Historical Landmark, one of only 47 National Historic Landmarks located in Alaska. National Historical Landmarks recognize historical resources of exceptional value to the nation as a whole. A big reason for this designation is the rich and fascinating history of the commercial fur seal industry. 

Seal herds on the Pribilof Islands have long attracted fur hunters: first, the native peoples of the Bering Sea and, since the 18th century, people of many other nationalities.  Seals are no longer commercially harvested in the Pribilofs and the historic former sealing plant on St. George provides the only remaining facility in the world where the fur sealing process can be re-visited (HERE). Interpretive tours of the St. George Seal Plant and other historical buildings and cultural and nature tours are available through the St. George Traditional Council.

Published Articles About St. George Island

"The Pribilofs", Alaska Magazine, Bill Sherwonit, February 2000
Click HERE to open PDF file (1.5 MB)

“Alaska’s Archiplago”, National Geographic, Joel K. Bourne, Jr., August 2003

For more information about St. George Island, please visit Starting Your Adventure or e-mail our local Tourism Coordinator.