6000 people used to live here... What's inside ADAK Alaska's ABANDONED military houses?
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- čas přidán 26. 01. 2023
- I flew to Adak Island - a remote Alaskan island in the north Pacific Ocean - to explore its abandoned US military base. More than 6000 people lived on the base at its peak in the 1980s. However, the base closed in March 1997, and most houses and buildings were abandoned. Now, Adak Island has only 33 permanent residents. Let's take a look at one of Adak's subdivisions where every house is abandoned.
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A B O U T
Past the Present Future is a film series by globally recognized photographer Chris Luckhardt. The series views the PAST through a lens in the PRESENT with an eye to FUTURE development.
B I O G R A P H Y
Chris Luckhardt has documented and photographed some of the most iconic and viral images of abandoned places around the world. He was among the first photographers to publish photos in the press from legendary abandoned places like Hashima Island, Nara Dreamland, Michigan Central Station, and Six Flags New Orleans. His body of work has led to interviews and collaborations with The White House, Netflix, Ford, GQ China, ABC News, Good Morning America, Scholastic Canada, Yahoo Japan, and many more. In 2016, the Obama administration invited Chris to photograph a private citizen "haunted" tour of The White House.
M U S I C L I C E N S E D
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Was a middle-schooler there on Adak, AK 'tween 1974-1977. Even though this particular neighborhood was AFTER my time there, it still brought back a whole lotta memories. Lived in the old single-story Kuluk housing back then, when Adak was a hustling-bustling active Naval station.
What was life like out there in the mid-seventies? I’ve heard from a lot of marines who lived there during the 80s and 90s when they had the McDonald’s and the modern houses.
I lived in Upper Amulet ( single stories) in 1972-75 my house had orange trim...i learned to swim in the Bearing building. Also learned to ride horses when the captain had a dozen horses brought to the island. Great memories there!
Omg this took me back Memory Lane I used to live there as a child. Thank you so much for sharing ❤️ wow walking through the house brought back so many beautiful memories
Hello former Adak resident! Do you remember which house you lived in?
Thank you for this video. I was stationed there from June 1974-June 1975. Lived in Bering Hill barracks. Many of those homes, McDonalds and satellite dishes were not there when I was there. It was very primitive on island back then. Sad that so much has been abandoned
Those marines in the late 1980s seemed to have a luxury experience compared to previous generations!
WOW!!! Thank you posting for this video, a legit trip down memory lane! As it started I was hoping you’d turn right down the street.. you did, then hoped that you go down far enough to show my old house.. you did, then wished you’d go inside one to see the what memories would fill my head.. you did. To top it off your ending picture of the house at the end behind basketball hoop from the park that you walked along WAS THE HOUSE I LIVED IN with mom and dog. ❤
Coolest find on the internet I gotta say, thanks again!
Amazing! I was hoping somebody who lived in these houses would see this and my other Adak videos. Glad you had a chance to return home, at least virtually!
Why was it Closed down and what was it like to live there 😮
Its so bizarre to see a suburb at the very edge of the world. Great video!
Great Video...I was stationed there from March 1994 - April 1995 with the Fuels Department. It was my favorite tour of all my 27 years in the Navy!
I'm curious - was the McDonald's already closed when you arrived?
The music and images are so soothing. This video is a visual lullaby. I believe I will have sweet dreams tonight, thank you 🥰
The choice of music sometimes is painstaking. I knew this licensed track was the right one as soon as I heard it. It felt like Adak. I'm glad it worked for you and other viewers.
In a way it's kind of spooky. You've come on an abandoned settlement. This area would be great for a movie project
I love these urbex tours. ❤️ from Canada
Greetings fellow Canadian! I’m releasing another tour tomorrow at noon.
Looks like a community-based wind turbine farm would go a long way to providing power there if they decide to revive it. As for being cheap prefabs, it looks like they've held up decently well considering they've been abandoned for... 20-25 years??
A wind farm would seem to make sense for Adak considering its high winds. But the ROI would be years (or maybe decades?) due to the extreme cost of shipping and construction. As for the houses - most would need to be demolished and replaced due to 25+ years of decay from the winds, moisture, and cold. The handful of houses that are in use now were never abandoned.
Thanks for this video. I lived on Adak from 1976 to 1980. For those that were there I was the kid at the beginning of the News Cast that the fire chief was giving the new bike to. The yearning to move back is strong for me. Even though these homes weren't even built yet when I lived there... it's still good to see the island and hope to make it back some time very soon.
Thanks for sharing! The fire chief didn't happen to be Steve Carroll? He now operates "The Adak/Aleutian Experience" house that I stayed in for 4 days.
That name sounds real familiar... I was 8 when that occurred. never been good with names but I remember faces real well even after many years of aging. I'll look him up. That would be a really cool connection if he was Captain then.@@chrisluckhardt
Wow I know what you feel Merdoc, and who better then Chris can take one back the memory lane .-) Just filmning and dont spoil every moment with constant talking about this and that like many others
Lived in Eagle Bay housing 94-95 after families had departed. 2 Chiefs per house My roommate had been there 7 years nd he passed on his daughters aquarium with 1 surviving fish. My unit had the ugliest red orchid sofa, that would put anyone who sat on it to sleep in minutes.They were in great condition with boilers in each unit and built for the earthquakes and weather. Seen another video that you could buy them for $5K. If you could get utilities back on it would be great. You're dependent on air ambulance for any major healthcare which is the major drawback. 8-12 hours to get help and return you to Anchorage if you really needed it.
My host said he bought a couple of houses in Sandy Cove around the price point you mentioned. But one of the houses was much more expensive because it was in great condition. I looked in more of the Eagle Bay housing and all of it looked like the one in the video. Sorry, but I don't recall seeing your ugly red orchid sofa!
We were stationed there early 60s, my mother got sick there. Died with in one year of leaving. It did have it's beauty.
Forgive my inquiry, but was it something on Adak that caused her illness?
I don't know it was ovarian cancer but later said is was call a super contamination. God only knows, I just tuned 76 and got stage 1 breast cancer, but mine was found early and just had surgery last week, hoping with radiation it will beat it. Thanks
@@sandraalexander1922 Best of luck with your treatment and recovery!!!
so creepy that's exactly how I remember these house 20 years ago. they housed 4 individuals to a house. I remember the cannery would pick us up in a school bus and take us to chow it was next to the bar. we would walk to work factory wasn't far in between the high school
Very interesting. I don't know how people lived in such a harsh climate, but I do know that one can use one of the abandoned homes as emergency shelter should one become stranded on Adak for any reason. It's also good to know there's still a small population of people still left on the island should you need help.
Becoming stranded on Adak would require a dramatic situation. 33 permanent residents live on island and flights with visitors and supplies are twice per week on a Boeing 737-700. Let's assume the Boeing fleet stops falling apart mid-flight and nobody will become stranded on Adak. 😂
Stumbled on this island randomly on google earth and it looks beautiful, might go there in the next coming years, thankyou for this video.
If you go, I recommend contacting Steve Carroll for accommodations. I rented one of his houses and a truck, and he was a fantastic host.
Fascinating clip. What are the white rectangular objects protruding from most (all?) of the windows?
Thanks! The white object is a type of window awning. I've only seem that type in Adak.
Great video. Are there any videos of the area from back in the 80s and 90s online?
Thanks - unfortunately, I haven't discovered video prior to 2008. Someone created a CZcams video showcasing before and after photos.
I did watch that video also. I imagine in it's days it was quite a busy little spot.@@chrisluckhardt
Chris - Utube 1981 Adak Gerrit Video Shows Adak 1981 While I was Stationed There !!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What are the vent looking things out of windows in the buildings
The white object are awnings. Behind them is a regular window.
thank you
Only 33 residents are left in Adak altogether? Or just that neighborhood? Also... if one were to go there, are the ruins of these neighborhoods and installations open to exploration? Or did you have to clear it with authorities?
My host told me there's 33 permanent residents living on the island year-round. He is the former Fire Chief and returned to Adak with his wife to retire and run a quadplex Airbnb. As for the exploring, they don't want people going into the abandoned buildings but knew _exactly_ why I was there. I do my exploring without permission 99% of the time otherwise it wouldn't be possible. I treat every place like a living museum so there's no owner concern for theft or vandalism.
@chrisluckhardt Thanks for the info! I just talked to Steve this evening and told him I would like to visit there next summer for the exact reason you did. Seems like an awesome place! How expensive was the trip for you if you don't mind me asking?
@@boisebadboy93 Highly recommend Steve’s accommodations and his stories. Great guy who will take care of all your needs. I don’t have my spreadsheets open but it was an expensive adventure - six flights plus the cost of being on Adak for 4 days. Worth _every_ dollar!
Wow-most houses are in move-in condition! My question: every house has a garage-what did you need a car for? How many miles of road was there on the island?
Looks are deceiving because those houses are beyond repair. Locals told me the extremely wet and harsh climate made most of those structures uninhabitable. Everything would need to be demolished and rebuilt. As for the cars, historic photos show numerous vehicles but they're now decaying in various open areas. Satellite views show all the paved roads - people would drive everywhere due to the harsh climate and winters.
I understand cost but it seems the OLD Amulet Housing was much better made with Arctic entries etc... why did they get torn down?
Adak still has a subdivision of amulet housing. But it decayed much faster than the 1980s houses.
Seen several videos of Adak, I was wondering if the deterioration was vandalism or just harsh conditions. Prefabricated homes, I understand.
My host owns a few houses that he rents to visitors. He showed me his constant battle with mold and rot from the harsh climate. Those cheap prefab houses didn’t stand a chance against Adak without constant maintenance. Vandalism was a problem too but the climate is the real killer.
I served here! 90,91 why was it closed?
Adak was one of 32 bases closed as part of the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission.
Which month did you visited?
July 30 to August 3.
Shame on the Navy for allowing these houses to deteriorate. They should board them and clean them to prepare for the possibility of renewed use. What a waste of taxpayers money.
Unfortunately, most of what you see is beyond repair. The Navy would have to rebuild virtually everything except for the airport.
Too remote to be vandalized / squatted
Unfortunately, there's vandalism in every abandoned building I explored on Adak. But there's hundreds of houses so some escaped manmade damage. My guess is the vandalism was caused by hunters and fishermen visiting or stopping at the island temporarily.
NAS AIMD my son was born there. 90 91
What is AIMD?
Why do people still live there?
I can’t speak for the locals specifically. But I got a sense that it’s the solitude, nature, community, and pace of life that keeps them out there.
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The vandalism needs to stop... With China acting crazzy we may need to reopen this base.
China is the one you pick? There's a buffet of crazy military nonsense going on by so many other countries.
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