Juneau Representative Sara Hannan Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - The State House of Representatives Friday voted to add about 250 acres to Funter Bay Marine Park near Juneau. It was approved 31 to 8.
Juneau Representative Sara Hannan was spurred to sponsor House Bill 10 to protect the social and historical significance of Unangax Cemetery by adding it to the park.
When the Japanese invaded the Aleutian Islands during WWII, the Unangax people were forcibly removed from the Pribilof Islands and interned in Southeast Alaska during 1942. Some were sent to Funter Bay near Juneau.
Representative Hannan said during her floor comments that there were two camps there. The buildings were decrypted, freshwater was limited, the sanitary conditions were deplorable. And from the beginning, that year, young and old began to suffer illnesses and died. There are 32 recognized graves that have been maintained by the families for 79 years.