History of Return Islands

The original name "Return Reef" was applied to a single sand island NE of Gwydyr Bay, by Franklin (1828, p. 166), Royal Navy (RN), on August 18, 1826, "we quitted Return Reef* * * and began to retrace our way towards the Mackenzie." Leffingwell (1919, p. 89) wrote, "The local usage, starting with the later explorers, has been to apply the term Return Reef to the chain of sand islands * * *. The term Return Islands has been adopted for this chain on the writer's map." John Kelly's Eskimo vocabulary, 1885-89, lists the Eskimo name "Oo-lik-to-me," meaning "at Oliktok." See Oliktok Point.

Found on the following Topo Maps

Places Near Return Islands

Return Islands,

Kuparuk River Delta,

Cat Shoals,

Gwydyr Bay,

Back Point, Point Storkersen,

Kuparuk Mound,

Egg Island, Long Island,

Kuparuk River, Sakonowyak River,

Fawn Creek,