The site is believed to have been along the southern fringe of the hypothesized Bering land bridge, by which (according to that theory) the Americas were first settled.

At the time of its settlement, sea level was believed to be lower (by about 100 metres (330 ft)), and the area consisted of a strandflat surrounded by nutrient-rich waters and abundant wildlife.

[4] The Anangula site was first discovered by William S. Laughlin in 1938, when surface surveys identified the area as of potential interest.

In the 1950s additional research was done in the area, but its great age was not understood until its major features were found, buried beneath 2 metres (6.6 ft) of volcanic deposits.

Excavations in the late 1960s uncovered all or part of eight house remains, and recovered more than 30,000 artifacts, some of which bore little resemblance to other North American finds at the time.