There was a small Chukchi settlement on the southern end of the island called Kolyuchino but as of 1987, there was no village and very rare traces of former human presence such as separate logs and coals.

In the Chaplino dialect of the Central Siberian Yupik language its name is Кулусик (Kulusik) – "separate ice floe".

The passengers and crew were rescued by air in a dramatic and much publicised operation which made heroes of Captain Vladimir Voronin and expedition leader Otto Schmidt.

In 1943 a polar research station was transferred from Cape Dzhenretlen [ru] to the western part of the island, staffed by 3-4 people by the late 1980s.

The last director of the station, Alexey Spasskin, launched an amateur radio service from the island in 1989 with the call name УЖ1ПОЛ/УА10 and the callsign АС65.