By 1950, every single resident had left the town, leaving it abandoned. . Was this a serial killer on the loose, wild animals, Bigfoot, spirits, demons, or something else altogether? Both being remote ports for fishing and canning, being run by Eskimo and Russian descendants the local business was so good and attracted so many people that the area was even assigned a US Post Office. Yet, for numerous reasons many of these once flourishing towns met with hard times and gradually lost population and retail services that made living there impossible. Although Aleut people have lived on the Southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula for thousands of years, no one had a settlement in the Portlock area until the 1780s. What he saw threw him into a panic as a group of vicious hairy men began converging on his position. I knew her as a fellow artist with me, a hard worker at the interior decorators in Mountain City, an unusually mature 18 year old. City, State. One might recall that a number of very strange paranormal events occurred in Nome, Alaska, also a coastal town further north on the shores of the largest and most wild of the 50 states. $549,900 2 bds2 ba1,096 sqft - Condo for sale Price cut: $19,100 (Jul 11) 96 Hunter Rise, Chatham, MA 02633 JOHN C RICOTTA & ASSOC. Hopefully Im wrong and this series improves as it goes along. This Documentary Film takes you along on an adventure to one of the most mysterious places on earth- the abandoned coastal town of Port Chatham, aka Portlock. 4/5 stars signed by each SEC school from 2019-22 (bulk of this year's roster): Alabama 89 Texas A&M 76 Georgia 73 LSU 58 Florida 51 Auburn 42 Tennessee 38 Kentucky 27 Ole Miss 24 South Carolina 22 Arkansas 22 Mississippi State 22 Missouri 13 Vanderbilt 7. Bears are certainly large and strong enough to do the damage seen by the villagers, and would be attracted by the salmon canning plant, but the footprints and eyewitness accounts dispute this. All rights reserved. Seventy years ago, a murderous Bigfoot-like creature sent residents fleeing from Portlock, Alaska. In the 1920s, a man by the name of Albert Petka supposedly scared off the hairy creature with his dogs, but not before receiving a fatal blow to the chest. 10 Ghostly Idaho Ghost Towns You Need to See. Out in the cold wilds of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, is a windswept array of buildings in the middle of nowhere called Portluck. Hey Mike, wow this is certainly a fascinating tale. They had long told of a creature stalking the wildernesses of the region, which they referred to as a Nantiinaq, roughly translating to half man- half beast. The Natives were apparently terrified of these creatures, and would avoid any area in which they were known to lurk. He barely escaped with his life and he was convinced that it was a bigfoot. Juneau, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska Legislature convenes for a new session Tuesday with a bipartisan coalition controlling the Senate for the first time in over a decade, a divided House struggling to organize for the third straight term and a newly reelected Republican governor who said hes interested in working with lawmakers and problem solving.. Many people started to blame this on a killer cryptid! 'Personal Narrative,' Eng. Sign up for our newsletter and get notified of the best travel destinations for your next trip. She was a rather wild kid, and said curiosity overcame her fears. Alaskan Killer Bigfoot is an American television series on Discovery+. There are lots of accounts of creatures being seen in the area. 1944 and 1945, the Japanese launched more than 9,000 bomb-rigged balloons across the Pacific . . Thats the best and most realistic show on TV right now pertaining to Bigfoot. We're not talking about a dozen people. What Happened to the Town of Portlock, Alaska? That was like just a teaser. HOME; SEARCH; MY TREE Start Family Tree; Andrew T Portlock - Sacramento, California - (916) 666-8831. Stories of mutilated bodies, missing hunters and strange . Yet, a common pattern in the Pacific Northwest seems to manifest itself in people being chased, murdered, or vanished in the presence of what we now call, Bigfoot. It would not report again on the census until 1980, when it was made a census-designated place (CDP), again reporting 31 residents. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. but i also believe in good and evil, god and the devil. Meaning young healthy people are as much a part of that statistic as old, sick or dying ones. It was dissolved as a CDP by the 1990 census and has not reported again. This Nantiinaq creature wasnt your usual Sasquatch, but more of a shapeshifter, keeping away from people. The community of Portlock began in Port Chathem bay in the Kenai Penninsula as a cannery in the early 1900's. Its inhabitants were mainly Russian folk, specifically from the Aleutian Islands which form a curving archipelago that connects Alaska and Russia while delineating the Bering Sea from Pacific Ocean. Around 1900, an American firm brought in a fleet of fishing boats and built a cannery to take advantage of the calm waters and the healthy run of salmon. One of them is from the Portlock village, in Port Chatham Bay only 200 km (124 miles) south of the states most populous city, Anchorage. Fishermen turned up missing after boating down the nearby coastline and camping inland never to be seen again! In the spring of 2021, Discovery+ filmed a reality television series in Portlock. Portlock's death sentence was signed when, along the opposite edge of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska Route 1 was completed during the 1940s, finally allowing efficient transportation between Anchorage and all of the many towns along the peninsula. Anchorage has had 25 homicides this year and nine deaths remain unsolved; Police issue advisory this week urging residents to be 'extra aware' dun dun duuuuuuuuuuun!!! There are somethings in this world we just cant explain. At first Portluck seemed safe, but whether the Nantiinaq had anything to do with it or not, strange things began happening in and around Portluck not long after its settlement. According to local history, an unexplained hairy creature continuously assaulted and stalked the villagers, murdering them and leaving their bodies, until they finally all abandoned the area. He has written for 8 years in a variety of fields including history, health and politics. The murdered man was only the first sign of an unknown threat in the woods surrounding the village. Bigfoot is almost always reclusive and shy, avoiding human contact at all costs. According to Steve on his You Tube Channel How to Hunt there are incidents still going on there even now. I will have to go through his book again specifically looking for this. Are there a lot of haunted areas in Alaska? 70 years ago the people of the cannery town of Portlock, Alaska were forced to flee their homes following a series of murders and disappearances they blamed on Bigfoot, known locally as Nantinaq. Several residents who grew up there and moved out still talk about its beauty. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Read millions of eBooks and audiobooks on the web, iPad, iPhone and Android. At the time the only people who lived there were mostly Native Aleuts and Russians, and at first it was little more than a collection of huts, a serene sanctuary away from civilization and surrounded by natural splendor. Something was killing the inhabitants and leaving their dismembered corpses to be found by the villagers, washed up on the banks of the bay or out in plain sight, left where they had been killed. There was an air of fear and mystery that began to pervade the small town. After so many scary rumors, the population began dwindling in Portlock. From the start, the show seemed highly scripted, and once the group arrived at the site of Portlock, the first nights cornucopia of cliched Bigfoot phenomena just seemed way too convenient. One of them is from the Portlock village, in Port Chatham Bay only 200 km (124 miles) south of the state's most populous city, Anchorage. The pressure is 994.4 mb and the humidity is 89%. I think there might be a mix up. Throughout the United States is a great heritage of abandoned towns serving as a testament to a past that no longer exists. my thoughts on why physical evidence of their existence will never be discovered is because they are not of flesh and blood as we know it. ALASKAN KILLER BIGFOOT. Soon, many moved away from the small community, scared for their lives. Accept Read More. Learn more about your ad choices. This state is huge, and the animals and terrain havent been fully explored. "It's definitely an interesting story, but people swear by this. Data and Statistics. Nothing there but death. Plus Ron Morehead was in Episode 4, so that added a bit of credibility to it in my book. they are from a demonic realm which cannot be physically discovered. After a series of unexplained events and deaths, the town was suddenly abandoned en-masse around . Why? Alaska is full of stunning vistas, beautiful animals, and ghost towns. ", "When the 1930s incidents started to happen most of the Russian Aleuts actually moved out of town for a year. Which effectively means that its less dangerous than covid for people who were already dying of cancer to go for a walk in the woods in certain regions of Alaska, but more dangerous than covid for young healthy people to try it. A resident of the village happened to see a huge and hairy man destroying the fish wheels used to process salmon, that he described as looking like a devil. It was a true frontier of America and only the hardiest would survive. Portlock Cannery, Port Chatham by CoastView | Oct 17, 2022 Portlock is a historical salmon cannery in Port Chatham, an embayment on the southern coast of the Kenai Peninsula, about 102 miles (164 km) north-northeast of Kodiak and 10 miles (16 km) south-southeast of Port Graham, Alaska. Your email address will not be published. It is said that this big bad beast is the reason behind the town being abandoned and left to become a legend. It was the only town in the region of Port Chatham Bay, and people sometimes use the terms interchangeably. Excellent worker. Here is a list of some of the creepiest ghost towns in Alaska. It seemed impossible that a sudden withdrawal of the townspeople could happen, but it did. The four were last seen May 27. The people of Portlock knew what a bear looks like and this was no bear. These disappearances and deaths coincided with a wave of sightings of large hairy creatures and less identifiable shadow entities. Portlock, Alaska, is no longer on maps, as there is not much left. I enjoyed it. It would not be until 1900 that any large scale settlement would take place here, when a salmon cannery was established along the shore of the bay. In addition, various groups of gold miners and hunters used to head to the mountains for their work. Looking for Richard Boutte online? She had a very white face and would scream and moan. And then came stories about hauntings in Chatham Bay and the mine in Chrome. Abandoned Lifeboat on Bouvet Island: Mystery Solved! Sources say the primary cast of the Last Alaskans made as much as $3,000 for every episode they appeared in. It appears that this species of Sasquatch is unpredictable and can be deadly whenever encountered. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. The Maxim gun was first used by Britain's colonial forces in the First Matabele War in 1893-1894. You can even take a road trip to discover the most, Step Inside The Creepy, Abandoned Town Of Port Chatham In Alaska, The Abandoned Kennecott Copper Mine In Alaska Is One Of The Eeriest Places In America, The Creepiest Hike In Alaska Takes You Through The Ruins Of A Ghost Town, This Abandoned Copper Mine In Alaska Is Like Nothing Youve Seen Before, Going To This Abandoned Alaska Ghost Town Is Eerie But Awesome, You Might Be Surprised To Learn That Bigfoot Has Been Spotted At These 13 Eerie Locations In Alaska, The Story Behind These 33 Trees In Alaska May Surprise You, Visit These 9 Creepy Ghost Towns In Alaska At Your Own Risk, uaa-hmc-1050-album2-257 | Lawrence Eastman photographs, 1949-1951. We're talking like three dozen people. The boat would need to be out farther than the giant could walk in the water, and the boat itself would need to obscure your view so it's eyes don't lay sight on you. Maybe you're seeing it from a strange angle or it's too close to trees so you can't see its whole shape.". Giant manlike tracks, 18 inches reported closing in on moose tracks and signs of a struggle. I recently sent you a New e-mail. Alaska is larger than life, with overwhelming landscapes offering adventure. These ghost towns are reminders of the efforts of pioneers, settlers, and mining operations that once made it profitable for people to establish a city in the frontier and make trade possible that would perpetuate residency. Which is not to say that North America does not have dangerous animals which exist beyond a doubt. It was very odd, because the body was found some distance away from the actual site, and the piece of machinery used to kill him was far too heavy for any man to have even picked it up, much less drag any significant distance. The first was a local hunter . Now, an expedition returns to the abandoned fishing village to reclaim the land and its resources from the terrifying beast locals call Nantinaq. Website by PMG Media Group. Source: GARETH / Adobe Stock. He's written articles for MU and Daily Grail and has been a guest on Coast to Coast AM and Binnal of America. Had high hopes, but was left seriously disappointed. The creature, from the scant eyewitness accounts, was large and covered with hair. [9], Portlock was located adjacent to another community known as Port Chatham (which takes its name from Port Chatham bay). Starring Frank "Guy" Berestoff, Ash Naderhoff, Herman Curtis Genres Some people gave these creatures names such as the Mountain Apes or Hairy Men. translat. There are over 100 abandoned towns in Alaska, and most claim ghosts as their only residents. They arrived at the site of a bloody battle and no moose was found. However, they also suggest that many of the stories about their hometown exist to keep outsiders from discovering what a magical place it is. It is definitely highly dramatized, but I do think there is some reality mixed in. He has traveled all over Juneau and many other Alaskan towns in search of natural history and stories. She would moan and scream, then disappear into the cliff face. He ran back to get his gun and when he returned, the beast just stared at him and walked off. Once upon a time, Portlock, Alaska was a vibrant, lively town with a thriving community and a bright future ahead of it. The logger died, and the unusual trend continued when several hunters disappeared a few years later. Isn't this the place to be if you want to settle the question whether Bigfoot exists or not--Portlock, Alaska. Although some people will forever dispute the events at Port Lock and Port Chatham as wives tales something threatening definitely happened and was never solved. REMAINS: Mine tunnel, house pilings, . Bigfoot is most commonly known from its footprints (Igor / Abode Stock). Residents took off en masse in 1949, leaving their houses, the nearby chromium mine, the cannery, the teacher cottage, and the large school house, to return to the wilderness. Describing them as Devils he was lucky enough to scramble down the tree and get to his boat so that he could row out into the sea! This was where the terrifying tales seemed to align with the untimely deaths of those citizens now lived in Portlock and Port Chatham. About Data and Statistics. Whatever it was, it was extremely aggressive and deadly to anyone caught out on their own. The village, established by Royal British Navy captain Nathanial Portlock in 1787, was in an unexplored and wild part of the country. This area has been home to the Sugpiaq people for centuries. Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - John B. Perkins was well known for reciting original Tlingit poetry while drumming at the Goldbelt Tram. ", "We're not talking about a dozen people. It would not report again on the census until 1980, when it was made a census-designated place (CDP), again reporting 31 residents. Regetably though even if it doesn't see you, you'll still be smelled and or heard. i believe people are seeing and hearing and smelling exactly what they say they are. It left large tracks which matched a humans foot of great size. No.". "The local Natives started talking about a creature, a hairy Big Foot type Yeti monster and it was called the Nantiinaq or big hairy creature as it was called. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. The village of Nanwalek still maintains private ownership of Portlock today. The last residents fled in 1950, and the village lay abandoned. Did you see it? There can be no doubt that this place was rather suddenly left to the elements and shunned by those who once made their living here, but what was it? There are plenty of areas that have unexplained happenings in them, including tales of ghost stories or people that disappear. The Yowie: More Than Just Australias Bigfoot? Return to the boat and watch if worried about safety. The first of the strange occurrences started in 1905, when people from the village were harassed by a large animal, which bothered their camps in the night. Dec 28 Mystery Of Portlock, Alaska The local Natives started talking about a creature, a hairy Big Foot type Yeti monster and it was called the Nantiinaq or big hairy creature as it was called. The body was partially eaten by an unknown beast that left human foot tracks in its wake. Many people use the term Port Chatham when referring to Portlock. There are a lot of haunted areas in Alaska. On the southernmost region of Alaskas Kenai Peninsula lies the remnants of a small village called Portlock. Seventy years after the hauntings started, they were still continuing when people visited the area. Required fields are marked *. On the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula you'll find Portlock, a whole town that disappeared in Alaska. This was where the terrifying tales seemed to align with the untimely deaths of those citizens now lived in Portlock and Port Chatham. :-). The villagers would hear something and then she would disappear back into the cliff face, History writes Seventy years ago, a murderous Bigfoot-like creature sent residents fleeing from Portlock, Alaska. On the southernmost region of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula lies the remnants of a small village called Portlock. ASL-PCA-66 | Alaska State Library - Historical Collections, UAF-1991-18-155 | Arnold Granville photographs | Alaska Digital Archives, ASL-P237-1-18 | Carl L. Hubbs Photograph Collection, 1939, ASL-PCA-237-1 | Alaska State Library - Historical Collections, UAF-1991-18-153 | Arnold Granville photographs | Alaska Digital Archives, ASL-P237-1-17 | Carl L. Hubbs Photograph Collection, 1939, ASL-PCA-237-1 | Alaska State Library - Historical Collections, Head To This Eerie Island For A Real Life Adventure In Alaska. Portlock first appeared on the 1940 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village of 31 residents. In the forests, people reported that someone ripped trees out and shoved them back in upside down. Weed has said of this: Those people did leave the town. For an adrenaline-pumping excursion, look no further than tales of this now-abandoned town on the Alaska coast. Do we think something touched it at the time? Blood and Blood-Drinking: Paranormal Creatures and (Alleged) Real Vampires, Connecticut Woman Unearths Ancient Arrowhead While Planting Flowers, A Strange UFO Attack Case from the 17th Century, The Strange Phenomenon of "Animal-Shaped Spirit Guardians". Whatever or whoever was responsible obviously forced a rapid abandonment of the two fishing villages by the townspeople to other nearby communities for safety. In some cases, the town was bypassed by a railroad or highway. "A logger was out working and something or someone hit him over the head with a huge piece of logging equipment, something that one man couldn't have lifted. Then there is another account of Andrew Kamluck, a logger, who was also killed by being struck on the back of the head with an extremely large, heavy piece of machinery. Do you believe the rumors about Portlock, Alaska? From a distance of say a hundred feet, your brain has never seen a bear that big, so you put together an idea of what you think you saw. This left plenty of villages that became whats known as ghost towns, and theyre located all around the state. And then, bodies started appearing around the village. Occurrences like these began to show up regularly. If zoos can capture gorillas why cant a team tranquilize this creature for study and hunters have guns why didnt the kill or wound this creature that attacked them, Scattered across the North American continent are many ghost towns, places that were once vibrant and alive but are now long dead and abandoned. Those people did leave the town. Great article. They described her dress as being so long that she would have to drag it. Hey, I have a New yahoo e-mail address, brandonrp1114@gmail.com. #1Portlock, AlaskaSettlementUpdated: 2020-02-29Portlock is a ghost town in the USA state of Alaska, located on the southern edge of the Kenai Peninsula, around 16 mi south of Seldovia. In the 1920s, a man by the name of Albert Petka supposedly scared off the hairy creature with his dogs, but not before receiving a fatal blow to the chest. One man, a prospector, who was surveying the land outside of town for resources that could be mined had climbed to the top of a tree to get his bearings and a better overall lay of the land. If you travel to the southern side of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula today, you'll find little more than ruins and wildlife. Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, wrote stories of his childhood that include an encounter with Bauman, a seasoned trapper in Idaho. She said they were much longer than a bear. Now, an expedition returns to the abandoned fishing village to reclaim the land and its resources from the terrifying beast locals call Nantinaq. The locals noted that the impressions made by people who had disappeared often merged with the large footprints of the unknown tracks and vanished! For some this is a step too far. It is one hundred and fifty-eight miles by road southwest from Anchorage.The population was 7,424 as of the 2020 census, up from 7,100 in 2010, the fifteenth-most populated city in the state. Brian Weed is the co-founder of a group called Juneau's Hidden History that primarily keeps track of things through their Facebook page. Publications. The cannery workers returned the next season, but unexplained events were continually reported. Watch remotely from the safety of a boat. What seemed the stuff of camp fire tales and horror stories emerged to grip the community when hunters that had gone into the foothills of nearby mountains never returned. By 1950, the town had been completely abandoned. We've seen a few things that we couldn't explain at the time, but later as we investigated it was, 'Oh these rocks slid because of this ice or the timber decided to finally break because it was all rotten.' We know when the town and post office shut down. Whereas Hollywood often depicts pioneer life as violent and filled with hired gunmen and frequent gun play the Old West and pioneer life were not as violent as todays condensed big city populations with the shootings that occur in places like Chicago, Baltimore, or Detroit. Whether the town was passed over for railroad service, by the construction of a major highway that made it too inconvenient to travel to that village, or a mining encampment whose ore ran out and depleted the local economy, ghost towns are all that remains. With unexplained disappearances and murders, no one felt they could take a chance and continue to live here. What Really Happened in Portlock, Alaska? The group has many items they have collected over the years, including uncommon maps that they were given to by collectors. He says that shows that take place in Alaska often do not show true Alaska and that they hope to change that with their honest depiction of exploring the state. Love Alaska? Out in the cold wilds of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, is a windswept array of buildings in the middle of nowhere called Portluck. Fear took root in the population at the loss of so many lives, and people started to leave the village. With only a few rotting houses left of the once-vibrant village. i like these guys, just homies from the vill. According to the stories, Petka survived to explain what happened, but died to his wounds soon after. According to the stories, Petka survived to explain what happened, but died to his wounds soon after. However, the stories have kept tourists, developers, and settlers away from an otherwise pristine coastline. And it lived in the remote wilderness of the North American continent. Head To This Eerie Island For A Real Life Adventure In Alaska or You Might Be Surprised To Learn That Bigfoot Has Been Spotted At These 13 Eerie Locations In Alaska. What to Know Before Visiting Fairyland Caverns, Explore North Georgias Beautiful Wine Country, 8 Amazing Scenic Drives in Central Florida, 7 Best Antique Shops in Corpus Christi for Treasure Hunting, The Big Easy: The Truth Behind This Strange City Nickname, Soul Food You Have to Eat When Visiting New Orleans, Why Wisconsin May Not Be the Cheese Capital of the World, Get Hopped Up at the 7 Best Breweries in St. Louis. At first, the settlement thrived. Set up night vision cameras, drones and any other variety of modern technology that is now available to the average person and becomes more affordable each year. The cannery plant posted armed guards to attempt to keep the cannery open, but it was no use. In the 1920s, Albert Petka reported running off a peculiar animal with his dogs before receiving a fatal blow from the creature. What was out there? On the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula, you'll find Portlock, Alaska, a whole town that disappeared within the state, with only a few rotting houses left of the once-vibrant village. Those who were not part of the main cast and only have recurring roles make $1,500. As for prints, She heard some days about her dad complaining about large footprints, that he'd say were bear, in the snow; but he seemed troubled about them, unduely agitated in a fearful manner, and would hurry her away from them. Bears, wolves and big cats roam the continent, and the people who settled at Portlock to make a life for themselves would have been tough indeed. by with a free trial. I wonder what most historians would have to say about the strange saga of Portlock, Alaska? By 1910 there was enough interest in opening a cannery at Portlock that the town became official with the opening of its post office in 1921. Whats Really on the Backside of Mt. iv. they appear as so,but are not. There was a small village site at Portlock before it was founded and those people had originally moved away. Top Image: The deaths were very real was the Portlock Sasquatch real as well? One man, a prospector, who was surveying the land outside of town for resources that could be mined had climbed to the top of a tree to get his bearings and a better overall lay of the land. Juneau, Alaska (Alaska Beacon) - The amount of oil flowing through the Trans Alaska Pipeline System was higher in 2022 than in each of the two years prior, the systems operator said on Tuesday. In her interview Malania said her godfather (whom she never named) was killed after being hit on the back of his head with a winch while on a boat. The victim, John Mire (some reports say McQuire), or "The Dutchman" as he was called by the local Native Americans, was killed by an assailant thought to be "the bushman." Only one death was reported during the entire time, an accident involving a young man in 1920. Juneau, Alaska (The Alaska Beacon) - There are at least two distinct populations of harbor porpoises in Southeast Alaska waters, and one of them appears to be particularly vulnerable to deaths from entanglements in commercial fishing gear, according to newly released information from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists. On one occasion a local man named Tom Larsen claimed to have seen one on the beach methodically tearing apart fish wheels, but said that when he had tried to shoot it with his rifle he had felt oddly compelled to not fire. Read on to learn more about the terrifying history of Portlock and the Portlock, Alaska murders. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. At this time, many of the workers at the cannery suddenly stopped coming to work and refused to come back, but this wasnt due to poor pay or working conditions, but rather because the men were deeply spooked. Portlock, Alaska Teacher and his wife at English Bay stated hunters from Portlock sometimes failed to return. The entire population hastily exited their town and virtually overnight the two communities became ghost towns. The town began in the early 1900s as a cannery for salmon. Biology, nature, and cryptozoology still remain Brent Swancers first intellectual loves. The first bizarre incident allegedly happened in as early as 1905, just a few years after the cannery had opened. In the 1920s, a man by the name of Albert Petka supposedly scared off the hairy creature with his dogs, but not before receiving a fatal blow to the chest. I would NOT spend the night onshore, only overnighting in the boat, well offshore. Portlock (Sugpiaq: Arrulaa'ik) is a ghost town in the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern edge of the Kenai Peninsula, around 16 miles (26km) south of Seldovia.