This Abandoned Ghost Town In Alaska Is Downright Bone Chilling
On the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula you’ll find Portlock, a whole town that disappeared in Alaska. With only a few rotting houses left of the once-vibrant village. 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. This thriving town remained until everyone abandoned the village in 1950, with most residents moving to nearby villages down the coast. A mine tunnel, house pilings, and rusted cannery equipment are all that remain of Portlock, and the reason why is terrifying. An unexplained hairy creature continuously assaulted and stalked the villagers, murdering them and leaving their bodies, until they finally all abandoned the area.
Portlock, Alaska lies on the southern end of the Kenai Peninsula in Southcentral Alaska. The village of Portlock was established when Captain Nathanial Portlock of the Royal British Navy landed there in 1787. It was an unexplored, beautiful area, filled with fish and plenty of space.
Residents in the nearby villages of Seldovia, Nanwalek, and Port Graham also report that the area is haunted, including Portlock (also called Port Catham,) Catham Bay, and Chrome, the site of a chromium mine. Portlock began to become well known as one of the creepy places in Alaska. Many are afraid to visit this area due to the unexplained circumstances that continued to happen in this small town.
In 1905, it was reported that all the workers left their cannery jobs due to something mysterious that was "bothering" the camp. The cannery workers returned the next season, but unexplained events were continually reported. There was an air of fear and mystery that began to pervade the small town.
Hunters and gold miners who headed into the mountains started to disappear. In 1931, one man that was chopping wood was found murdered, seemingly by a single blow that seemed stronger than a human could manage. This alarmed the townspeople.
One group hunting a moose reported finding giant footprints also stalking the same animal. They arrived at the site of a bloody battle and no moose was found. Footprints over 18 inches long headed from that spot into the foggy mountains. Occurrences like these began to show up regularly.
One resident saw a huge, hairy man destroying fish wheels along the beach. He ran back to get his gun and when he returned, the beast just stared at him and walked off. With these sightings, unease began to ramp up in the town.
Bodies that were recovered, having washed down the rivers into the lagoon, had strange wounds no bear could make. The loss of these lives took a toll on the small community and fear set in. People started to leave. With unexplained disappearances and murders, no one felt they could take a chance and continue to live here.
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. This left Portlock as on abandoned town in Alaska, and one many people never wanted to return to.
Only the postmaster remained. After a year alone, the post office closed in 1950 and the last resident of Portlock left town. Even the postmaster couldn’t continue on in this town. This town experience over 50 years of hauntings, murders, and disappearances before the townspeople gave in and left.
In the local dialect of Alutiiq, the language of the area, the creature is called a “nantiinaq,” half-man, half-beast. In the 1970's, fisherman forced to take refuge from a storm reported something strange walked through their camp on two feet. It terrified them, and they left as soon as possible. Seventy years after the hauntings started, they were still continuing when people visited the area.
The ghost town of Portlock, Alaska has a mysterious story. Whether or not this is a stronghold of Bigfoot in Alaska, you can decide for yourself. The disappearances and the bodies found were too horrible for anyone to continue living in this small town.
Have you been to Portlock, the whole town that disappeared in Alaska? Were you “bothered” by “something”? Is this someplace you would ever visit to explore? Are there any other Alaskan ghost towns that you’ve visited? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Address: Kenai Peninsula, Alaska 99610, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
Abandoned Ghost Town In Alaska
January 01, 2021
Megan McDonald
Are there many abandoned towns in Alaska?
Yes! There are many towns that have been left to be reclaimed by the earth. After the gold rush, many booming small towns were abandoned as miners left to follow gold claims in other areas. This left plenty of villages that became what’s known as “ghost towns,” and they’re located all around the state.
Are there a lot of haunted areas in Alaska?
There are a lot of haunted areas in Alaska. This state is huge, and the animals and terrain haven’t been fully explored. There are plenty of areas that have unexplained happenings in them, including tales of ghost stories or people that disappear.
Address: Kenai Peninsula, Alaska 99610, USA
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