Step Inside the Creepy, Abandoned Town of Port Chatham in Alaska

In an area so pristine and picturesque, it's hard to imagine that a place with a dark and sinister history would even exist. Well, it just so happens that Port Chatham on the Kenai Peninsula is the creepiest abandoned town in Alaska. In fact, according to Port Chatham, Alaska history, most people wouldn't go near this place even if you paid them to do so. With abundant reports of Bigfoot-like sightings and a history of dead bodies washing up on shore, sometimes it's better to just leave some stones unturned. Even the boldest of travelers would rather let this town lie than be added to the list of Port Chatham disappearances.

It is positively undeniable that the Kenai Peninsula is one of the most beautiful regions in the Last Frontier. With a seemingly unlimited amount of mountains, glaciers, wildlife, and charming small towns, there is simply so much to love and so little to hate.

Here you can experience world-class fishing, exhilarating river rafting, and unique and unusual wildlife sightings, all with a natural backdrop that's so stunning it looks fake.

But the old cannery town of Port Chatham (otherwise known as Portlock) is one hauntingly chilling place that we will stay far, far away from. In fact, pretty much anyone who knows anything about this place will likely agree.

The town was truly and thoroughly abandoned in the 1940s when a series of disappearances and dismembered bodies caused residents to flee in fear. It's one of the creepiest abandoned towns in Alaska. This tiny remote area is located on the Kenai Peninsula, near the well-known town of Homer, far outside of Kachemak Bay State Park.

So what is it about this place that gives people the heebie jeebies? Early settlers said they were driven away by supernatural forces and an unexplained evil spirit.

In fact, they believe that an evil spirit (whom some claim to be a Sasquatch-like creature) was haunting their every move. This 'evil spirit' was described as being a massive, hairy manlike creature that walked on two legs.

Residents who fled in the 1940s also attributed the dismemberments and deaths to a Sasquatch-like creature known locally as Nantinaq. This remote place in the middle of the ocean was first inhabited in 1787 by the British Royal Navy. After the first post office was established in the 1920s, it was said that an evil spirit or creature haunted the nearby mining camp of Chrome, which is now abandoned.

Because this evilness was said to walk on two feet, it diminished the odds that it was a more predictable predator, such as a bear or a wolf. Many claim that it was Bigfoot, Yeti, or Sasquatch. It is also said that many trees throughout the area were completely ripped from the ground and turned upside down, their roots facing upward. This was thought to be more proof that whatever this evil creature was, it was too powerful for any human or village to stop.

But it wasn't just natural occurrences that made people leave town. It was when human remains started showing up that the townspeople officially gave up on the beautiful stretch of land and fled for safer living quarters.

At the height of World War II, bodies in and around Portlock began turning up in nearby rivers, lagoons, and trails near the town. These bodies were said to be completely mutilated and essentially torn to shreds. People also began disappearing out of nowhere and never returning home, for years on end.

By the 1950s, locals were sick and tired of living in fear, so they completely fled the town and left it abandoned. Years later, when hunters returned, it is said that they reported seeing 18-inch-long human-like footprints with patterns similar to a deer or wolf. Pretty creepy, huh? We aren't brave enough (or crazy enough) to ever visit this chilling place. How about you? Would you visit and test our theories for yourself? There's a reason why people think this is one of the spookiest abandoned places in Alaska.

We've been told not to repeat history, and this Port Chatham, Alaska, history is certainly bone-chilling enough to stop us from trying. You may want to avoid Port Chatham, one of the scariest abandoned places in Alaska. I know I will!

Interestingly, Port Chatham, Alaska, isn't the only town in the state where residents have sighted a Sasquatch or Bigfoot-like figure. He's been spotted at more than 10 locations around Alaska, so he's possibly quite the traveler. And the phenomenon goes far beyond the beautiful but eerie state. In Oklahoma, of all places, you can even visit a Bigfoot-themed candy store.

If you want to visit more of the scariest places in Alaska, check out this haunted road trip that will lead you to some of the state's spookiest spots. You might also enjoy the eerie story behind this haunted historic hotel in Anchorage.