Terrifying Legend: Abandoned Portlock Alaska

Portlock, Alaska, is located at the bottom of the Kenai Peninsula. It is now a remote ghost town with a terrifying reputation.

Portlock was once a bustling fishing village with a cannery, mainly for salmon. It is said to have been named after Captain Nathaniel Portlock, a British shipcaptain who landed on the peninsula in 1786. In 1921, the first post office opened in town, which was home to Alutiiq natives.

Mass Exodus

In the 1940s, the town began to decrease, and it wasn't because people were seeking better opportunities; it was something darker and more sinister. The town was surrounded by deep wilderness, where you could get lost and vanish into the woods.

Not only did hikers begin to disappear, but workers from the cannery. The bodies would eventually show back up, strewn among the forest, body parts all over. The local authorities wanted to blame the wildlife but were unable due to how the bodies were destroyed. It did not seem like any wildlife, but something worse.

At this time, people got scared and slowly began to leave the area; eventually, the entire town was abandoned.

An Evil Bigfoot

The locals determined it was Nantinaq, an evil bigfoot. The creature is said to have haunted the area for generations and dwelled in the forest. Nantinaq is said to be aggressive and frightening, not wanting anyone to live on its land.

The people of Portlock did not gradually leave; it was as if there had been an exodus. One day, the town was a bustling fishing village, and the next, it was abandoned. People just left all of their belongings and fled.

To this day, the town remains abandoned, except for a few hunters and ghost hunters looking for a story.

A Bigfoot Story Sighting?

In 1973, three friends went camping in the Alaskan wilderness. The plan was to go hunting on the Kenai Peninsula; they were experienced outdoorsmen. The men were in the area of Dogfish Bay when the weather forced them to set up camp for the night.

The group prepared to stay on Dogfish Bay for a few days due to bad weather. That night was rough, with strong winds and rain. However, the worst part of the night was when one of the group members woke the others, thinking something was walking around outside their tent.

The group members woke up and heard the sound of footsteps right outside their tent; at first, they thought it could be a bear, but as they listened, it sounded like something was walking on two legs, with heavy, slow footsteps.

It sounded as if whatever was outside their tent was circling it. Then, the steps stopped in front of the tent's door. The men sat inside their tent in complete silence, wondering what was outside but too afraid to look.

Eventually, the men fell back asleep. In the morning, they felt they had overreacted and were silly and scared. They assumed it was a bear or a moose, and when no food was found, the animal slowly wandered off.

The next day, the men realized they could not go further into the woods and decided to stay at the same campsite for another night.

That night, the men ensured they had their guns loaded and flashlights nearby, just in case. As the night before, the men were woken by something outside their tents. However, they were prepared. Guns in hand, they sat and listened to what sounded like a large man walking outside their tent. However, this time, the men decided to see what was outside.

When they opened the tent door, the men saw nothing—an eerie silence, nothing besides the deep Alaskan wilderness. The men went back inside, and when they awoke, the weather was still bad, meaning they would have to spend another night at the same spot.

This time, the men did not sleep. They stood up and waited for the noise to return, but the visitor did not return that night. Luckily, the weather had cleared in the morning, and the men could finally leave the campsite.

The men decided to go home instead of staying in the Alaskan woods. The men thought it was their minds playing tricks on them.

Did the men witness an encounter with Nantinaq? Did staying in the tent save their lives?