Emily Chan
In 1950, the village of Portlock, Alaska, was abandoned in favor of newer towns located near the Alaska Route 1 state highway.
But legend has it that the residents of Portlock fled the town because of a giant, hairy beast that started attacking everyone living there. The beast resembled Bigfoot and was known by the name of Nantiinaq.
The term Nantiinaq means “those that steal people.” It comes from the Native Alaskan Dena’ina word “nant’ina.” Nantiinaq is said to be responsible for dozens of deaths and disappearances of the town’s inhabitants. So, what exactly went down in Portlock?
Portlock was nestled on the southern coast of Alaska in the Kenai Peninsula along Port Chatham Bay. The town’s history began around 1786 when Captain Nathaniel Portlock from the British Navy landed in the area. However, the town did not start to grow until the early 20th century after a cannery for salmon was built.
The small village was made up of fishermen, miners, loggers, and cannery workers. By 1921, Portlock was big enough to have its own post office. But 30 years later, the town was abandoned as people moved closer to the new highway. Some believe that the real reason the residents left was that a monster had been terrorizing the town for decades.
Around 1900, not long after Portlock was established as a town, chilling tales began to spread. In 1905, all the Native American cannery workers left because there was something in the woods.
They returned the next year, though, and for the next several decades, numerous reports of creepy incidents emerged. In the 1920s, the local newspaper claimed that a creature was lurking around one of the mines. People had also spotted whole trees ripped out of the ground.
In 1931, logger Andrew Kamluck died mysteriously. Apparently, a huge piece of logging equipment had been used to hit him over the head. However, the equipment was much too heavy for a human to lift.
In addition, there was blood on a nearby crane, but Kamluck was found 10 feet away from it. Furthermore, hunters had encountered 18-inch footprints while tracking a moose.
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