Portlock, Alaska
Portlock | |
|---|---|
  Portlock Location within the state of Alaska | |
| Coordinates: 59°12′52″N 151°44′46″W / 59.2144444°N 151.7461111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Elevation | 36 ft (11 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-8 (AKDT) |
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 (26 km) south of Seldovia.[1] It is located in Port Chatham bay, from which an adjacent community takes its name.[2] Named after Nathaniel Portlock, the town was an active cannery community in the early 20th century.
History
[edit]Establishment
[edit]Portlock was established in the Kenai Peninsula in the early 20th century as a cannery,[1] particularly for salmon.[3] It is thought to have been named after Captain Nathaniel Portlock,[1] a British ship captain who sailed there in 1786.[4] In 1921, a United States Post Office opened in the town.[4] The population largely consisted of Russian-Aleuts.[4]
Abandonment
[edit]After the construction of Alaska Route 1, Portlock, along with other towns, was abandoned in favor of communities along the opposite edge of the Kenai Peninsula that were accessible via the highway and, therefore, mainland Alaska. While some stories suggest that the town's abandonment was due to the presence of a creature known as Nantiinaq (often associated with Bigfoot) these accounts emerged decades later, in the 2000s. Official records indicate that the town's post office closed between 1950 and 1951, marking its formal abandonment.[1][5]
Nantiinaq and Bigfoot Legends
[edit]The legend of Nantiinaq is deeply rooted in the oral histories of Native Alaskan communities, particularly among the Alutiiq people of the Kenai Peninsula. Described as a large, hairy, Bigfoot-like creature, Nantiinaq is believed by some to possess supernatural and malevolent qualities. While these stories have existed for generations, they gained wider attention in the early 21st century.
In 2021, the Discovery+ series Alaskan Killer Bigfoot explored the legend of Nantiinaq and its alleged connection to the abandonment of Portlock. The show follows a team investigating reports of a Bigfoot-like creature terrorizing the former inhabitants, supposedly leading to the town's desertion in the 1940s.
Post abandonment
[edit]Most of the people who left Portlock in the 1940s moved to the nearby Native Alaskan villages of Nanwalek and Port Graham. The village of Nanwalek still maintains private ownership of Portlock today.[6] In recent years, the community has considered the possibility of re-establishing Portlock as a village.[7]
Nearby communities
[edit]Portlock was located adjacent to another community known as Port Chatham (which takes its name from Port Chatham bay).[4] Seldovia is located c. 16 miles (26 km) north of Portlock; a chromite mining camp, known as Chrome,[8] was also located near Portlock, which operated in the early-twentieth century.[9]
Demographics
[edit]| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 31 | — | |
| 1980 | 31 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] | |||
Portlock first appeared on the 1940 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village of 31 residents. It would not report again on the census until 1980, when it was made a census-designated place (CDP), again reporting 31 residents. It was dissolved as a CDP by the 1990 census and has not reported again.
In popular culture
[edit]In the spring of 2021, Discovery+ filmed a reality television series in Portlock. The series, Alaskan Killer Bigfoot, follows a scout team exploring the ruins of the abandoned village.[11] Alaskan Killer Bigfoot premiered on Discovery+ on December 7, 2021. It made its linear cable television debut on Travel Channel on June 26, 2022.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Orth, Donald J. (1967). Dictionary of Alaska Place Names. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 773 – via Internet Archive.
alaska portlock chatham abandonment.
- ^ "Something's Afoot in Port Chatham – Century-old Rumors Persist of a Terror in the Mountains". Alaska Magazine. April 8, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ Nelson, Charles E. (July 25, 2000). "Erling Nilson, 81, made smoked fish popular delicacy". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Klouda, Naomi (October 28, 2009). "Haunting memories — 'Nantiinaq' sightings, spirits led to desertion of Native village". Homer, Alaska: Homer Tribune. Archived from the original on December 20, 2011 – via The Mouth of the Kenai.
- ^ Council, Mary Lee (September 17, 1951). "Capital News Letter". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Fairbanks, Alaska. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Seward, Carey (December 27, 2020). "This Abandoned Ghost Town In Alaska Is Downright Bone Chilling". OnlyInYourState. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ "Alaska Magazine | Something's Afoot in Port Chatham - Century-old Rumors Persist of a Terror in the Mountains". Alaska Magazine. April 8, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ Anchorage and the Cook Inlet Basin. Alaska Geographic Society. 1983. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-882-40172-0.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey (1920). "Mineral Resources of Alaska, 1918". Bulletin – United States Geological Survey, Volumes 710–712. p. 34 – via Google Books.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ^ "New Show Set in Portlock Explores Legend of Bigfoot". KBBI AM 890. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
External links
[edit]- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Portlock (locale)
- "Skeptoid #772: The Monster of Port Chatham". Skeptoid. March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- Alaska’s Best Known Cryptid Homicide Case Debunked
Municipalities and communities of Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| CDPs |
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||