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185: The Alaska Triangle: Disappearances, Dead Ends, and the Dark Truth Beneath It All

Dark History

Wed Oct 08 2025

Summary

Dark History – Episode 185: "The Alaska Triangle: Disappearances, Dead Ends, and the Dark Truth Beneath It All"

Host: Bailey Sarian
Date: October 8, 2025
Podcast: Dark History (Audioboom Studios)

Episode Overview

Bailey Sarian takes listeners on an icy, mysterious journey into the heart of Alaska’s most chilling legend: The Alaska Triangle. Known for alarming numbers of unexplained disappearances, this massive and desolate patch of land has baffled families and authorities for decades. Is it deadly terrain, secret military operations, far-out energy vortexes—or something even darker? In her signature blend of dark humor and historical curiosity, Bailey unpacks case files, conspiracy theories, and indigenous lore to ask why the Alaska Triangle remains one of the world’s coldest unsolved mysteries.

Key Discussion Points & Segments

1. Fat Bear Week, Bears & Alaskan Weirdness Leads to the Triangle

[00:00] Bailey opens with humor about "Fat Bear Week," a National Park Service event where the public votes for the fattest bear in Katmai, Alaska. This playful intro segues into the show’s topic:
- “Turns out there’s an area in Alaska that’s actually known for being inescapable... It’s called the Alaska Triangle. And since 1972, more than 20,000 people have gone missing in this area.” (Bailey, 01:58)
- The episode contrasts the Alaska Triangle with the Bermuda Triangle—Alaska’s triangle sees exponentially more disappearances in a fraction of the time.

2. What and Where Is the Alaska Triangle?

[02:50] The triangle stretches from Barrow (Utqiavik) to Juneau, covering a region nearly as large as Texas.
- Landscape includes treacherous mountains, glaciers (cold “quicksand”), avalanches, swamps, bogs, and dangerous wildlife.
- Disappearance rate is double the national average.

3. The Douglas Plane Mystery (1950)

[07:51] Bailey recounts the disappearance of the C-54 “Douglas" military plane during the Cold War:
- Key Details: 44 souls aboard vanished on a clear January day. Operation Mike, the massive search, finds “nothing. Just dead silence.”
- “Their poor families were left with zero closure.” (Bailey, 12:36)
- Decades later, relatives still fight for a new search; not a single scrap has ever surfaced.

4. The Bomber and the Lost Nuke (1950)

[17:27] A Convair B36 bomber carrying a nuclear bomb crashes off the coast of British Columbia. Most crew survive, bomb never found, and four bodies are lost forever.
Bailey notes Cold War intrigue: theories persist that both planes were espionage victims.

5. The 1972 Disappearance and the Birth of the "Alaska Triangle"

[19:19] In 1972, a plane vanishes with high-profile passengers: Congressman Nick Begich, House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, and two others.
- Triggers “the largest search and rescue operation in US history” (lasting 39 days, searching over 325,000 square miles).
- “Nothing was found. Not even a bolt. Not even an airline peanut. Not even a shoe.” (Bailey, 21:18)
Suspicions arise as Boggs had been calling out FBI corruption and asking for re-investigation into JFK’s assassination—a conspiracy theory simmers.

6. Mob Hitman Confession & FBI Cover-Up

[24:12] In 1994, mob hitman Jerry Max Paisley claims he transported a bomb (hidden in a briefcase) to Anchorage, which ended up on Boggs’ doomed plane.
- “Did they have like a cleanup crew on deck who went and like hurried and cleaned it all up and then, and then made it look like it just disappeared? I don’t know.” (Bailey, 29:27)
Despite a promising tip, the FBI allegedly tells police to “stay out of it.” The confession fizzles, fueling the triangle’s mythos.

7. Beyond Conspiracy: Energy Vortexes & HAARP

[32:27] Theories evolve from sabotage to the supernatural:
- Reports of “magnetic weirdness”—compasses 30° off, “auditory hallucinations,” and “strange noises” in the wild.
- HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) comes under scrutiny; many believe it’s more than atmospheric science:
  - “They say that they do these experiments to help scientists... But is HAARP really just like studying the atmosphere, or is there something, like, more going on there?” (Bailey, 34:49)
- Popular conspiracy: weather control, mind manipulation, and government secrets.

8. The “Dark Pyramid” Allegation

[42:10] Legends swirl around a rumored immense underground pyramid (“four times the size of Giza”) that’s supposedly been scrubbed from satellite images.
- Rumor began after seismic readings detected an anomaly.
- Anonymous military sources claim eerie electromagnetic interference stems from this “dark pyramid.”
- In 2020, Nathan Campbell sought out the structure but vanished—his only trace: a journal entry, “I am leaving to get water.” (Bailey, 44:22)

9. Indigenous Legend: The Kushtaka Otterman

[46:45] Bailey brings in centuries-old Tlingit and Tsimshean folklore:
- The Kushtaka (“land otter man”) is a shapeshifting creature drawing travelers to their doom—part otter, part man, part nightmare.
- “He looks like freakin’ a buff man with an otter head. It’s very confusing. Kinda hot. I don’t know.” (Bailey, 47:45)
- Myth or warning: the Kushtaka preys psychologically, shape-shifting into loved ones or children to lure victims deeper into wilderness.

10. So What’s the Truth?

Even the basic stories—without aliens, energy vortexes, or Dark Pyramids—involve government “hits,” massive cover-ups, and unsolved mysteries.
“Honestly, it feels like every attempt to explain this place just kind of opens a dozen more doors, and each one is just like, more and insane than the last.” (Bailey, 49:53)
Episode closes as a call for theories: is it “an ancient alien energy weapon,” “magnetic vortexes,” “government hit,” “just bad weather,” or “a big fat bear”?

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the vanishings:

"More than 20,000 people have gone missing in this area. Yeah, 20,000 people vanished. Poof. No trace. Planes, hikers, locals and tourists. Gone."
(Bailey, 01:42)
On scale compared to Bermuda Triangle:

“About 900 people have gone missing in the Bermuda Triangle over like a 200 year period. ... In the Alaska Triangle, that many people go missing not every 200 years, but every two years. What?”
(Bailey, 03:50)
On the perils of Alaska:

“It’s like one big obstacle course... glaciers can creep downhill under their own weight and pull rocks and like anything else into it. Like cold quicksand. It’s crazy.”
(Bailey, 04:12)
On the 1972 plane search:

“It took a total of 3,600 hours of flight time. And some places even got double checked on foot. And it left everyone completely puzzled because nothing was found. Not even a bolt. Not even an airline peanut, not even a shoe, not even a toupee. Nothing. Nothing was found.”
(Bailey, 21:18)
On the HAARP conspiracy:

“There are theories that HAARP is actually trying to weaponize the atmosphere. So they’re literally trying to figure out how to cause storms, steer hurricanes, and even trigger earthquakes.”
(Bailey, 36:44)
On Kushtaka, the Otterman:

“According to native stories, the Kushtaka is a shape shifter who can take the form of a human, but usually looks like a harmless otter. Based on this image, it does not look like a harmless otter. It looks like freaking a buff man with an otter head. It’s very confusing. Yeah. You know on the covers of those romance novels... it’s kind of what the otter looks like, he’s all buff and manly looking.”
(Bailey, 47:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

[00:00–02:50] — Fat Bear Week intro & transition to the Alaska Triangle
[03:00–07:50] — Alaska Triangle’s geography & striking stats vs. Bermuda Triangle
[07:51–15:30] — The 1950 Douglas plane disappearance
[17:27–19:19] — The B36 nuclear bomber and lost bomb
[19:19–24:12] — 1972: High-profile plane missing & birth of Alaska Triangle legend
[24:12–30:22] — Confession by Jerry Max Paisley (mob hitman), FBI stonewalls tip
[32:27–40:10] — Vortexes, compass weirdness, and HAARP conspiracy
[42:10–46:45] — Dark Pyramid theory & the 2020 Nathan Campbell vanishing
[46:45–49:53] — Indigenous Kushtaka/otterman legend
[49:53–End] — Bailey’s reflections, calls for commentary, episode close

Bailey’s Signature Tone and Style

Conversational, irreverent, full of asides ("Hale Boggs. It sounds like those really healthy ice creams that have, like, 10 calories in them.")
Cultural asides and pop references ("It was a Disney Channel original movie"; "Do you know when I think about Witness Protection? I think of that Disney movie, Princess Protection Program.")
Dark humor to cut the tension, even when discussing tragic disappearances.
Empathy for families and victims, balanced by skepticism and curiosity for the wildest theories.

In Short

Bailey Sarian dives deep into Alaska’s most confounding mysteries, tracing a chilling thread through government secrets, legendary disappearances, questionable physics, and centuries-old folklore. Whether you think it’s magnetic vortexes, FBI hits, alien bases, or the world’s sneakiest otter, the Alaska Triangle remains a place where many enter, but few return—and where every answer spins out two more unanswered questions.

Next up: Special Halloween edition—“Tales from the Dark History Crypt.”
Listener call to action: Share your Alaska Triangle theories and wildest family histories in the comments!

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Transcript

A (0:00)

It's the most wonderful time of the year. No, not Christmas. Not yet. I'm talking about Fat Bear week. Do you guys follow Fat Bear Week? No. It's amazing. Basically, it's bulking season for all the bears who are about to, like, go into hibernation. So they spend all summer eating salmon in this river, and they're just, like, packing on the pounds. And this national park in Alaska called Katmai started this genius competition where you can actually vote for, like, who's gonna be the fattest bear. So all the bears, they're all tagged. They all have names and stories. Oh, it's so cute. One of them is named 747 because this bear is that big. You know what I'm saying? And then there's another bear. Her name's Holly. She's a little cutie. Anyways, these bears have to, like, basically eat a year's worth of food in six months because in winter, you know, they lose up to a third of their body weight. They can't really eat or drink at that point because the winter is brutal in Alaska. Obviously, this sent me down a rabbit hole, or should I say a bear den? Haha. No. Okay, whatever. You guys are hard to please. It turns out there's an area in Alaska that is actually known for being inescapable. Oh, yes, baby. This. This has nothing to do with bears. Plot twist. It's called the Alaska triangle. And since 1972, more than 20,000 people have gone missing in this area. Yeah, 20,000 people vanished. Poof. No trace. Planes, hikers, locals and tourists, Gone. Is it the weather? Is it aliens? Is it a snow monster? Bigfoot? Energy vortexes, Ancient curses? All I'm saying is something weird is going on up in Alaska. Could it be Holly? Could it be 747 eating everybody up? So where did all these people go? And what's behind it? Today, we are getting into the dark history of the Alaska Triangle. So bundle up, because it's gonna get cold and chill. Hi, friends. I hope you're having a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian, and I like to welcome you to my podcast, Dark History. Here we believe history does not have to be boring. It might be tragic. Sometimes it's happy. But either way, it's our dark history. Now, before we get into it, don't forget to like and subscribe. I'm always posting new content. And let me know what you think down below in the comment section. Cause I love hearing from you and I read comments at the end. Now let's get into. Yes, I am committing to these mittens. Okay. Let me live. There's a lot going on. We got, we got aliens. We got. Okay, so maybe. Yes, we've all heard about the Bermuda Triangle, right? Listen, we actually did a dark history episode about it. I'll link it down below if you, you know, wanna, wanna listen. But today we're talking about a different triangle. Oh yes, there's more than one. And this one is much further north, much colder and much more suspicious. Now to compare the two triangles. About 900 people have gone missing in the Bermuda Triangle in over like a 200 year period. But in the Alaska Triangle, that many people go missing. Not every 200 years, but every two years. What? Yeah. I don't even know why we've been talking about the Bermuda Triangle. The Alaska Triangle. Something's going on. I'm talking about an area of land that covers 300,000 to 400,000 square miles from Barrow, also known as Utqiavik, to Juneau down near the coast. It's a big area. This specific area is bigger than California and almost the size of Texas. And you know, this area itself is like one big obstacle course. In the triangle area is the Alaska Range of Mountains, which is home to the tallest mountain in North America, Mount McKinley. Then, then there's glaciers, which I always thought a glacier was an iceberg. You know, something that like lives in water. But no, no, I was so wrong. A glacier is like a slow moving river of ice that moves on land. I know. I was like, what? These things can creep downhill under their own weight and pull rocks and like anything else into it. Like cold quicksand. It's crazy. And then like on top of moving ice and the mountains and all that, there's avalanches, the snow. And then you can also like run into swamps and bogs. And in all of those areas, of course there are wild animals just waiting to eat you. You know. Now because of all this, I mean, it makes sense that the disappearance rate in this Alaska Triangle is more than double the national average. It's not somewhere you really want to go missing. Cause you're going to be hard to find. Okay. But that's exactly what happened to the Douglas. Do do do do do do do do.

A (7:58)

It's January 2020. January 26th, 1950. Everyone in the United States was living in a state of constant paranoia because of something called the Cold War. Brr. I'm not gonna get into the weeds of the Cold War in this episode, but basically this is when the Soviet Union and the US Were in a standoff because they both knew that they had nuclear weapons. And everyone was freaked out that at any second, like, someone was gonna drop a nuke. There you go. There's the quick little tldr. Now, Alask. The only thing between the US And Russia, which back then was called the Soviet Union. Okay? So at one time, Alaska belonged to Russia, okay? And then in 1867, America, USA. They bought Alaska for $7.2 million from Russia. And this was called the Alaska Purchase in 1867, which to me was like, well, why'd they want Alaska so bad? There must be something going on there. But whatever, we bought it, so it was ours. Since there was just like a tiny sliver of ocean separating Alaska from the Soviet Union, Alaska basically became like a watchtower. So the military started building air bases, radar stations, and early warning systems in Alaska that would warn us in case there was a Soviet attack coming over the Arctic. So there were a lot of, like, US military planes flying, like, all over Alaska in the 1950s. And one of them was a C54 Skymaster called the Douglas. Now, this was a big military workhorse plane. It had four engines and it was just a big old flying tank. Now I'm talking big. It was 117ft across and 94ft long. On January 26, the Douglas was scheduled to fly from an Air force base in Anchorage, Alaska, all the way down to Great Falls, Montana. So. Holy shit. On this plane, there were eight crew members, 34 military servicemen and two civilians. A woman named Joyce Espy and her baby Victor. So in total, there were 44 people on this plane. Now, going from Anchorage to Montana was not like a quick and easy flight. The flight path was known to be long and pretty dangerous, so, you know, good luck. The Douglas was supposed to take off in the morning, but one of its engines, like, needed repairs, so they had to delay it a bit. And then finally, at 1pm, the plane takes off. Now, it was said to be a beautiful day in alaska. It was minus 25 degrees. So perfect. And for the first two hours, everything's. Everything's going good. At 3:09pm Local time, around two hours after takeoff, the Douglas made a routine report on the radio. They're like, we're flying over this place, Just checking in. Goodbye. They said they were flying at 10,000ft over the small town of Snag in Yukon. Snag anyways, and they expected to reach the next radio station at Ishuk and Yukon in about, like 30 minutes. And then they would check in again. We're in Ishuk, so everyone's kind of waiting around. And that next check in, never. It never came in. And no one heard from the Douglas again. But still, it was an industrial military plane, so people, like, still expected them to land. You know, it was like, okay, maybe they're still gonna land. But when the Douglas doesn't show up in Montana, people start to panic. The military launched Operation Mike, which was named after the pilot, Lieutenant Mike Tisick. Now, this was like a serious manhunt. They had 85 aircrafts and 7,000 troops in the area looking night and day for the plane, the crew, any sign of the Douglas. But, you know, they're searching and searching and they find nothing. No debris, no signal, no smoke, nothing. Just dead silence. By February 20, just 25 days after the Douglas vanished, they shut the search down. Now, the families were told that their loved ones were presumed Dead. And, yeah, I mean, they had no answers. All 44 people on board, a mother, her baby, 34 servicemen, and eight crew members were never seen or heard from again. And, like, their poor families were left with zero closure. The only explanation was that the plane vanished. You know, but how does, like, a big plane like that just vanish into thin air? Well, in 2012, relatives of the people lost on the Douglas came together and petitioned the US Government to reopen the search using modern technology. But they wouldn't, unless, quote, significant new evidence is discovered. These fluffies, man, they are getting me. They are getting me good. So the organizer set up a Facebook page called Operation Mike where to this day, they still fight to get the case reopened and answers for the families. Now, the craziest thing to me is that at this point, it's been over 70 years and no wreckage has ever turned up from the Douglas. And again, we are talking about, like, some huge plane. Okay, so a big plane, not like a little helicopter. Was it David Copperfield the magician who, like, made one of the pyramids disappear or something? Maybe he was involved because it's like, giving that. Like, how did he do that? Was it a pyramid? I swear it's a pyramid. Whatever it's giving David Copperfield, right? Like, where did it go? I don't know. Look, of course, everyone has their theories. Some say the Douglas crashed into, like, a frozen lake and then sank, which is possible, except that none of the lakes in question are. They're not very deep. Okay? And most likely something would have, like, flowed up by now. Now, another theory is that it went off course and it crashed into the ocean. But, you know, many say, like, the weather was clear that day, so why would they fly off course? And if they did, how come no, like, distress call? Sure, the plane had a repair done before flying, but even if one of the engines started acting up mid flight, there were three other engines to take over. And again, there was, like, no distress call. But then, not even two weeks after the Douglas disappeared, another plane went down in the Triangle.

A (17:27)

So it's February 13, 1950, and a huge US military bomber plane called the Convair B36 was scheduled to fly from Fairbanks, Alaska down to Texas. Now, this plane was one of the biggest bombers ever built. There were 17 military crew members on board. But the plane was also carrying something else. A huge nuclear bomb. Yes, but somewhere off the coast of British Columbia, three of the plane's engines catch on fire, which not ideal if you have a bomb on board. So the crew was told to drop the bomb, okay, release the bomb right into the ocean. And then moments later, the plane crashed into a mountain. Now, luckily, before the plane crashed, the 17 crew members were able to like, you know, jump out and use the whole parachute situation, like seconds before the whole thing went down and they like landed somewhere in Canada. Twelve of the military crew who were on the B36 bomber were rescued. One body was recovered later, but there were four people who were never found. A couple Years later, in 1953, remains from the B36 bomber plane were discovered. But the nuclear bomb that was dropped, you know, was never found, which is kind of troubling. Now again, this was during the Cold War, so some experts say it's likely both planes had something on board that made them a target. A bomb maybe, I don't know. And maybe the Soviet Union took the plane out before a distress call could be made. But it wasn't until 1972 that the Alaska Triangle officially got its name. When the FBI tries to cover up an assassination, I know what the fuck is going on. So now we're In October. Yes, we are. October 16, 1972, we're back in Anchorage, Alaska, and a Pan Alaska Airways plane is leaving for Juneau with some kind of, like, important people on board. First, we have Congressman Nick Begich from Alaska. Two, we have House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, a very important politician from Louisiana. Three, the assistant to both of these guys whose name was Russell Brown. And four, their experienced pilot, Don Johns. That's a great name. Don Johns. Don Johns. I like that. Don Johns. It's like a tequila. I don't know. Okay, so listen. So they were en route to a political rally in Juneau, but they never made it. Now, normally when a plane disappears, you know, there's a search. Of course. Yes, but this was next level, level. Now, when their plane disappeared, it triggered the largest search and rescue operation in US history at that time. It lasted 39 days. Utilized 40 military aircrafts, 50 civilian planes, and they covered over 325,000 square miles of glaciers, mountains, coastline and ocean. It took a total of 3,600 hours of flight time. And some places even got double checked on foot. And it left everyone completely puzzled because nothing was found. Not even a bolt. Not even an airline peanut, not even a shoe, not even a toupee. Nothing. Nothing was found. Okay? Nothing. So the government was like, okay, we're calling it. And the search was canceled on November 24, 1972. Everyone on board was officially declared dead on December 29. Now, this was the event that made people realize, like, they had no idea what they were dealing with, okay? Like, nobody knows what the hell is going on over there. And it's when the Alaska Triangle, like, officially gets its name, some people think, like, there was foul play involved in this specific crash. Because it turns out that Hale Boggs, one of the four guys on the plane, now, he wasn't just like any congressman. He was on a special commission that was dedicated to investigate JFK's assassination. And Boggs knew something was fishy with the whole situation. So publicly, Congressman Boggs, he supported the conclusion that, like, Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone. You know, he was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But behind closed doors, it was said he actually, like, didn't buy it, and he was really trying to, like, reopen the case. Now, this was going against the FBI's wishes. Congressman Boggs told people that the FBI, they were tapping his phone and other members of Congress, and he said that he had proof they were doing it. And Mr. Boggs, he was not holding back. He was calling out J. Edgar Hoover the head of the FBI at the time demanding for him to resign, believing that he had too much unchecked power and that guy just needed to go. Okay, so, you know, Mr. Boggs was vocal, and. Yeah, I mean, he made some. Some enemies, some big ones. And there was evidence that someone wanted him dead, and that someone was the FBI. Hail Boggs. It sounds like those really healthy. Hail Boggs sounds like those healthy ice creams that have, like, 10 calories in them. Do you know what I'm saying? I don't know. I just think Hail Bog sounds like a healthy ice cream alternative, but it tastes like crap. Or it's just giving me ice. Maybe because we're in Alaska right now. Like, shaved ice. I want to Hail Boggs. I gotta get rid of these things. If you're watching over on YouTube, I have to let the mittens go. They are releasing fluff in every direction. It's up my nose, it's in my mouth, it's in my eye. I'm so sorry. You know, I was committed to the. To the idea, but I have to let it go. Okay. Thank you. I'm sorry.

A (24:12)

Mittens. God, it's everywhere. It's everywhere. It's everywhere. Hold on. That's a terrible idea. I'm giving those mittens one star review. Okay, okay. All right, all right. It's not coming off. Okay, hold on. Free. Yay. So listen, okay. When the flight that Boggs was on pulled at Douglas and, like, poof, disappeared, people were extremely suspicious. I mean, after all, Congressman Boggs was actively trying to get the FBI to reopen the JFK assassination case against the FBI's wishes. And then he disappears. Very convenient. You know? You know, after searching and everything, nothing is ever found. And no one comes forward with, like, any information. That is, until 1994. Now, this is when a man named Jerry Max Paisley decided to start talking. Jerry Max Paisley was a convicted mob hitman, man. He was a bomber. And then in 1994, he was sitting in prison in Arizona for murder. Yeah, Jerry Max Paisley sounds like a beautiful wallpaper that I would put in my animal crossing home that would be, like. Be like a cute little paisley design. You know what I'm saying? But it definitely sounds like a cute, like, wallpaper, right? Or a pad. Get the Jerry Max Paisley. And since he's already in jail, he starts to talk, you know, in hopes to, like, get some kind of, like, plea bargain or something. So he tells a reporter that, quote, in 1972, I was given a locked briefcase by A member of the Bonanno crime family. I flew it to Anchorage and handed it off to two guys. They said something big, big was about to happen. End quote. Now, Jerry, Max Paisley said he found out later that the briefcase he was paid to deliver had a bomb in it and that it ended up on the plane that vanished with Congressman Boggs. So, you know, did the plane blow up? Okay. And Jerry, you know, he had some credibility here because after the whole, like, bomb exchange, he ended up going into business with one of the men who, like, gave him the briefcase in the first place. They ended up co. Own a bar in Anchorage. It was kind of weird. He ended up getting married to, like, one of the. The chicks whose husbands was on the plane that went missing. Yeah, it was kind of weird. Jerry said that there was, like, one day when the two of them were hanging out. Him and, like, the business partner guy. They were hanging out, they were drinking, they were fishing together. And the guy tells him. He's like, yeah, there was a bomb in that suitcase, and it was planted. It's crazy, huh? And, like, to Jerry, this was new news to him. Maybe. Probably not. But, like, he's like, what? That's crazy. You know, the guy's like, hey, remember how we had you, like, bring us that suitcase? Well, guess what? It was a bomb. They didn't even see it coming. That's crazy. And then they just, like, keep fishing, you know? So Jerry, you know, he goes on with his life and whatnot, and he confesses all this later on, and the journalist contacts the police in Anchorage, Alaska. So by this point, it's 1995, and the Anchorage police are like, you know what? Like, this is crazy. This could, like, solve everything. So the police sergeant in Anchorage, his name was Mike Grimes, he contacts the FBI, like, right away. He's like, oh, my God, he gotta hear this. This is crazy. So the FBI, like, they immediately send agents to interview Jerry Max Paisley. And the agent that Sergeant Grimes talked to agreed that, like, this was a huge turn of events and that, you know, she was gonna keep him posted as to, like, what was going on. So police sergeant Mike Grimes, you know, he is just reeling from this information. He is, like, dying for an update. And weeks go by, and he doesn't hear anything. So he's like, you know what? I'm just gonna reach out to the FBI. You know, I'm gonna talk to the agent I talked to and, like, figure out what's going on. And this is when it gets weird. So Sergeant Grimes ends up meeting up with the FBI agent in Anchorage. And she basically tells him that she was told to just stay out of it. Okay? That was it. Stay out of it. Very unsatisfying. And they literally never heard from the FBI again. Now, Jerry Max Paisley, he offered to take a polygraph test, but no record shows like it ever happened. So there were no charges, there was no follow ups. There was still no clear answers. And that's when the story died. And so did Jerry max paisley in 2010. But my thought was, okay, if it blew up, still, wouldn't you find pieces? So then I was also thinking, okay, it blew up. There were pieces. Did they have like a cleanup crew on deck who went and like hurried and like cleaned it all up and then, and then made it look like it just disappeared? I don't know. But this again, just added to the phenomenon of the Alaska Triangle.

A (32:27)

So once again, people were left asking, like, what the hell happened? Did the pilot of this, like, pan Alaska plane fly into bad weather, slam into a glacier? Was the flight sabotaged? Did it blow up? You know, was it a hit job disguised as a tragedy to keep the JFK assassination under wraps? I mean, hello? I think that one seems like the best answer. Why else would the FBI shut down a very credible investigation? Investigation. Just weird, weird. But some believe that maybe the plane was taken down by a mysterious energy vortex. Yes. Listen, listen, listen. Some people believe that maybe the reasoning behind all of this is an energy vortex. Stick with me here, okay? Some people are completely convinced that the Alaska Triangle is the home of a massive swirling energy vortex. Like a whirlpool of electromagnetic energy. You know, kind of like what happens in the Bermuda Triangle. You know, people say like, their compasses go crazy or like any of their electromagnetic equipment just starts to like, go nuts. The same thing happens in the Alaska Triangle. Search and rescue teams have reported that their compasses would spread, been 30 degrees off for no reason. And some would even say that they would hear, like, strange noises in the Triangle that sounded otherworldly. God, what's that animal that makes a really weird noise? It's like an elk or something like that. Elks make crazy creepy sounds and they're kind of like this weird animal mystery because the bigger the animal, the deeper the voice. Like a bear is like a deep growl. If it's a really big bird, it's like a really deep, like, Ka Da. But the elk is the only animal that's super big and makes a very high pitched voice. I have elk knowledge for some reason. I don't know why, but this is a fact. So maybe it was an elk. It's a mystery. An animal mystery. Ooh. New show Animal Mysteries with Bailey Sarian otters. They hold hands when they sleep. Let me know down below if you wanna see that. Okay, so elks. Not an elk. Otherworldly, many have claimed when they've gone into this area, it's given them auditory hallucinations. Like, you're out there, okay? You're on the tundra, and then all of a sudden you hear your name, like, being whispered behind you. But no one's around. Something's going on. People are like they're hearing shit. Okay. Some experts believe that all this magnetic weirdness might be tied to a mysterious energy project built by the government. Maybe you've heard of it, but it's called harp. HARP stands for the high frequency Active auroral. Come on. High frequency. Active auroral. Auroral oriole. You know, I had a speech impediment growing up, and I had to take speech classes. It was really embarrassing because I couldn't say R words. So this one, yeah, really getting me. HARP stands for the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program. Look, this is probably as good as it's gonna get. It was built in the early 1990s, and, of course, it's located right inside the Alaska Triangle, specifically right outside a tiny town called Gokona. On the surface, HAARP was created to study the ionosphere, which is the technical term for the upper layer of the atmosphere. This is, like, where radio waves, you know, bounce around, satellites, orbit. It's also where the northern lights happen. Okay. Up there. Okay. Now, if you were to go to the area that. Where HAARP is at. Okay. Which, honestly, I'm not even sure you're allowed to do that, but if you did go, you would see, like, a giant metal forest. It's made up of 180 radio antennas lined up in rows, all blasting high frequency energy straight into the sky. So when they flip the switch, HAARP can literally make artificial auroras. It's like their own, like, northern lights show. They say that they do these experiments to, like, help scientists figure out how, like, a GPS works, how to predict storms, how to keep military communications safe. Which is why HAARP has been paid for by the Air Force, the Navy, and darpa. Now, DARPA is basically America's Mad Science Lab. Officially, it's the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, but really it's the US Government's way of funding, like, wild, futuristic ideas. So very official. But is HAARP really just, like, studying the atmosphere, or is there something, like, more going on there? And if there was, would the government even tell? Tell us? Of course they wouldn't. But if you ask the Internet or even, like, your uncle, who collects a lot of, like, old radios, HAARP isn't just beaming energy into the sky. Many believe. Many say it's controlling everything. Oh, yes. There are theories that HAARP is actually trying to weaponize the atmosphere. So they're literally trying to figure out how to cause storms, steer hurricanes, and even trigger earthquakes. Earthquakes. That's what's believed. Some people swear that HARP can even beam low frequency waves right into our heads, messing with brain function and behavior. So, I mean, people have a lot of beliefs as to, like, what the hell HARP is. Okay. Did you ever watch that movie? It was on Disney Channel. It was called. Ooh, what was it called? Christmas. It was. It was a Christmas weather movie where this kid had this machine and it was. Can control the weather and everything. Imagine if you had the power to change the weather. It's giving that. Like, that's what HARP would be. Do you know what I'm talking about? It was a Disney Channel original movie. And it looked, it had this little, like, weather machine. And the guy, he wanted it to be like Christmas forever. So then, like, this machine would control the weather. So it was snow and it was like Christmas forever. And then of course, the lesson was like, like, hey, that kind of sucks. You don't want it to be Christmas forever. But that's what HARP reminds me of, kind of. But like, it was like a cute Disney version of harp. But this is Alaska, so HARP is like only the tip of the iceberg. There are people who think HARP is just like a distraction and that the real source of all these electromagnetic disturbances, missing planes and vanished hikers isn't like that weather harvesting antenna farm. But many believe it's something buried deep in the Alaskan wilderness. A massive underground structure known as the Dark Pyramid. Today's episode is brought to you by Liquid Ivy.

A (42:10)

Is, like, a top secret energy source hidden in the Alaska Triangle, which people have been calling the Dark Pyramid. Now, this pyramid is allegedly four times the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza and allegedly so powerful and so secret that the government has scrubbed it from satellite images entirely. Okay, so if it's been scrubbed, then how do we know about it? Well, in 1992, I guess China, they were out doing their thing and they performed an underground nuclear test. And then geologists in Alaska, they were studying the shock waves created by this test when they. That's when they came across something weird. And they realized there was something buried like 700ft below Alaska. Something huge. So they do more testing. And when they do more testing, it revealed that this something was pyramid shaped. Listen, so like, years later, there was an anonymous retired naval captain. He called into a show called coast to Coast Am Them. This was a very popular radio show especially for, like, those who enjoyed, like, a little conspiracy theory here and there. Paul, for sure, you know, he loves a conspiracy theory. He even came today with his full chart ready to talk about the Alaskan Triangle because he did his research, okay? He made a whole presentation. Sorry, Paul, we don't really have to get into it. I don't know what JonBenet Ramsey has to do with the Alaska Triangle, but okay, Paul, you know, he's into it. We like the effort, okay? As long as it stays a hobby and it doesn't consume you and take over your whole personality. But you know, this naval captain guy, he calls and on air, he said that back in the 80s, he was working on government radar systems in Alaska and he kept running into, like, this mysterious electromagnetic interference and none of his, like, superiors could explain it. He said this interference made planes glitch and messed up communications. And over his time working there, he became convinced that the source of all of this unexplained energy was this dark pyramid. So the guy, he goes and he tells his higher ups about his theory. And when he did that, they threatened him with a court martial and told him to, like, stay in his lane, in case you don't know, like a Court martial is like getting suspended or even expelled from the military. So people who subscribe to the dark pyramid theory think that the government is keeping it secret because it is such a powerful source of energy. Many also believe that this is where like all the aliens live. This is alien home? I don't know. Could be. It's kind of weird. Why not? Life is short. So one man named Nathan Campbell, he actually attempted to find the pyramid. Good for him. You know, he's like, you know what, I'm gonna go see. So back in 2020, he hired a charter plane to drop him off as close to the coordinates of the pyramid as he could get. And then with him he had four months of camping equipment. Now Nathan, he was 41 at the time and he had a wife and kids back home. So he brought like a two way satellite communicator so he could like send messages while he was away, let them know, hey, I'm here. And on his way to Alaska, he told his pilot, a guy named Jason, all about his plan to find the pyramid. So, you know, they fly out there and on May 27, 2020, Nathan was dropped off and he was feeling confident, right? The pilot, Jason, he arranged to pick him back up on September 15th before the weather would get like too cold. So he's like, see ya, good luck, bye. And then like flies off. But by mid June, Nathan's family stopped getting his satellite texts and he was never seen again. You know, search parties went out looking for him. They didn't find any blood or body. They didn't see any sign of like an attack. But they did find Nathan's journal. In the last entry, he said that he was leaving to get water and that was it. Yeah, a little anticlimactic. I know, it was kind of like a boring journal entry, not to judge. Like, I'm going to get water, Yay. Yeah, but that was it. He was going to get water. Maybe he fell in and like froze or something, I don't know. Nathan's disappearance left a lot of people convinced that he got like too close to something the government, like doesn't want us to know about. Now, of course, you know, that is one theory. Another theory is that aliens got him. Another is that bears got him. Another is that, I don't know, he went to get water and just decided to never come back. Anything could have really happened to poor Nathan out there. There are plenty of boring explanations for why so many people go missing, you know, out in this area. Like the geography of Alaska, which we talked about, it's nature's booby trap out there, so. Yeah. But in case you need one last reason to stay away from the Alaska Triangle, allow me to introduce you to the ancient legend of the Otterman. For thousands of years, the indigenous people of Alaska, specifically by the Tlingit and Tsimshean groups, they have passed down warnings about the Kushtaka, which translates to land otter. Man, I know. I love otters. They're so cute. You know, like when they sleep at night, they hold hands so they don't float away from each other. That's really precious. We don't deserve otters. According to native stories, the Kushtaka is a shape shifter who can take the form of a human, but usually looks like a harmless otter. Based on this image, it does not look like a harmless otter. It looks like freaking a buff man with a otter head. It's very confusing. Yeah. You know on the COVID the COVID of those romance novels where it's like a Fabio, all buff and like the hair is blowing through the wind. He's holding the woman. It's kind of what the. The. This like, like a otter looks like he's all buff and manly looking. He's got a thick ass neck. It's kind of. Kind of hot. I don't know. Okay. All right. The Kushtaka stalks the Alaskan wilderness, sniffing out lost hikers. And it doesn't just like, lunge at you out of like, trees and then eat you or something. Oh, no. According to the legend, the Kushtaka orca plays with its food. Psychologically, like an orca. They play with their food too? Yes, they do. Animals, huh? It'll shape shift into your friend, your sister, a crying child, whatever. Whatever it takes to like, earn your trust. Then it leads you deeper into the woods, and that's when you either get ripped to shreds or you turn into a Kushtaka yourself. Aliens. It's all going back to aliens, huh? So a lot going on in this Alaska Triangle. A lot of theories, a lot of ideas, a lot of claims, you know, but even the most boring version of the story with like, no aliens, no pyramids, like just facts, it still reads like the FBI might have, like, carried out a hit, you know, on a sitting congressman and like, erased every trace of his plane from the sky. And if that's the baseline, then honestly, like, what is impossible? When you add in the magnetic vortexes, the disappearing aircraft, the ancient underground pyramid, pulsing energy no one can trace. Otterman, a government powered weather machine, you start to realize that Alaska seems fun. Honestly, though, it feels like every attempt to explain this place just kind of opens a dozen more doors, and each one is just like, more and insane than the last. You go online and you start looking this stuff up, you don't. You don't know where it goes. Okay, some. Some lead to, like, secret military, you know, ops. Some lead to alien tech. Some just lead you back to the same question. If we don't even really know what's going on in our own chilly backyard, what else are we missing? So, friends, what do you think? Is there a giant ancient alien energy weapon buried beneath the Alaskan tundra? Are there vortexes and aliens in interdimensional portals? Or is it a big fat bear, you know? Or is it just a case of mostly bad weather and a once in a while strategic FBI murder? Let me know in the comments down below. I'm sure you got some stories and theories. I know you do, so let me know in the comment section. Let's talk about it now. Next week, I have a special spooky surprise for all of you. I went back into the archives to comb through some of the spookiest, weirdest, most bizarre topics we've covered here on dark history. And let me tell you. Ooh, it's a journey. We're gonna revisit all of your favorite Halloweeny topics, everything from evil sorcerers and sleep demons to mass hysteria and of course, the classic witchy moment. So join me next week for a special Halloweeny treat I'm calling Tales from the Dark History Crypt. I better see you there. It's gonna be a real, real spooky treat. Now, I'd love to hear your guidance reactions to today's story. So make sure to leave a comment down below so I can see what you guys are saying, you know, and your comment might even be featured in a future episode. Now let's read a couple of comments. You guys have left me. Teletubby. No way. Teletubby, 1926. Love that. Commented on our Momsters episode saying, as someone who recently found out they might be distantly related to Ma Barker. Thank you so much for covering her. I was having trouble piecing info together, but a little Bailey goes a long way. Lol. Really? What? Look at that. Dark history is teaching people more about their families than 23andMe ever could. Bold claim, but I said it. Are you really related, though? That's crazy. That's crazy. Let me know. You got pictures. Something I've heard. People are, like, finding out, like, some wild information on those ancestry sites. You know, you never know who you might be related to, so that's interesting. Any crazy family stories? What do you got? Photos? Inside scoop. You can't just say that and, like, not give us some kind of, like, inside scoop. Let me know. Thanks for sharing. And I'm glad you liked the episode. Built from Broken commented. I thought I saw Joanne in a Windex commercial one time. End quote. Joanne? Who's Joanne? Oh, do you mean the fabric store that closed down? Oh, so sad. Joanne's was, like, so good and just, like, shut down. Was it Joanne's that closed down? Is that what you're talking about? Joanne? She was in a Windex commercial. Or do you mean Joan? Joan. Ah, Joan. Is that your stage name for when you're doing Windex commercials? Okay, so Joanne, yeah, I guess she does commercials from time to time. So you may have recognized her as that crow flying into the glass. But good for you, Joan or Joanne. Abigail, Jolene left us an episode suggestion, saying, on my hands and knees, whoa, girl, what are you doing? Oh. Asking for the third time for Dark History of the Witness Protection Program. All right, Abigail, get those knee pads out, girl. You know it hurts. You know, when I think about the Witness Protection Program, I think of that Disney movie, Princess Protection Program. Did you watch that? It's the one where, like, a princess is almost kidnapped by a dictator. So they send her to, like, America to be a regular high school girl. She becomes, like, prom queen, whatever. Anyways, Witness Protection Program, I think that's a great idea. I would love to do that. But here's the thing with the Witness Protection Program, it's all about secrecy and stuff. So how would we tell a story that's very, very secretive? Hmm. Okay. I mean, I like that suggestion, and I'll definitely consider. Could be fun. Thank you guys so much for watching and hanging out with me and commenting. Keep on commenting because maybe you will be featured in a future episode. And hey, did you know? You can actually join me over on my YouTube where you can watch these episodes on Thursday after the podcast airs. And while you're there, you can also catch my murder mystery and make. So don't forget to subscribe. And hey, if you don't know, Dark History is an audioboom original. A special thank you to our expert, Andrew Goff, and I'm your host, Bailey Sarian. I hope you have a good day today. You make good choices and I'll be talking to you guys later. Goodbye, Ram.