Lore Legends 69: The Last Frontier

Host: Aaron Mahnke
Date: December 22, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Aaron Mahnke explores the chilling folklore, cryptid legends, and haunted histories of Alaska—the United States’ “Last Frontier.” From the little people who inhabit its misty forests, to monstrous otter-people, abandoned towns, and enigmatic lake monsters, Mahnke investigates how the state’s vast, isolated landscape has bred some of America’s strangest and darkest legends. Interwoven with Alaskan history, the episode questions how much truth can be found in these tales while celebrating the enduring power of myth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Frontier and Its Monsters

[01:32]

• Mahnke draws a parallel between pioneers like Kathrine Switzer (the first woman to run the Boston Marathon) and those who venture into unknown frontiers, suggesting that pushing boundaries often means facing real or figurative monsters.

  • Quote:
    “When you’re on the frontier of unexplored territory, you have to be prepared to face some monsters.” – Aaron Mahnke [02:26]

• He introduces Alaska’s immense, wild landscape, noting its vastness and the atmosphere of isolation it creates.

2. The Little People (Iktinrat) of the Yup’ik

[04:10]

• The Yup’ik people of Southwestern Alaska tell of the Iktinrat: small, underground-dwelling beings, 2-3 feet tall, capable of shapeshifting into wolves, foxes, or killer whales, and always heralded by a thick fog.
• Time in the Iktinrat world moves differently: a day below equals a year above. Legends warn that children who enter their domain might lose years or return “changed.”
  • Quote:
    “If you so much as look into the windows of their houses, those few moments could cost you multiple days up on the surface.” – Aaron Mahnke [06:40]
• Stories include children who never age after an encounter, and a man who was spared because his patchwork parka, made from the hides of many animals, suggested a large family who would come seeking vengeance.

3. The Kushtaka: Tlingit Shape-shifters

[10:34]

• Harry Culp’s gold prospecting trip in 1900 introduced listeners to tales of the Kushtaka (“land otter man”)—creatures from Tlingit legend.
• Culp’s friend Charlie encountered these horrific, stinking humanoids near Thomas Bay, an area haunted since a landslide buried a Tlingit village.
  • Charlie's account:
    “Swarming up the ridge toward me… were the most hideous creatures. I couldn't call them anything but devils, as they were neither men nor monkeys, yet looked like both. They were entirely sexless, their bodies covered with long, coarse hair, except where the scabs and running sores had replaced it.” – Charlie’s story, retold by Mahnke [13:21]
• The Kushtaka are said to lure their prey by mimicking loved ones or crying babies. The creatures may be the souls of those who died violently, transformed after death.
• Many sought Charlie’s gold ledge after his terrifying story, but none returned with riches—many vanished or lost their sanity.

4. The Abandonment of Portlock and the Nantinaq (Alaska’s Bigfoot)

[18:46]

• Portlock, once a modest but steady community, was officially abandoned around 1950. While the official reason was economic decline, Mahnke dives into local lore about the Nantinaq: a huge, stinking, Bigfoot-like creature blamed for deaths and disappearances.
• Legends say the Nantinaq was responsible for a cannery shutdown in 1905, and for the death of logger Andrew Kamluck, whose body was found far from his blood-splattered crane—supposedly thrown by the beast.
• The 1940s were rife with tales of men vanishing or being found mutilated, feeding the hysteria.
  • Skepticism:
    Mahnke notes the lack of official records for these deaths; historians only confirmed a 1920 scaffolding accident.
• Interviews with Portlock elders reveal possible fabrication: Melania Kell, tired of persistent questions, allegedly made up some of the stories for journalists.
  • Quote:
    “[Kel] just lied about everything else.” – Aaron Mahnke [24:19]
• Yet, belief in Nantinaq persists—locals like Sally (Kell’s cousin) maintain the creature was real, though not murderous.

5. The Monster(s) of Lake Iliamna

[26:47]

• The tale concludes with Alaska’s own aquatic mystery: reports of enormous fish in Lake Iliamna, first spotted by bush pilot Babe Aylesworth and fisherman Bill Hammersley in 1942.
  • Eyewitness description:
    “They looked, and I quote, like mini submarines.” – Aaron Mahnke [27:17]
• Sightings include fish 20-30 feet long, gray-skinned, with wide fins.
• Multiple pilots, biologists, and locals have seen the creatures from air and shore.
  • Noted attempts to catch them (with moose-meat bait and steel cables) failed—something supposedly broke a steel cable.
• Theories range from sturgeons to prehistoric pliosaurs, but with no confirmed capture. The mystery persists.
  • Quote:
    “Considering that Lake Iliamna reaches depths of up to 1,000 feet, I doubt that we will ever learn what exactly lives in that water. But then again, what's life without a little mystery?” – Aaron Mahnke [31:28]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On frontier encounters:

  • “When you’re on the frontier of unexplored territory, you have to be prepared to face some monsters.” – Aaron Mahnke [02:26]

• On the Iktinrat:

  • “Parents would often warn their children not to accept invitations to visit strangers’ homes, lest the stranger… be an ichting rot who could steal them away for years at a time.” – Aaron Mahnke [07:54]

• On the Kushtaka encounter:

  • “The stench from their sores and bodies made me faint.” – Charlie (via Mahnke) [13:39]

• On Portlock skepticism:

  • “[Kel] just lied about everything else.” – Aaron Mahnke [24:19]

• On Lake Iliamna’s monsters:

  • “They looked, and I quote, like mini submarines.” – Aaron Mahnke [27:17]
  • “But then again, what’s life without a little mystery?” – Aaron Mahnke [31:28]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:32] – Introduction to Alaska’s vastness, setting up legends
• [04:10] – The Iktinrat (“little people”) folklore and tales
• [10:34] – The kushtaka (land otter men/kind) and prospecting story
• [18:46] – Abandonment of Portlock and the Nantinaq (Alaskan Bigfoot)
• [26:47] – The mystery of Lake Iliamna’s gigantic fish/monsters
• [31:28] – Reflections on unsolved mysteries

Tone & Style

Aaron Mahnke maintains his signature blend of chilling storytelling, skeptical inquiry, and dry humor. Each legend is told with respect for its folkloric roots and a clear-eyed look at the gap between myth and documented history.

Concluding Thoughts

The episode weaves together myth and frontier history to illustrate why Alaska, with its isolation and enormity, is a perfect breeding ground for tales of monsters both real and imagined. While Mahnke is cautious about accepting every story at face value, he revels in the mysteries that still haunt America’s wild places.

Final note:
“Considering that Lake Iliamna reaches depths of up to 1,000 feet, I doubt that we will ever learn what exactly lives in that water. But then again, what’s life without a little mystery?” – Aaron Mahnke [31:28]