Sasquatch Chronicles - SC EP:1167

Abandoned: The History and Horror of Port Chatham, Alaska
Podcast Date: June 29, 2025
Host: Wes
Featured Guests: Tom (sharing his late father's 1950s Oregon encounter), Larry Baxter (author of Abandoned: The History and Horror of Port Chatham, Alaska)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of Sasquatch Chronicles explores two layers of the Bigfoot phenomenon:

1. A moving, secondhand retelling of a classic 1950s Oregon Sasquatch encounter by Tom, honoring his late father.
2. A deep dive into Port Chatham, Alaska: The infamous fishing/logging town that was abandoned by 1950, allegedly due to terrifying, violent encounters with a mysterious creature known locally as the Nantanok. Larry Baxter, investigator and author, discusses firsthand experiences, research challenges, and the cultural/psychological impact Bigfoot stories continue to have.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. [00:00–09:10] Recap and Setting the Stage

• Host Wes sets a suspenseful tone, referencing recent shocking encounters (Chris’s “dogman” sighting in Texas, Tom’s late father’s encounter, and the legend of Port Chatham/Portlock, Alaska).

• Discussion of how seeing the inexplicable forever changes witnesses.

  Notable Quote:

  • Chris (about his encounter): “When you see something that you’re… that’s not normal… you’re trying to rationalize what you’re seeing and it’s just not normal.” (04:13)

2. [09:10–33:41] Tom Shares His Father’s 1950s Sasquatch Encounter (Silverton, Oregon, c.1957)

Context

• Tom honors his late father by recounting the story he and his brother grew up hearing, a defining family legend.

The Encounter (Summary)

• Setting: Late fall/early winter, evening, rural Silverton, Oregon (farming area).

• Event: Tom’s father (teenager) and his girlfriend are driving to a high school dance through a sparsely traveled, gravel/dirt road (intersection of Central Howell).

• Sequence:

  • A dark, humanoid figure strides diagonally onto the road in front of their car.
  • Initial assumption is a person, then a stunned realization it’s not human—large, hair-covered, apish (but not animal, nor fully ape), dark-eyed.
  • The being makes deliberate eye contact twice (once as it crosses the road, again when on the far side), exhibits zero fear or reaction to the vehicle or commotion.
  • Father swerves around it, girlfriend panics, demands they not return.
  • After a few seconds, father wants to go back but is too shaken, urged not to.
  • The event leaves a lasting emotional and psychological impact, including some PTSD for the girlfriend, which may have ended their relationship.
  • Years later, upon seeing the famous Patterson-Gimlin film, Tom’s father pointed to the screen and said, “That’s what I saw” ([23:22]).
  • He wrote a college paper on the experience, constantly re-examined whether it was a hoax or hallucination, but always affirmed it was absolutely real.

  Notable Quotes & Moments:

  • Tom, recounting his dad: “One of the things he mentioned over and over… was that it showed absolutely no fear. If it was a human hoax, wouldn’t they run from a car coming at them at 45 miles an hour?” ([21:34])
  • On seeing Patterson-Gimlin film: “He looked at it with a shocked look and goes, ‘Guys, that’s what I saw.’” ([23:22])

Reflecting on Meaning

• Discussion of the ridicule faced when talking about Sasquatch in the ‘50s, compared to widespread accounts and resources available today.
• Tom describes his father’s mature perspective: The creature as a “wild man” or intelligent, elusive, near-human being. Not animal; akin to "Native American" in its survival skills and culture, not industrial but with a clear intelligence (“not full animal…there’s something about them that’s interesting in that way” [31:04]).

Philosophical Take

• Tom and Wes agree: The best explanation, so far, is that Sasquatch represents “undocumented, largely undiscovered creatures”—possibly more human in behavior than animal ([32:30]).

3. [33:53–61:16] Interview with Larry Baxter: Port Chatham/Portlock, Alaska

A. [34:06–36:33] Larry’s Personal Sightings & The “Curse of Bigfoot Footage”

• Larry recounts seeing a Donkey Kong-shaped figure (“cone head, wide shoulders… raising its arms, like ‘hey, over here’”) on thermal imaging during an expedition in Port Chatham.

  • Classic “curse of Bigfoot” moment: Saw it, passed the thermal for validation instead of recording, missed the prime footage. (36:04)
  • “I always give people a hard time about not hitting record… I’ve softened up.” ([36:13])

• Tells an unnerving story from a separate Washington investigation: Overwhelming, unnatural fear, a disembodied whisper, suddenly dissipated after a mysterious “boom.”

  Notable Quote:

  • “It was like someone flipped a switch. I felt fear like ‘it’s going to get me.’” ([39:23])

B. [41:18–46:34] Port Chatham’s Real History and the Nantanok

• Port Chatham (the bay) and Portlock (the town)—often used interchangeably.
• Founded early 1900s; true economy was logging, not just fishing. Company town run by one family. Native workers made up a large workforce.
• Natives eventually refused to stay—the Nantanok was terrorizing families. Owners tried to appease by hiring armed guards.
• By 1950, even the last postmaster departed; machinery left to rust—“wasn’t just a dying town… they just up and left… looked like everyone just got up and left” ([47:05]).

C. [47:11–52:19] Was it Really Bigfoot That Drove Everyone Out?

• “Two things can be true at once.” There are real creature sightings, but much is mystery or even legend.
• Unlike other ghost towns, Port Chatham was abandoned with resources left. That fuels the legend.
• Researching the facts is frustrating: records lost, oral history dominant, little possibility for documentary clarity.
• The story of Andrew Kamlock—alleged Nantanok victim—remains unprovable due to missing documentation.

D. [52:36–55:17] Native Oral Traditions & Aggressive Encounters—Hypotheses

• The Nantanok, like many Native “boogeyman” archetypes, has ambiguous translation and roles: from warning children to stories of transformation (human turning into Nantanok).
• Aggression Hypothesis: Intense resource extraction (logging, fishing) deprived the Nantanok of environment and food, potentially triggering “aggressive” encounters.
  • “It’s almost a perfect storm for a violent Sasquatch encounter… you’re taking away the environment, taking away the food.” ([54:37])

E. [55:52–59:17] Modern Alaskan Encounters & Sasquatch’s Behavior

• Alaska’s vastness, remoteness—Sasquatch rarely needs human contact. When it happens, intimidation displays are described (e.g., witness sees a figure “grabbing two big pine trees… shaking them like ski poles” [56:12]).
• Larry’s theory: “They just aren’t used to humans; that’s why you see more intimidating behavior up here.”
  • Encounters are a function of “circumstances”: surprised, defending young or food, or just annoyed by human presence in their territory.

F. [59:49–61:16] What Does Larry Believe Sasquatch Is?

• Larry’s position: “Simplest explanation—an undiscovered North American ape. I’m not discounting paranormal/interdimensional theories, but as a retired police officer, I have to see it to believe it.” ([59:49])
  • “If I see one walk through an interdimensional doorway, I’ll be the first one on here to change my tune!” ([60:05])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Chris (on seeing an unexplainable creature):
  "When you see something that’s not normal... your mind’s trying to rationalize what you’re seeing, and it’s just not normal... It transitioned from four up to two legs. And that’s what I’ll never forget that. The way that thing did that." ([04:13]–[05:53])

• Tom (about his father’s life-long memory):
  "There’s something about this thing that stayed with him his whole life. He got ridiculed for it, learned not to talk about it, but in his final years, it was his favorite topic with us." ([22:20])

• Larry Baxter (on researcher regrets):
  "I always give people a hard time about, ‘Why didn’t you get a picture?’... but I had it in my hands, and still, I went for validation instead of hitting record." ([36:04])

• Larry Baxter (on Port Chatham’s abandonment):
  "With Port Chatham... the resources were still there. It just doesn’t fit the usual ghost town story—that adds to the mystery." ([47:50])

• Larry Baxter (defining his approach):
  "Occam’s razor... I’m open to anything, but the simplest explanation first. I have to see it to believe it." ([59:49])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 04:13 – Chris describes his shape-shifting “dogman” encounter in Texas
• 09:10 – Tom begins in-depth retelling of his father’s 1950s Bigfoot encounter
• 23:22 – Tom recounts his father’s reaction to the Patterson-Gimlin film
• 32:30 – Discussion of what Sasquatch might be, philosophically
• 33:53 – Larry Baxter joins the show, shares Port Chatham experience
• 36:04 – “Curse of Bigfoot Footage” story – validation vs recording
• 41:18 – Actual history of Port Chatham and Portlock explained
• 47:11 – Realities and challenges of researching Alaska’s lost records
• 52:36 – Native oral traditions about the Nantanok (Port Chatham legend)
• 54:37 – Larry’s hypothesis on environmental pressure leading to aggression
• 56:12 – Modern sighting: Bigfoot shaking trees in Alaska
• 59:49 – Larry’s rationale for the “undiscovered ape” explanation

Overall Tone & Takeaways

• The episode is deeply respectful, both to the witnesses and to the culture of inquiry surrounding Bigfoot—whether you approach as skeptic, believer, or someone in-between.
• Both stories (Tom’s family account and Port Chatham’s history) reveal just how profoundly these experiences shape witnesses, often lingering as lifelong mysteries, sources of fascination, and even personal trauma.
• Despite legend embellishments, enough credible encounters and oral histories exist to sustain the question: What are people seeing?

For Further Exploration

• Larry Baxter’s Book: Abandoned: The History and Horror of Port Chatham, Alaska (Amazon)
• Episode 1166: For Chris’s full Texas “dogman” encounter
• BFRO Database: For documented sightings in your region

To share your own encounter, email Wes at wes@sasquatchchronicles.com