Two Girls One Ghost – Episode 362: Portlock, Alaska Mystery (Bigfoot!)

Podcast: Two Girls One Ghost
Episode: 362 – Portlock, Alaska Mystery (Bigfoot!)
Hosts: Corinne Vien & Sabrina Deana-Roga
Release Date: March 1, 2026

Main Theme:

An immersive dive into the haunted, abandoned town of Portlock, Alaska, notorious for mysterious disappearances, mass abandonment, and terrifying stories of violent Bigfoot-like creatures, known locally as the Nantanook. The episode unpacks the chilling history of the settlement, indigenous legends, modern retellings, and listener-submitted encounters with cryptids and hauntings.

Episode Structure

1. Lighthearted Banter & Tangents

• [02:20–10:09] The hosts reconnect, discuss the challenges of adulthood, public services, scams, USPS admiration, and quickly touch on postal worker uniforms before diving into the topic.
  • Notable Moment: Sabrina's affectionate monologue about her love for USPS and fantasy of owning a real postal uniform.
    Quote:
    "I want a USPS outfit so bad. Like, so badly. I want the jacket, I want the gear, I want the hat. Like, I literally have a tear coming down my eye." — Corinne [09:03]

2. Setting the Scene: Portlock, Alaska

• [10:09–14:47] Sabrina introduces Portlock as a town “where the residents have cowered in fear, fought for their lives, and eventually abandoned the area entirely.”
  • History starts with Captain Nathaniel Portlock, an 18th-century British explorer, who documented Alaska and its indigenous people.
  • Finds an abandoned native village in a seemingly perfect location—a foreshadowing of the town’s cursed fate.

Quote:
"As the men drifted off to sleep, they awoke to...horrible screams and cries. Beasts of sorts. An animal. They could not understand what it was or identify the sound of, but it seemed to be coming from the edge of the mountain, calling down to them, taunting them, warning them." — Sabrina [15:17]

3. The Nantanook Legend: Cannibalistic Giants

• [17:17–24:23]
  • Hosts discuss research from Luke Phillips (Black Beast and Boogeyman blog) and listener demand for Bigfoot stories.
  • In 1867, the Sugpiek people settle in Portlock, only to face months of terrifying attacks by “cannibalistic giants” called Nantanook, who sometimes retreated but never left for good.
  • The attacks last 38 years before the tribe finally abandons Portlock.

Insights:

• Attacks intensify during harsh winters—possibly resource-driven?
• Locals believed the Nantanook to be half-man, half-beast, capable of tearing people limb from limb.

4. Portlock’s Modern Settlement and the Cannery Era

• [27:38–36:37]
  • Russian Alutiiq group moves in, establishing a salmon cannery and creating a semblance of normal life—schools, post office (“for Sabrina,” [28:28]), businesses.
  • Town implements strict rules: don’t go out in bad weather, past curfew, or beyond the treeline; armed patrols at night.

Quote:
"If you find yourself in the streets when darkness falls, you better run for your life or find one of the armed guards patrolling the streets for safety." — Sabrina [29:54]

• Despite safety efforts, disappearances and strange deaths increase. Remains are found with claw marks, bite marks, and torn limbs.
  • Cannery is repeatedly sabotaged—massive hairy creatures are spotted by credible witnesses, indicating intelligence and strategy.

Quote:
"The cannery was broken into twice, and once it was even burned to the ground… A resident claimed to see a huge, hairy man destroying the fishing wheels along the beach." — Sabrina [32:42]

• [1931] A tragic killing: Andrew Kamluk, a logger, is found dead—struck with equipment too heavy for a man, possibly used as a weapon by Bigfoot.

5. The Abandonment and Legacy

• [36:37–47:17]
  • Despite horrors, the community continues until 1950, then is suddenly abandoned, leaving a ghost town.
  • Portlock weirdly appears in the census only twice, both times with the improbable number of “31 residents”—contradicting evidence.
  • Hunters and wanderers report continued Bigfoot activity into the 1970s and even 1980s; territory seems fiercely protected, and attacks are specifically confined to the cove.

Quote:
"If they truly wanted to wipe out and obliterate the town, they easily could. But they don't." — Corinne [40:26]

• Theories exchanged about what the Bigfoot are protecting—hosts wonder about primal drives, a resource, or even a hidden mystery at the cove.

6. Listener Cryptid & Paranormal Encounters (Email from Krystal)

• [51:11–67:10]
  • No first-hand Alaska Bigfoot tales, but Crystal from the Ozarks shares four major stories:
    • Not Deer: A deer-shaped cryptid with unnatural features [52:34–53:28]
    • Ozarks Bigfoot Sighting: A large, furry, bipedal creature crosses a rural road, then drops to all fours [54:01–55:12]
    • Fairy Music: Enchanted music box melodies heard in the deep woods at night, never explained [55:41–56:10]
    • Woods Stalker: Terrifying feeling of being watched in the woods, getting angry when whistling or singing.
    • Other stories: Face in high window (possibly paranormal), footsteps on the ceiling and poltergeist activity (Barge Street haunting), and a moving visitation dream with Crystal’s late stepdad.

Quote:
"After that, she did not run in the evenings for a long time… She realized this was not a deer." — Listener Krystal [52:34]

7. Reflections, Questions, and Theories

• [45:22–47:10, 46:24–47:17]
  • Sabrina and Corinne debate: Is Portlock's Bigfoot lore myth or real? Could something be specifically defended in the cove, explaining targeted attacks?
  • Both marvel at the relentless abandonment pattern regardless of the community, and the lack of mainstream verification despite mountains of local testimony.

8. Episode Closing & Calls to Action

• [67:41–69:17]
  • The hosts invite listener stories, especially Bigfoot encounters, and plug their Patreon, Apple+ early-access tier, and the ongoing listener survey for future episodes.
  • Express gratitude to the production team and listeners, encourage spreading the word via “pyramid scheme” (joking reference to viral growth).

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Sabrina on indigenous abandonment of Portlock:
  "People up and left. Yeah, sus." [14:09]
• Corinne on Bigfoot intelligence:
  "They're strategizing… Let's attack the business. If their business is, you know, gone, maybe they'll leave." [33:23]
• Sabrina (listener email):
  "She realized this was not a deer." [52:34]
• Corinne on the big question:
  "What does the bay have that we don't understand, aside from an abundance of fish and shellfish?" [47:17]
• Sabrina’s closing question:
  "Is there a colony of Bigfoots…demands for people to stop fishing there? Or is this just a legend?" [45:22]
• Corinne on cryptid acceptance:
  "Can’t they be real and some of it be legend?" [45:24]

Key Insights & Analysis

• Historical throughline: Portlock’s cycles of colonization, attacks, and abandonment span from the late 1700s to the present, with Bigfoot lore evolving alongside each generation that tries to settle.
• Bigfoot as territorial guardian:
  Recurring theme of resource-defense combined with chilling violence and coordination—host speculation about the creature’s motivation.
• Importance of local knowledge:
  Indigenous accounts, oral history, and present-day encounters weave a pattern suggesting something very real, even without mainstream “official” verification.
• Broader cryptid context:
  Listener stories connect Portlock’s legends to a wider world of American folklore (Not Deer, Bigfoot, Fae), showing these phenomena aren’t isolated.
• Emotional balance:
  Episode juxtaposes horror (dismemberment, haunting) with humor (postal service uniform dreams), creating signature “spooky but fun” TGOG energy.

Useful for:

• Anyone interested in cryptid mysteries, Alaskan folklore, or haunted places
• Listeners needing both entertaining storytelling and a dose of (sometimes) credible paranormal research
• Fans eager to understand why Portlock became “the most haunted (ghost) town in Alaska”

Listen for these timepoints:

• [10:09] — Main topic intro: Portlock’s haunted history
• [15:17] — Menacing nighttime attacks on Captain Portlock’s crew
• [20:15] — Sugpiek’s battle with cannibalistic Nantanook
• [32:42] — Cannery sabotage and Bigfoot sighting
• [35:00] — Mysterious violent death of Andrew Kamluk
• [40:07] — Discussion of Bigfoot intelligence and community structure
• [45:22] — Hosts’ debate: legend or fact?
• [51:11] — Listener cryptid and haunting stories

Tone

• Warm, friendly, often humorous; peppered with genuine awe, skepticism, and respectful curiosity toward indigenous legend and listener testimony. The episode deftly mixes unsettling folklore with bantering camaraderie and audience engagement.

Final Thought:
If you love ghost towns, cryptid lore, and deep-dive historical spookiness—especially with a dash of postal worker cosplay and relatable millennial tangents—this episode offers the full package.