The ghost town of Alaska was destroyed in an earthquake in 1964

Portage is a ghost town in Alaska that fell into the sea after the devastating 1964 earthquake.

In 1964, disaster struck the settlements in Alaska, with Portage left deserted thereafter. Most ghost towns in the US are old boom and bust cities – like the old gold rush-era mining towns of the Wild West. More and more cities and towns today are becoming ghost towns – like Gary in the Rust Belt in Indiana. Portage is different from many other ghost towns in that it was destroyed by a strong earthquake.

If one wishes to see ghost towns in the United States, Portage offers a unique type of ghost town. Here one can see the ghost forest, the remains of an abandoned settlement, and the flooded cabins of neighboring settlements.

History and background of Portage

Portage is located on Turnagain Arm, Alaska, about 47 miles or 76 kilometers from Anchorage. Turnagain Arm is a waterway in the northwest part of the Gulf of Alaska known for high tides and harsh climate ranges.

Location: On the spindle, 47 miles from the dock

Residential census:

1950: 54 residents, 1960: 71 residents

One fun fact about Turnagain Arm is that it was named by William Bligh of HMS Bounty when he was part of one of Captain Cook’s campaigns. He would continue to have his own ship with the partially rebellious crew until they could return to the women in Tahiti.

William Balagh of HMS Bounty: His name is Turnagain Arm

The rebels went on to find the undiscovered island of Pitcairn and settled there with their lost women – and their descendants still live there today. Pitcairn is now home to the world’s most remote AirBnB.

Related Topics: You can find this ghost town in Banff National Park

The devastating 1964 Alaska earthquake

The 1964 Alaska earthquake shook the state at 5:36 p.m. EDT on Good Friday, March 27. It triggered a tsunami and caused extensive damage (even though the area was only sparsely populated). It killed about 131 people.

Date: Good Friday, March 27, 1964 Duration: 4 minutes 38 seconds Size: 9.2 – The second largest in recorded history

The earthquake lasted four minutes and thirty-eight seconds. It was a 9.2-magnitude earthquake, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America, and the second most powerful earthquake ever recorded in world history. The most powerful was the 9.4-9.6 Valdivia earthquake in Chile in 1960.

It ruptured about 600 miles of the fault line and rose by 60 feet (or 18 meters) releasing about 500 years of pent-up stress. This resulted in soil liquefaction, fissures, landslides, and other ground failures that caused significant structural damage in many communities and caused extensive property damage. Tsunamis from earthquake-affected places as far away as Hawaii and Japan.

a movement:

Fault line: Moved up to 60 feet Kodiak: Moved up 30 feet Kodiak Arm: Dropped places by 8 feet

But while some areas around Kodiak have been raised by 30 feet or 9 meters, some areas around Turnagain Arm have decreased by 8 feet or 2.4 meters. Seward Highway found itself here under the new high tide sign and so had to be built.

In the massacre, Portage was destroyed as the ground beneath it sank by about 6 feet, or 1.8 meters. The small settlement found itself mostly below the level of the new high tide.

RELATED: A spooky California ghost town looks like the set of a (abandoned) Wild West movie.

Visit and what to see in Portage and nearby cities

Today, the remaining parts of Portage are used as a ghost town; A structural reminder of the mining community that once thrived there and the force of nature that destroyed it.

Dark Atlas

In the aftermath of the earthquake, all that remained of Portage were ruins and a barren forest. With the tide now high, it was decided to abandon Portage. If one goes to Portage today, there is not much to see in the small settlement. There are still ruins of some buildings, notably the “ghost forest” of trees that died after being submerged by salt water and submerged by their roots.

See: “Ghost Forest” and the remains of buildings

Today there is only a crossroads of railways and roads. Nearby is the Portage Glacier accessible via the Seward Highway – hundreds of years ago, the entire Portage Valley was filled with ice.

The town of Girdwood on neighboring Turnaround Arm 2.5 miles from the valley where the original town site was also lowered was moved to Turnagain Arm with much of the town under high tide. A settlement near Alyeska was also abandoned and most of its residents moved to the new Girdwood site as well.

Girdwood: Neighboring town moved to higher ground Alisica: also deserted after the earthquake See: Sunken cabins in marshlands

Today one can still see some submerged cabins in the swampy areas to which the city formerly extended.

Next: 20 American Ghost Towns You Should Visit (But Not Alone)

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About the author Aaron Bache (1087 articles published)

Aaron is a live traveler who has visited more than 70 countries around the world. He is passionate about traveling and opening the world to other brave explorers.

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