11 replies to this topic

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

My father, just as curious about mysterious phenomena as me, just told me about the Nahanni River area.
Basically, it's like the Daliatov Pass, except it's been going on for years.
Men freezing with matches in their hands, headless gold miners, missing Indian tribes, the place is a weirdness magnet.

Does anyone know more about this place? All I can find are "come visit the beautiful Nahanni nation park" style links with the odd "here's a mystery" info-bite, hardly worth reading with less then useful information.

[Likely Guy]

As a Canadian I've never heard about any of this until now. But I did find this:

"The most famous story recounted the demise of the McLeod brothers, who had gone up the Nahanni River in 1906 in search of gold. Rumour had it they had hit the motherlode, but their headless skeletons were discovered in 1908, cause of death unknown. That part of the river became known as Deadmen Valley. Other mysterious deaths followed. Prospector Martin Jorgensen's skeleton was found a few years later, also without a head, beside the burnt remains of his cabin along the Flat River. Twisted Mountain claimed trapper John O'Brien who was found frozen beside his campfire, his matches still held in an icy grip. Their deaths are remembered in place names like Headless Creek, Broken Skull River and the Funeral Range.

From a 1962 mystery on the Nahanni:
"Miraculously the pilot survived the accident unscathed and set about building a camp a short distance from the crash site. He was so well equipped to survive, with food, fuel, shelter and camp provisions from the aircraft's cargo that he was confident that rescue would come within a matter of days. So he waited and confided his circumstances to his diary. On many occasions he watched as searching aircraft flew overhead but none saw him. He was, in fact, only six miles as the crow flies from his destination and his friends, although he was probably unaware of his exact location. For around fifty days he continued this lonely vigil and then he mysteriously disappeared. Six months later that one of his partners came by chance upon the wrecked aircraft, the pilot's camp and his diary...but to this day no further trace of him has ever been found."

It was on a different forum (so I won't link to it) but if you google a couple of sentences you'll find the source.

[Bavarian Raven]

Nothing "paranormal" or the such - just very rough country in a very remote place. Lots of people died trying to take a "short cut" route into the gold fields of the Yukon. That coupled with a few murders and bad luck have led to the legends growing. (it was the hotsprings there that gave rise to the hidden tropical paradise. XD)

[Likely Guy]

Oops, and these, which I can link to:

http://buildfutureen...mm-interesting/

http://suite101.com/...-canada-a124512

[Rafterman]

Bavarian Raven, on 24 February 2013 - 02:11 AM, said:

Nothing "paranormal" or the such - just very rough country in a very remote place. Lots of people died trying to take a "short cut" route into the gold fields of the Yukon. That coupled with a few murders and bad luck have led to the legends growing. (it was the hotsprings there that gave rise to the hidden tropical paradise. XD)

Agreed.  Gold prospecting was a dangerous business back in the day - it still is in fact.  The rest sound like fairly straight forward missing persons stuff.

[Bavarian Raven]

Quote

Agreed.  Gold prospecting was a dangerous business back in the day - it still is in fact.  The rest sound like fairly straight forward missing persons stuff.

Correct,
Read Patterson's "A Dangerous River." It's about the time he spent up that river. Sheds some light on some of the mysteries.
That being said, I have not had the pleasure of visiting this place but have known people who have. Very rugged country. Very remote. Very beautiful. Easy place for someone to dissapear and never be seen again.

Quote

From a 1962 mystery on the Nahanni:
"Miraculously the pilot survived the accident unscathed and set about building a camp a short distance from the crash site. He was so well equipped to survive, with food, fuel, shelter and camp provisions from the aircraft's cargo that he was confident that rescue would come within a matter of days. So he waited and confided his circumstances to his diary. On many occasions he watched as searching aircraft flew overhead but none saw him. He was, in fact, only six miles as the crow flies from his destination and his friends, although he was probably unaware of his exact location. For around fifty days he continued this lonely vigil and then he mysteriously disappeared. Six months later that one of his partners came by chance upon the wrecked aircraft, the pilot's camp and his diary...but to this day no further trace of him has ever been found."

Again, it's very rugged country. Most of the river is lined with cliffs, making it impossible to follow the river out. And what likely happened is no mystery. He probably left camp to collect wood or hunt or the such, and injured himself, and died. Animals got to the body and the remains disspersed. Bodies don't last long out in the woods here. Hence his "vanishing". Accidents happen.

Edited by Bavarian Raven, 24 February 2013 - 09:27 PM.

[Simbi Laveau]

A nice creepy campfire tale,and all kill joys snuff the creepiness out of it . Feh

[Ravinoff]

Likely Guy, on 24 February 2013 - 02:16 AM, said:

Oops, and these, which I can link to:

http://buildfutureen...mm-interesting/

Oh for...don't suppose you know of any way to contact the owner of that site, do you? Because that article is a straight copypaste of one I wrote a couple years back on my blog. I know it gets around, hell, it's been translated into Polish and I don't care, but I get kind of annoyed when it's not attributed back. Bloody hippies...

Anyways, this is the original article, and oddly enough one of the most often quoted sources on the Nahanni Valley phenomenon: http://raven-talesof...adless-men.html

[Likely Guy]

Ravinoff, on 24 February 2013 - 10:28 PM, said:

Oh for...don't suppose you know of any way to contact the owner of that site, do you? Because that article is a straight copypaste of one I wrote a couple years back on my blog. I know it gets around, hell, it's been translated into Polish and I don't care, but I get kind of annoyed when it's not attributed back. Bloody hippies...

Anyways, this is the original article, and oddly enough one of the most often quoted sources on the Nahanni Valley phenomenon: http://raven-talesof...adless-men.html

No, but she states in her "about" page that she's "Just a Regular Jane - Author of green and sustainability posts, re-blogger & opinion donator on topics of science, technology, natural disasters & weird fun stuff. I’m into the truth."

Source: http://buildfutureen...ress.com/about/

So, a 're-blogger' is a nice new name for a 'plagiariser'?

Edit: Ravinoff, just another thought. You should check out her blog archive. If she stole one of your articles there are probably others.

Edited by Likely Guy, 25 February 2013 - 01:11 AM.

[Bavarian Raven]

So about this mysterious mountain tribe, the Naha... It would be neat if they were behind these "headless" events that keep ocuring in this area. I wonder if they, these Naha, are still out there. It would be the perfect place for a tribe that wants to remain "undiscovered" to exist.

[Likely Guy]

Bavarian Raven, on 25 February 2013 - 12:52 AM, said:

So about this mysterious mountain tribe, the Naha... It would be neat if they were behind these "headless" events that keep ocuring in this area. I wonder if they, these Naha, are still out there. It would be the perfect place for a tribe that wants to remain "undiscovered" to exist.

I don't know if I believe this, but here goes...

"Anthropologists have recently discovered surprising similarities in legend between the lost tribe of the Naha and the Navajo of the American southwest. In fact, Slavey Dene visiting Arizona have found they can converse quite comfortably with the Navajo, perhaps the descendants of their enemies from long ago."

Source: http://www.greatcana...hninp/page2.htm

Who knows?

[Bavarian Raven]

http://www.bigfooten...s/harrycolp.htm
<-- on the above story, while not in the Nahanni it is one of numerous similar tales out of the mountains of the upper Northwest territories and Alaska. It gets one wondering if these 'Sasquatches' and 'Naha' are one and the same, simply a small, fierce tribe(s) of humans that do not want to be disturbed. It would explain both sides of the legend and not require any great "missing links" etc.