Bristol, Alaska
Population (2000) - 1,258
Outline map of Alaska
Bristol Bay, Alaska is actually a district. From the images on the sites below it looks a beautiful place.
Greg Syverson's Alaskan Photography
Fact or Ficton?
Here's a strange story that concerns Bristol and Alaska. I found it in a book called "Phenomena - A Book of Wonders" by J. Michell and R. J. M. Rickard and published by Thames & Hudson Ltd. in 1977. It is probably a hoax, but I'll put the story here for the sake of completeness.
For some reason the sky above Alaska seems strangely receptive to images of Bristol. Charles Hoy Fort in a book, "New Lands" mentions reports that a mirage of Bristol appeared in the sky several times. Apparently these sightings are more common between 21st June and 10th July. Fort also reports that the local Indians were seeing these images before white settlement.
In 1887 the pioneer, Willoughby, saw and photographed this aerial city. Some people have claimed that this photograph was, in fact, a picture of the real city of Bristol and not some spectral phantom.
Bristol, England in Alaska?
On 31st October 1889, the New York Times an article appeared saying that Mr. L. B. French reported seeing quite plainly in the sky near Mount Fairweather "houses, well defined streets and trees. Here and there rose tall spires over huge buildings, which appeared to be ancient mosques or cathedrals ... It did not look like a modern city - more like an ancient European city".
Fort quotes another correspondant from the Yukon who in June 1897 had seen a great city in the sky. Members of his party speculated on whether it most resembled Toronto, Montreal or Peking, but concluded that it was more like "some ancient city in the past".
I did a search on the net for Charles Hoy Fort, I didn't think I'd find anything, but found the complete text for New Lands, the page that mentions Bristol is Part 2, Chapter 19.
This page created 7th August 2000, last modified 17th August 2005
