The Mad Trapper of Bristol Bay

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

Here’s an article I just found and started reading about America’s answer to the Mad Trapper of Rat River. The Mad Trapper of Bristol Bay doesn’t sound familiar to me even though this manhunt went on for years through the 20s and so predated the Canadian story and he’s almost as mysterious as “Albert Johnson”.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/survival...f-bristol-bay/

P.S. Scroll down to see picture purported to be of Klutuk.

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

“During the first decades of the 20^thcentury, a murderous trapper haunted the upper watersheds draining into Bristol Bay and the Kuskokwim River. His life, identity, and even death are shrouded in mystery. Newspapers claimed he was Yup’ik, and that he murdered an unknown number of people—mostly trappers and prospectors that crowded his vast territory. He was called Klutuk, named after a small tributary of the Nushagak River where one of his camps was located. The Kusko Times reported in 1931 that Klutuk “was born in the Nushagak River district about 38 years ago.”

Delving in to this as a newly discovered case, it would be interesting to find out if he profiles the same as the Mad Trapper of Rat River if or when he ever gets identified or from what we think we know of him and what we do know of other similar criminals that I’d say would fall into the Spectacle Killer category which includes mass murderers.

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

This looks like closest match to “Klutuk”. I don’t
know if any researcher tried to look him up before. [PS wrong area]

Klutakton

in the 1900 United States Federal Census
View

Nulato, Northern District, Alaska
Tenneh Kwiklamiut (?)

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

”His life, identity, and even death are shrouded in mystery. Newspapers claimed he was Yup’ik, and that he murdered an unknown number of people—mostly trappers and prospectors that crowded his vast territory. He was called Klutuk, named after a small tributary of the Nushagak River where one of his camps was located. The Kusko Times reported in 1931 that Klutuk “was born in the Nushagak River district about 38 years ago.”

The article says Klutuk was a nickname like “MT of Rat River” and he was born somewhere else so this is probably the wrong guy. His name might be Yup’ik.

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

The Yup’iks or Yupik are indigenous Alaskans and Russians who are related to the Inuit. It’s not his name.

There are the boys born around the right time in the Nushugak River Region (1894 +/- 5 yrs) or have Nushugak as a key word, so some are of the Nushugak tribe but residing elsewhere.



All 1900 United States Federal Census results for Nushagak

SearchResults 1–50 of 60

https://www.ancestry.ca/search/colle...6d649cd6d5d34c

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

Here are the news reports of Klutak’s presumed demise in 1929 and the discovery of his alleged remains in 1931. It was in 31 when they said he was about 38 so born circa 1893 at Nushagak.

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/s...archType=basic

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

Here’s one of the earliest spellings of the name:

Klu-tok

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104370973/

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

Here’s an article that say Klu-tok became a vengeful native because a white man killed his wife. That would explain a lot if it’s true.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104380599/

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

"L to R: The infamous Klutuk with Ishnook and Petla at Alailuka’ar circa 1917. The boy is Wassilly Petla"

https://bristolbaylandtrust.org/heritage/

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

I think this record identifies two of the people in the above picture. Petla and Wassily Petla.


Tikchik Village near Nuyakuk Lake

Tikchik Village and Toguriwkvaktoliak Village near Nuyakuk Lake
February 14-16, 1930
Bristol Bay, Third Judicial District, Inuit, United States
Enumeration District 3-22
Enumerator: Frank Waskey
Sheet No. 16B
https://www.genealogytrails.com/alas..._census_05.htm

House #

Family #

Name

Relation to Head of Household

Sex

Race

Age

Marital Status

Attended school since

Able to read and write

Person Birth-place

Father Birth-place

Mother Birth-place

Immigration Year

Naturalized

Speak English

Trade

Industry

1

1

Kokechan, Petla

Head

M

Mix

45

M

No

Inuit

Unknown

Inuit

No

Fisherman

Salmon Fishery

_______, Oliana

Wife

F

In

38

M

No

Inuit

Inuit

Inuit

No

Housework

Own Home

_______, Wassili

Son

M

Mix

19

S

No

No

Inuit

Inuit

Inuit

No

Trapper

Fur Business

_______, Bloonka

Son

M

Mix

12

S

No

No

Inuit

Inuit

Inuit

No

Fisherman

Salmon

_______, Peter

Son

M

Mix

6

S

No

Inuit

Inuit

Inuit

None

Onguksak, Kemafe

Boarder

M

In

45

W

No

Inuit

Inuit

Inuit

Trapper

Fur Business

Onguksak, Wassili

Boarder

M

In

10

S

No

No

Inuit

Inuit

Inuit

None

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

Here’s an article that say Klu-tok became a vengeful native because a white man killed his wife. That would explain a lot if it’s true.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104380599/

Since this story of a "white man" killing his wife and then "leaving the country" would, if true, have happened around 1919, I think it's more likely that his alleged wife would have died of the Spanish Flu and the death was then blamed on a white man. The natives of Nushagak where Klutuk was born blamed the Russian Orthodox priest for causing the spread of the disease since it started after the Easter service. I've read of another plague from the turn of the century blamed on a doctor who didn't have enough or good enough medicine.

So I'd say the "white man" in the story would be the priest or a doctor. I wonder if Father Hodavisky left the country. By "left the country", I would take that to mean he left the USA, if it's literal, and whoever it was would have gone to Canada or, in this case, maybe Russia.

PS Rev. (St.) Alexander Hotovitzky was arrested in Russia in May of 1920 so he did go back to Russia.

The Alaskan Influenza Epidemic, 1918 to 1919

https://www.orthodoxtacoma.com/saintsna_stalexanderhotovitzky

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

"L to R: The infamous Klutuk with Ishnook and Petla at Alailuka’ar circa 1917. The boy is Wassilly Petla"

https://bristolbaylandtrust.org/heritage/

This is an unknown or unaccepted picture of Klutuk. He looks quite content but this was c. 1917 before he turned outlaw and perhaps before the alleged tragedy with his wife.

I think I've identified all the others in the picture. Ishnook looks to be the well-known Ivan Ishnook who was one of the last living people from the abandoned Aleut village of Tikchik. I have a side by side below.

P.S. He's also on the same page of the census record above in the next village.

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/vi...ity-in-cluster

The above picture was taken at Elikakok about half way up the Nushagak river c. 1917. By that time, Ishnook was living at the headwaters of the Nushagak at Nuyakuk in the summer and back near the old village of Tikchik a little to the west at the mouth of the Tikchik River. This is right in the middle of Klutuk territory. Klutuk was reportedly born in Nushagak or area at the mouth of the river or in the bay so maybe he was still living there and they met half way up the river in the interior.

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

The above picture was taken at Elikakok about half way up the Nushagak river c. 1917. By that time, Ishnook was living at the headwaters of the Nushagak at Nuyakuk in the summer and back near the old village of Tikchik a little to the west at the mouth of the Tikchik River.

I just noticed that the record I found for the father and son on the right of the picture gives the same locations (Nuyakuk and Tikchik) in 1930 as Ivan Ishnook as given in the Tikchik Village book so I'd say all 3 are a match (Ivan Ishnook, middle, Petla Kokechan on right with son Wassili).

They also named the village Tikchik as the original and both are named after the Tikchik River.

Tikchik Village near Nuyakuk Lake

Tikchik Village and Toguriwkvaktoliak Village near Nuyakuk Lake
February 14-16, 1930
Bristol Bay, Third Judicial District, Inuit, United States

Petla Kokechan and son Wassili

https://www.genealogytrails.com/alas..._census_05.htm

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

I believe this is Petla Kokechan in 1942. Name is spelled slightly differently and his age is only off by two years (55 instead of 57).

U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
Draft, enlistment and service
View

Petla Kokchung

Tom Morgan

Kaliganek, Alaska, USA

Ekwak, Alaska, USA

Age 55
Height 5'4"

Klutuk's height is given as 5'4" and Petla Kokchung (the guy on the right) is 5'4" at 55/57. Ishnook in the middle is the tallest one.

[Markus Aurelius Franzoi]

This photo could be an example of Duolocal Residency where the groom goes to live with the father of the bride while the bride lives with her mother. Klutuk, if that’s him could have married a sister or daughter of Petla or a sister of Ivan.