The Ketchikan Vampire

This week I had to travel to Southeast Alaska for work. I decided it would be a good opportunity to dig into some of the eerie legends from the region and make a few stops along the way.

The Ketchikan Vampire

One of the strangest legends to come out of Alaska centers on a grave at the Bayview Cemetery in Ketchikan.

The grave belongs to Dume Zitz, a man who died in 1937 and became the subject of local rumors that he was a vampire. According to former cemetery caretaker John Scheldt, Zitz was originally buried on nearby Pennock Island before his remains were moved to Bayview. Local lore claims that only part of the body was recovered during the move — a detail that helped fuel the eerie legend.

No one knows exactly how the story began. Some versions even claim Zitz was a werewolf.

Yet the mystery continues to draw curious visitors, many leaving flowers or candles at the grave.

In a rainy port town surrounded by dense forest and long winter nights… it’s the kind of story that refuses to die.