The Nahanni Valley
In the great North-West Territories of Canada lies the Nahanni Valley, The valley of headless corpses. Hundreds of hot springs throughout the valley cause a constant mist in the area. black, fertile soil and exotic, lush greenery fill the land alongside the treacherous rapids of the river. Due to the tropic-like climate the Nahanni valley never sees snow. The area has long been shrouded in Indian legend. Long before white explorers welcomed themselves into Canada, the Native people claimed the valley to be of bad medicine and possess an evil, supernatural presence.
In ancient times, the valley was inhabited by a Nomadic tribe known as the "Naha". The Naha were ferocious warriors who often invaded settlements in the lower lands. Having taken enough from the Naha, another tribe, the Dene, decided to travel to Nahanni 'country' in order to invade a Naha tribe. Upon the Dene's invasion, they were shocked to see no Naha people at the settlement, it was almost as if their enemies had vanished into thin air. Remembering the tales and evil spirits said to be in the Nahanni country, the Dene escaped the valley as quick as possible. The Naha people were never heard from again.
Come the 1800's, Hudson's Bay Company (then North West Company) built two trading posts, one in Liard and the other in Fort of the forks, both at opposite ends of the Nahanni river. The Indians warned the white fur-trading folk of the evil spirits surrounding the land. The tough frontiersman were eventually intrigued to explore the Nahanni valley but were unsuccessful making it far on account of the rapids.
Around the end of 1890's, the Klondike gold rush broke out and people from all over the world were heading to Canada's great North to get in on the action. Many people from Edmonton chose to follow a treacherous trail, some others opt-d for the shorter option, an even more dangerous route, sailing the Nahanni river. Unfortunately, some choosing to route through the Nahanni River did not make it.
Following the gold rush, those who failed to make money from it began prospecting the surrounding lands, eventually wandering into Nahanni country. The few who returned from Nahanni told townsfolk of the Subarctic Eden they encountered. Some claimed the tropical valley was a hunter's paradise filled with prehistoric animals like Mammoths and Mastodons.
On account of the new found riches in Nahanni, many prospectors decided to return to explore the land, despite warnings from the Natives. Two Metis brothers, Willie and Frank McLeod, were two of those prospectors who never returned. Three years following their disappearence, younger brother Charlie McLeod arranged a search party for the two boys. The search ended on a flat island at the opposite end of the Nahanni river, where Willie and Frank's bodies were found, decapitated. The heads of the two boys were not found.
After news of the McLeod brothers death spread, people continued to prospect the Nahanni for gold believing the brothers had actually struck it big before their death. Many bodies continued to show up in the area, beheaded.
Come the 1960's, more people became interested in seeing the untainted Nahanni Valley. Geologists, naturalists, environmentalists and other representatives of the environmental scientific community. Many of which returned with the similar eerie tale about a large wolf or bear like creature which roams Nahanni Valley and may be accountable for the mysterious deaths in the area. The creature described is quite similar to the description of the Waheela from Inuit myth.
Present day, the Nahanni Valley is now Nahanni National Park Reserve a rather gorgeous nature park only accessible by plane or boat. The northern tropical paradise houses geysers, hot springs, caverns and canyons. It is also home to Virginia Falls, a waterfall double the size of Niagara Falls and the boiling whirlpools known as Hell's Gate. Within the Nahanni Valley lies an ice cave called Grotte Valerie. Upon it's discovery, about 100 sheep skeletons from 2500 BC were found frozen inside. Despite being considered a National Park, the majority of Nahanni Valley remains unexplored. The only geographical survey's of the land have been done by helicopter, leaving the rest of the wilderness an enigma.
sources:
https://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/nwt/legends-of-the-nahanni-valley/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/10/the-mysterious-valley-of-the-headless-corpses/
http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nt/nahanni.aspx