Strange Places: Palmyra Atoll
Being As Close to LOST As You Might Find, These Paradise Islands Are Linked to Disappearances, Murder and Mystery
There is an island in the south pacific that has been described as everything from paradise to “evil” itself. It is the scene of legends of lost pirate treasure, a bloody double killing and stories of lost planes and ships that stand evocative of the Bermuda Triangle. But, just how did this tiny atoll south of Hawaii come by its reputation? And how many of these legends are based on truth?
Linked with the legend of the lost Inca Gold of the Esperanza, Palmyra Atoll lays one-third of the way between Hawaii and American Samoa. It is a place of outstanding natural beauty, uninhabited and unspoiled. With blue lagoons, coconut trees and white sandy beaches, any traveller could believe they had found paradise. However, Palmyra Atoll doesn’t have quite the history to match its perceived tranquillity. With murders, suicides and mysterious disappearances, these tiny islands might just deceive by their appearance.
Palmyra was first sighted by Westerners in 1798 when an American sea captain, Edmund…
