Ogopogo, Canadian Cryptid Lake Monster
Lake Okanagan, British Columbia, Home to Mysterious Creature
May 22, 2009
There are similarities between Lake Okanagan and Loch Ness, Scotland. They’re both long and narrow, are at about the same latitude and famous for their resident water monsters.
Ogopogo made its debut long before Nessie. In 1926, seven years before Nessie's made her first media appearance, Roy W. Brown, editor of the Vancouver Sun, wrote that too many reliable witnesses have seen the lake monster to ignore their reports. There are records of Ogopogo's existence that go back to the 1800s; modern sightings have been documented.
Ogopogo and Rattlesnake Island
AmerIndians live in the Okanagan Valley. The natives believe that Rattlesnake Island is home to the cryptids. There are pictographs that some feel depict the Ogopogo.
Natives saw them as malevolent and claimed that the island’s rocky beaches were, at times, covered with the parts of animals that they attacked. When crossing the lake during bad weather, they carried a small animal to toss overboard in the middle of the lake to appease the monster. No AmerIndians would fish near Squally Point, now, a popular cliff diving site.
In 1914, a group of Nicola Valley and Westbank AmerIndians discovered the decomposing body of an unidentified creature. It was bluish-grey, over five feet long, had a broad tail, flippers and was estimated to weigh about 400 pounds. Although the neck was missing, some believe that it was an Ogopogo. The creatures’ footprints have also been found.
Ogopogo Sightings
The following Ogopogo sightings have been reported over the years.
- 1872: First recorded sighting by a European was Mrs. John Allison’s.
- September 16, 1926: Ogopogo was watched by the occupants of thirty cars along an Okanagan beach. Not many monsters have been seen at one time by so many people.
- July 2, 1947: A number of boaters witnessed the monster on this date. Mr. Kray described the creature as having a thirty feet long sinuous body consisting of about five wave-like parts separated from each other by an approximate two-foot space indicating part of the body was submerged. There appeared to be a forked tail. From time to time the monster went under water, rose again.
- July 17, 1959: Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Miller and Mr. and Mrs. Pat Marten saw a huge creature with a snake-like head swimming about two hundred and fifty feet behind their motor boat.
- Summer of 1989, hunting guide Ernie Giroux and his wife were standing on the banks of Okanagan Lake when a strange animal emerged from its waters. In July, Ken Chaplin saw the creature. There have over 200 sightings by reliable people including a priest, a sea captain, a surgeon and police officers. Photos of Ogopogo are plentiful. There have been half a dozen films and videos taken of an animate object in the lake, but none are conclusive.
What Kind of Creature is Ogopogo?
Only the capture of the creature or the carcass of one would allow these cryptids into mainstream science. If Ogopogo exists, it’s elusive. The creature is usually described as being one to two feet in diameter and fifteen to twenty feet long, resembling a log.
Cryptozoologist Roy P. Mackal believes that there’s a minute population of aquatic fish-eating animals residing in Lake Okanagan. He initially assumed that the type of animal in Lake Okanagan was the same creature that he believed is Nessie. After a careful examination of the available data, he determined that the creature was a form of primitive whale, Basilosaurus cetoides. Reconstructions of Basilosaurus are almost exactly the same as the Ogopogos.
Related Articles about Water Monsters
Readers may also enjoy reading about the White River Monster and the Silver Lake Monster.
Source:
- 100 Strangest Mysteries, Matt Lamy, (MetroBooks, 2005).
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