FIELD FILE · BEAR-LAKE-MONSTERLAKE & SEA MONSTERREGIONAL LEGEND
Bear Lake Monster
Also known as Isabella, Bear Lake serpent
A serpent-like monster said to swim Bear Lake on the Utah–Idaho line, born of an 1868 newspaper story its own author later called a lie.
Bear Lake is a long, startlingly turquoise lake straddling the border between Utah and Idaho, ringed by mountains at the top of Logan Canyon. In 1868 Joseph C. Rich, a Latter-day Saint settler, newspaper correspondent and son of church apostle Charles C. Rich, sent the Deseret News in Salt Lake City a report that the lake was home to a huge serpent-like creature. He cited an older Native tradition of a water monster and then listed recent sightings by settlers around the lake.
The story caused a sensation. Residents came forward with accounts of a long brown animal moving faster than a horse could run, with a head variously compared to a cow, an otter, a walrus or a crocodile. Church leaders touring the valley reported that locals regarded the sightings as beyond dispute, and according to local tradition Brigham Young himself sent a long rope to Paris, Idaho, to help catch the creature. Settlers proposed giant baited hooks and even talked of exhibiting the monster to rival P. T. Barnum.
Sightings kept coming for several years. Campers said an alligator-like creature came ashore and wrecked their camp, and in 1871 a fisherman near Fish Haven reportedly caught “a junior member” of the monster family. Some Utahns speculated that underground channels linked Bear Lake to the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake, explaining similar monster tales elsewhere in the territory. The Salt Lake Tribune, no friend of the church at the time, mocked the beast as a relative of Brigham Young.
Some 26 years after his articles, Rich admitted the story had been a “wonderful first-class lie,” apparently meant to bring attention and visitors to the remote valley. Sightings nonetheless continued into the twentieth century – in 1907, 1937, 1946 and as recently as 2002. Today the monster is a friendly local mascot, nicknamed Isabella after a school naming contest in 1996.
- Status
- Regional legend
- First reported
- 1868
- Best-known location
- Bear Lake, on the Utah–Idaho border
- Also called
- Isabella, Bear Lake serpent
What witnesses describe
Usually a long, serpentine brown animal, estimates ranging from 20 to 90 feet, with a head like a cow, horse, otter or walrus, small ears, and sometimes short legs about 18 inches long for crawling onto the shore. It is said to swim faster than a locomotive.
Where and when it’s seen
Bear Lake, a deep natural lake on the Utah–Idaho border near Garden City, Utah, and Fish Haven and St. Charles, Idaho; most sightings are of something moving fast across the open water in summer.
Notable sightings
- 1868Joseph C. Rich’s report Bear Lake Valley
Rich’s letter to the Deseret News described a giant serpent-like creature and listed recent settler sightings. It started the legend and caused excitement across the Utah Territory.
- 1871A “junior” monster near Fish Haven Fish Haven, Idaho
A local fisherman reportedly caught a small member of the monster “family.” Like most early stories, it was passed along by newspapers without any physical evidence.
- 1874Bishop Budge’s letter Bear Lake
Bishop William Budge wrote to the Ogden Junction that he and two companions had seen a creature about five or six feet long whose face and head were covered in light, snuff-colored fur. His report shows how varied the descriptions were.
- June 2002Brian Hirschi’s sighting Bear Lake
Local business owner Brian Hirschi said he saw a large creature rise near his boat. It is often cited as the most recent well-known sighting.
What could explain it?
- Joseph C. Rich, who launched the legend, later admitted he had made it up.
- Wind slicks, boat wakes and standing waves on a long, narrow lake can look like a moving animal’s back.
- Large fish, swimming deer, elk or otters, and floating logs could account for many sightings.
- Settler-era newspapers often printed tall tales for entertainment, and frontier towns welcomed anything that brought attention.
Legend, culture and tourism
Shoshone oral tradition is said to tell of a serpent-like being in the lake, which Rich’s articles drew on. Today the monster is an affectionate emblem of the Bear Lake Valley: a green monster-shaped tour boat once took visitors on 45-minute folklore cruises, Garden City’s Raspberry Days parade has featured “The Real Bear Lake Monsters” float, and the Bear Lake Monster Winterfest celebrates it each winter.
Places to visit
Information on the lake, the monster legend and events such as the Bear Lake Monster Winterfest.
Where it’s reported
Bear Lake Monster in the news
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Sources
First published · Updated
