BEAR LAKE MONSTER
- Program
- Subject
- Location
- Lat/Long
- Grant Recipient
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Legends & Lore®
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Folklore, Legend
- 1499 S Bear Lake Blvd, Garden City, UT 84028, USA
- 41.918583, -111.393222
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Utah State University
BEAR LAKE MONSTER
Inscription
BEAR LAKE MONSTERREGIONAL LEGEND OF BEAR
LAKE VALLEY TELLS OF SIGHTINGS
OF LARGE SERPENTINE MONSTER
IN THIS LAKE. TALE PROMOTED
IN 1868 BY JOSEPH C. RICH.
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY FOLKLORE PROGRAM
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2024
In the Bear Lake Valley, along the Utah–Idaho border, a legend has persisted that recalls stories of sightings of a monster lurking in Bear Lake. While the origins of this regional legend most likely stem from Shoshone stories of large serpents living in the lake, the tale of the Bear Lake Monster grew after Joseph C. Rich, a Mormon church leader, reported second-hand accounts of sightings of a snake-like creature in the lake in 1868. Rich later recanted his reports, admitting they were crafted as a marketing ploy in attempts to get people to visit Rich County, Utah.
Despite this dubious beginning, the legend of the Bear Lake Monster has continued to be retold ever since. With sporadic sightings of the monster continuing to the present, the story serves for community members as a sort of cautionary water tale as well as a fondly recalled local anecdote.