Monday 13 July 2009

Is there a Crater Lake Monster?


Is there a monster in Crater lake? (and no I am not talking about the old B movie)

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Stories of creatures residing in the deep waters of Crater Lake have been around for a long time, from tales of dragons living there told by the indigenous population to settlers. In May 2002 the monster story resurfaced in the Fort Meyers News-Star newspaper. A woman that lived in Albany, Georgia named Mattie Hatcher recalled visiting Crater Lake when she was a child and getting a glimpse of something strange. She was out on a rowboat with some of her friends when something "a block long" swam underneath the boat and gave them all a good fright. She recounted, "I have never been so scared in my life. What we saw that day was a monster. To me, it looked like a dragon. I know why the Indians call that place Lost Lake. They say monsters live in it. I believe them. I know, because I saw one there."

I tracked down a copy of the original article.:

Georgia woman discovers the mystery of Crater Lake

Most callers to the number printed at the bottom of this column have general questions about travel. They want to know about places to vacation, estimates of cost, whether this cruise line is better than another cruise line, and the like. There are answers for most questions, but more than one is a stumper, especially those concerning how much money a traveler should take to a place the person answering the telephone has never heard of. Occasionally, however, a call comes in that really spices the day. It happened recently, and the person responsible is a lively lade from Albany, Georgia, named Mattie Hatcher. Mrs. Hatcher receives the News-Star at her home. She is interested in all things happening in Lehigh Acres. As you might expect, her interest starts with the fact she owns several lots in town. However, Mrs. Hatcher’s call did not involve her real estate interests. She had read a recent column here on Oregon. It took her back to when she lived there and the day she got the scare of her life. It happened when she and some friends were in a rowboat on Crater Lake. She learned then why Indians living in the area seldom refer to the body of water as Crater Lake. To them, it is Lost Lake. According to Mrs. Hatcher, the Indians say that monsters live there. She believes that what the Indians say is true. Had you experienced what Mrs. Hatcher and her friends did, that day on the lake, you might become a believer as well. Now for those inclined to think that the lady from Albany, Georgia is overly imaginative, it should be pointed out that her life has been one of strong realities. You get that way when much of experience has involved being a registered nurse and physiotherapist. Before getting into Mrs. Hatcher’s story, a refresher about the mysterious lake. Located near the border Oregon shares with California, the lake is easily reached from Klamath Falls, one of the world’s favorite places for seeing bald eagles. Every February, the city hosts the Bald Eagle Conference, a gathering of eagle lovers from throughout the world. Carter Lake is around 400 feet deep, and the water is so clear that you can see all the way to the bottom. The beautiful lake attracts people from around the state. When Mrs. Hatcher visited the lake, she was living in Oregon’s Hood River Valley. Folk from there often went boating on Crater Lake. Mrs. Hatcher was looking over the side of the rowboat when she saw it and felt her heart freeze. Others in the boat saw it too. They were as frightened by it as Mrs. Hatcher. It swam deep down in the lake, and it was unbelievably big. “That thing must have been a block long,” she said. “I have never been so scared in my life. What we saw that day was a monster. To me, it looked like a dragon. I know why the Indians call that place Lost Lake. They say monsters live in it. I believe them. I know, because I saw one there.” Mrs. Hatcher and her friends got to shore as fast as they could row. They told their story, but nobody really believed them. To Mrs. Hatcher, that does not matter. She knows that the story is true, because she was there.

• Story originally published by:
News-Press, Fort Meyers / FL | Charles Herndon - May 2.02

There haven't been any more recent recorded sightings I could find. Perhaps someone reading this may know differently. Sounds like a large Eel and to a child and in the reflection of the water, it would appear much larger. Still interesting and not as funny as the movie.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

how does an eel look like a dragon?
and how does a reflection (of what?-the sky on the water surface???) "magnify" the creature?
sounds like you need to see a psychiatrist for severe cognitive dissonance.(the inability to adjust to facts that contradict your fantasy world.
eels-hah!

Tabitca said...

Actually I am a psychologist and that is not what cognitive dissonance means. Festingers theory 1957 states that it is psychologically uncomfortable to hold contradictory cognitions. In other words saying one thing and believing another.So please mr anonymous if you try to be insulting get your facts right.
The refraction of light in water gives a reflection that can make things seem a different size or shape from what they are.see basic physics.
And yes an eel can look like a dragon , have you ever seen a conger eel face on with it's jaws open. I think you should try it some time. Thanks for your comments.

Unknown said...

Just went to Crater lake on google earth and saw it for myself.
It's over a hundred feet long.

Unknown said...

It's at
42 56 20 91N
122 03 46 57W

Water Ox said...

i swear to God i saw this with a boyfriend back in 2002. that is why i looked up this story, to see if anyone else has also. we were not on the lake, but, on a very clear day, we were looking down at it from above, and at the same time, simultaneously we both saw an enormous dark, organic shape that appeared to be swimming. however, both of our jaws dropped, because it was easily the size of a small aircraft. we checked with one another immediately, did you see that? we both had. never in my life have i seen anything like it.

Wild Umpqua said...

So we're being told that in one of the most photographed locations on Earth, a giant lake monster lives, yet hardly anyone has ever seen it? Never mind that a very small number of fish live in the lake or that there are no waterways in or out of the lake.

Marty said...

when I was a kid 40 years or so ago ,my family and I visited the lake ! I was standing where the telescope deal is located and looking down at the lake . I seen some thing swimming or rather moving down on the water that left waves ( 3 if I remember right ) like what a boat would leave you know, both sides moving out in a v pattern ! Then it vanished or went under water . I always wondered what it was ! It had to be very large ! Still wondering !

rubdub said...

I have a picture of something of the likes that Marty and Water OX describe. However the picture was taken at a lake 46 mins away from Crater Lake. I would be very curious to know if my picture taken in Dec/14 resembles what they saw.

Unknown said...

I am the story editor for the second season of National Park Mysteries for Travel Channel.
Would LOVE to talk to any of you who have experienced this or anything else strange at Crater Lake.
Please contact me directly at mfowke@sympatico.ca
Thank you!

Unknown said...


My wife and I were at Crater Lake on Oct 19 at 8:30 am. We arrived at the north view point. We saw two objects coming in toward us. I had my camera with a 24-70 lens shooting at 24 fps. Also a pair of 10 power eye glasses. Although it has been two weeks since the sighting the both of us are still in shock and we are trying to get our heads around what we saw. We watched for over 10 min. There may have been not only two but 3 lake dwellers. I got excellent video of this object. Now it's just deciding what to do with it.

Skip said...


My wife and I were at Crater Lake on Oct 19 at 8:30 am. We arrived at the north view point. We saw two objects coming in toward us. I had my camera with a 24-70 lens shooting at 24 fps. Also a pair of 10 power eye glasses. Although it has been two weeks since the sighting the both of us are still in shock and we are trying to get our heads around what we saw. We watched for over 10 min. There may have been not only two but 3 lake dwellers. I got excellent video of this object. Now it's just deciding what to do with it.

Unknown said...

October 7th 2018 my wife and I were returning to the Crater Lake Lodge after hiking to the top of Garfield Peak. We were on the trail 1500 ft. from the trailhead (42.910284, -122.134492) when I noticed something speeding across the surface of the water below. Its approximate location was (42.922177, -122.134457). At first glance, I thought it was a boat. It was making waves and traveling at 5 mph. But, then I observed a shape that extended from the "boat" under the water.

The sun was behind us and the water's surface was much smoother than usual. This made for perfect viewing conditions where there was no glare and we could see into the deep water. I noticed before seeing this object, I could actually see several spots where ridges from the bottom of the lake were vaguely visible from our position as fuzzy orange spots contrasted from the blue water.

On the surface, this thing was moving north to south. The body under the water was stretched out to the east. From our vantage point and distance, it looked like a very long, very skinny worm. It speed across the surface for about a minute and then submerged and disappeard completely. At that time I called ahead to may wife who joined me. Within 3 minutes a similar object reappeared 100 yards north of the first sighting. Again the "head" of the object was speeding across the wather making a V wake. It was heading north to south, but this time its wormlike body was extended under the water to the north west. After about a minute or more it submerged again. I'm glad my wife was able to see it this time. That was the last time we observed the worm. We checked with eather other's observations and were in agreement with the description I am providing. It was a very unusual experience that I still does not fit with my understanding of the natural world.

If I had to guess the worm's size I would say it was 3-5 feet in diameter, 100+ feet in length. Its lower body seemed to be floating down to about 50 feet below the surface at a 45-degree angle. (Crater Lake is renowned for the clarity of its water with viewing object 100 deep possible). The lower body did not seem to move. Maybe just a very slight undulation, but the head at the surface was creating a pretty good V-shaped wake.

Returning to the lodge we continued to scan the lake for more sighings, but the waves and glare from that position made the viewing conditions such that I doubt we could have made another sighting.

My wife and I were discussing our experience and I thought I would check online to see any other sightings. Reading the above descriptions of a V wake and of a long dark organic shape made gave me the goosebumps as I remember our experience. I believe this object would be difficult to see under the most common viewing conditions. Most viewers are 2000 feet above the lake and the reflections and wave action combines to make spotting something like this only possible in conditions that are just right.

Unknown said...

Yea actually there was a recent sighting. Someone wrote to Darkness prevails on youtube last year during the summertime claiming him and a few friends saw a dragon retreat into the water.