Utah Lake, the big freshwater lake beside Provo, has its own monster stories. In 1864 a settler, Isaac Fox, said a large animal with 'wicked, black eyes' and a head like a vicious hound chased him to shore. In 1870 fishermen found a big skull fragment with ox-sized tooth sockets and a five-inch tusk on the shore, which modern historians think was probably a fossil mastodon. In 1871 a church bishop near Goshen reported a snake-like animal about 60 feet long standing out of the water 'like a section of a large stove pipe'.
Later reports include a seal-shaped animal near Mosida in 1921 and a serpent-like shape near Saratoga Springs in 2006. Suggested explanations include floating logs, pelicans swimming in a line and otters distorted by heat shimmer.
What witnesses report
- A head like a hound's with dark eyes
- A long, snake-like body standing up out of the water
- A seal-like shape near shore
Famous cases
- 1864Isaac Fox is chased to shore
Utah Lake, Provo, UtahIn 1864 Isaac Fox, an early settler, said a large animal with 'wicked, black eyes' and a head like a vicious-looking hound chased him to the shore of Utah Lake. It is the first recorded encounter.
- 1871Bishop Price's stovepipe serpent
Goshen, UtahIn 1871 Bishop William Price reported a snake-like creature about 60 feet long near Goshen, standing several feet out of the water 'like a section of a large stove pipe'.
- 1921A seal-shaped animal near Mosida
Mosida, UtahIn 1921 Frank Grasteit reported a seal-shaped animal in Utah Lake near Mosida.
Seen the Utah Lake Monster?
Tell us what happened. Every report is read by a person before it goes on the map, and you can stay anonymous.
Report a Utah Lake Monster encounter Not sure what it was?
Print a record sheet to fill in while it's fresh.
