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Certainly the most celebrated of the North American lake cryptids - much to the shame of the United States, as CHAMP is easily as fascinating a creature, though seemingly less appreciated - Ogopogo has captured the hearts and minds of Canadians and monster hunters worldwide.
lthough this animal has been described by most eyewitnesses as a smaller version of the prototypical-plesiosaur (measuring approximately 15 to 20-feet in length), there have been those who have veered from Lake Monster tradition to remove the beast's long, sinuous neck, and give its head a broader, more reptilian visage, not entirely unlike the extinct ancestral whale known as the Basilosaurus.
That having been said, numerous eyewitnesses have insisted that the creature's visage bares a distinctly horse or goat-like appearance. This fact has inevitably led some researchers to speculate that that animal may be more akin to the European WATER-HORSES (such as the KELPIE or the EACH-USIGE), than any prehistoric beast.
Nevertheless, as it seems with all creatures of this ilk, the comparisons almost instantaneously began to puddle jump, and it wasn't long before Canada's own Ogopogo was dubbed the "North American Nessie". This analogy was not even remotely hindered by the fact that the earliest reports of this creature date back to the international press coverage it recieved in 1850. No less than 83 years befor the LOCH NESS MONSTER would come into vogue.
This association with "Nessie" was only accentuated by the fact that British Columbia's Lake Okanagan (the reputed home of the creature) lies at the same approximate latitude of not only its famous Scottish cousin, but of its American counterpart Champ and the BAIKAL LAKE MONSTER (as well as numerous other Lake-Monsters across the globe). The significance of this position in regards to these amazing animals has yet to be discerned by either fortean researchers or the academic mainstream.
The earliest reports of this creature come from the various Native American tribes who once inhabited the Okanagan Valley. The Salish tribe believed that the animal (which they called "N'ha-a-tik", also known as the "Snake-in-the-lake" wink was a malevolent creature, which lived on the barren Rattlesnake Island in Lake Okanagan.
The Salish told of brave warriors who would travel to the island, only to find its rocky shores littered with the bones and carcasses of the animals which the beast had consumed. This seems to be confirmed by an event which took place in 1914, when a group of Indians stumbled upon a carcass on Rattlesnake Island, which may researchers still believe may have been the remains of a BABY OGOPOGO.
These beliefs were echoed by the members of the Chinook tribe, who dubbed the creature "The-Wicked-One" as well as the "Great-Beast-on-the-Lake". Kelowna warriors even tell tales of sacrificing small animals by throwing them into the lake, in what they hoped would be an act of appeasement, and which would steer the creature away from attacking their canoe. This is a tradition which was passed on to the area's first white settlers, who reportedly harbored so much fear of the beast that armed posses held vigils on the beach in order to repel any attacks instigated by this monster.
Over the decades Ogopogo's purported maliciousness has decreased dramatically, yet reports of this creature have seemed to increase in an equally dramatic fashion during the 20th century. Although a list of encounters would be far too lengthy to chronicle here, there have been some significant pieces of photographic evidence worth mentioning, including the 1976 Fletcher photo and Arthur Folden's 1968 film, which clearly showed an animal of whale-like proportions, rising in the lake.
Perhaps the most intriguing of the recent encounters with this animal comes to us from August 24, 2000. On that day cancer survivor Daryl Ellis intended to swim the entire 80-mile length of Okanagan, in order to raise money for cancer research.
While swimming the center of the lake, the goggle clad Ellis claimed to see two, long, grayish-black creatures undulating beneath him in the depths of the lake. Ellis was forced to admit that he could not estimate the length of the creatures, for with a visibility of approximately 20-feet (forward and back) he was unable to see the animal?s heads or tails.
After what must have been almost two hours of watching these fascinating creatures at play in their natural habitat, fear got to the best of Ellis and made for the spotting boat. Once aboard the visibly shaken Ellis refused to continue his swim. After composing himself, Ellis mustered the courage (born, perhaps, of facing and conquering death more than once) to return to the water.
The creatures were waiting for him. When Ellis neared the Okanagan Lake Bridge he finally decided to looks down. What he saw was a gigantic creature, which was staring up at him with what he described as "eyes as big as grapefruits". Although the Ogopogo's proved harmless that day, could it be that the voracious predator renowned by the area natives is just biding its time beneath the surface, waiting to rear its ugly head?
 cryptogoat_z00 · Mon Apr 10, 2006 @ 02:04am · 0 Comments |
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