Utah

1North Shore Monster of the Great Salt Lake On the record

Water monster · Monument Point, north shore of the Great Salt Lake, Box Elder County · first reported 1877 · also called Old Briney

The Great Salt Lake is too salty for fish, yet it has a monster story. In 1877, J.H. McNeil and other workers at the Barnes and Co. salt works near Monument Point told Utah newspapers that a huge animal came out of the lake at night. They described a crocodile-like body and a head like a horse, and some put its length at about 75 feet. They said it bellowed, came toward the shore and sent the men running into the hills. Later writers suggested it might have been a bison wading in the shallows. An even older tale has a Brother Bainbridge seeing a dolphin-like creature off Antelope Island around 1847. The Deseret News has retold these 'briny' legends for generations.

• 1877On the record Salt works crew led by J.H. McNeil said a crocodile-bodied, horse-headed beast bellowed and charged them from the water at night; they fled up the hills. Source: deseret.com
• c. 1847Told story A Brother Bainbridge is said to have seen a monster with a dolphin-like body in the water near Antelope Island. Source: deseret.com

Visiting: Antelope Island State Park offers public access to the lake.

2Moon Lake Monster Told story

Water monster · Moon Lake, Duchesne County, Ashley National Forest · first reported 1994 · also called Moonie

Moon Lake sits high on the south slope of the Uinta Mountains, and the local resort has kept alive the story of 'Moonie.' The best-known account comes from former resort owner Bill Reardon, who described seeing a ripple zigzag across the calm lake at dawn in 1994, as if something big were moving just under the surface. Others tell of a dark shape below the water and a V-shaped wake with no boat in sight. The legend blends lake-monster sightings with older water-spirit and drowned-child stories told in the region. Skeptics would point to large trout, otters, wind or boat wakes on a cold mountain lake.

• 1994Told story Bill Reardon, then running the Moon Lake Resort, said he saw a ripple zigzagging across glassy water at daybreak. His account was published in 1998. Source: folkbestiary.com

Visiting: Moon Lake Resort and Forest Service campground.

3Water Babies of Utah Lake Told story

Water monster · Utah Lake, Utah County · first reported traditional · also called water babies

Across the Great Basin, Native peoples tell of water babies: small, dangerous water beings that live in lakes and springs. In Ute tradition they are linked to Utah Lake. People say their crying can be heard from the water at night or when the lake is still, sounding like an infant, and that the sound is a warning to stay away from certain parts of the shore. These stories belong to living tribal traditions, and much of their meaning is not public. What is shared serves as guidance about respecting dangerous water. This entry keeps to the outline found in public sources.

Visiting: Utah Lake State Park, Provo.

4Skinwalker Ranch On the record

Other · Near Fort Duchesne, Uintah County · first reported 1996 · also called Sherman Ranch, UFO ranch

Skinwalker Ranch is a 480-acre property in the Uinta Basin next to the Uintah and Ouray Reservation. In 1996 the Sherman family, who had run cattle there, told the Deseret News of strange lights, UFOs, voices, crop-circle-like marks and mutilated cattle. Las Vegas businessman Robert Bigelow bought the ranch that year, and his National Institute for Discovery Science studied it from 1997 until the group disbanded in 2004. Researchers reported odd events, including a calf found emptied and bloodless 45 minutes after tagging, but struggled to produce publishable evidence. Brandon Fugal bought the ranch in 2016, and it became a History Channel series. The name borrows a Diné concept; see the Skinwalker dossier for that tradition.

• 1996On the record Terry and Gwen Sherman described lights, unexplained cattle deaths and other events on their ranch to the Deseret News. Source: folkbestiary.com
• late 1990sInvestigated report NIDS investigators recorded a tagged 84-pound calf found dead with an empty body cavity and no blood within 45 minutes. They ruled out several explanations but published no firm conclusion. Source: deseret.com

Visiting: Private property; no public access.

5Ghost Horses of Dead Horse Point Told story

Beast · Dead Horse Point, near Moab, San Juan County · first reported traditional

Dead Horse Point is a narrow mesa high above the Colorado River, connected to the plateau by a thin neck of land. The legend says horses were once left behind on the point and, stranded above a river they could see but not reach, died of thirst. Visitors say a pale ghost horse sometimes appears at dusk against the red cliffs. It is a story about loss rather than a monster, but it is one of the best-known spooky tales of canyon country.

Visiting: Dead Horse Point State Park, off UT-313 near Moab.

6Bear Lake Monster On the record

Water monster · Bear Lake, Rich County (Utah-Idaho line) · first reported 1860s

Utah's most famous lake monster, a serpent with a horse-like head first popularized in the Deseret News in the 1860s. See the main Bear Lake Monster dossier.

Full story: Bear Lake Monster →

7Bigfoot of the Uintas Told story

Ape-like · Uinta Mountains · first reported mid-20th century

Hikers and campers in the Uinta Mountains report tall figures near camps and heavy footsteps in the timber at night. See the main Bigfoot dossier.

Full story: Bigfoot →