Monsterologist speaks of Bear Lake Monster
Will Bagley, a self-proclaimed monsterologist, presented evidence of the Bear Lake Monster Wednesday night at the Logan City Justice Building.
Bagley is the editor of the series “Kingdom in the West” and other historical novels. He is currently working on a multi-volume history of the Oregon and California Trail, titled “The Long and Perilous Journey.”
“This is a subject that, of course, invites speculation and ridicule. The histories of the Bear Lake Monster should be taken into serious consideration,” Bagley said. “This is a world-wide phenomenon.”
He said there has been much physical evidence of the monster. There was a skull found, he said, with a singe horn sticking out the top. He said even though there have been many accounts of Bear Lake Monster sightings, there isn’t a detailed description of it.
There have been many attempts to capture the monster, he said, noting one man even built a contraption with steel wire and baited the monster with sheep meat. The meat was always gone, but no one ever captured the monster, he said.
“The reason the monster hasn’t been captured is because we are dealing with a exceptionally intelligent creature,” Bagley said.
The anthropological evidence is shown by the American Indians, he said. They gave accounts of people being eaten by the monster while in the lake. He said they were chased out of the lake by the monster on multiple occasions.
After the first few stories came out about the monster, people from all over Utah came out with their sides of the Bear Lake Monster stories, Bagley said.
“This was a topic generated all around Utah,” he said. “A number of prominent Utah officials in the early days either saw the monster themselves or truly believed in the monster’s existence.”
During the year without a summer, after Krakatoa erupted, he said people were reporting seeing lake creatures everywhere. They were reporting the monsters as more than 300 feet long, he said.
Even though he didn’t give an account of himself ever seeing the monster, he said he is still a big believer.
“I am proud to be Utah’s biggest advocate for the Bear Lake Monster,” he said.
Bagley’s last words to the listeners were, “Be on the lookout for the Bear Lake Monster, because it is still alive and lurking.”
-shanmccl@cc.usu.edu