1453: "Bear Lake Monster"

HistoryPodcastScience
Written By JC

Interesting Things with JC #1453: "Bear Lake Monster" – Along the Utah-Idaho border, a ripple in the water has stirred more than just curiosity. For over a century, people keep seeing something that shouldn’t exist.

Curriculum - Episode Anchor

Episode Title: Bear Lake Monster

Episode Number: #1453

Host: JC

Audience: Grades 9–12, college intro, homeschool, lifelong learners

Subject Area: Media Literacy, U.S. History, Folklore, Critical Thinking, Journalism

Lesson Overview

Students will:

  • Define cryptozoology and distinguish between myth and media-driven storytelling.

  • Compare the Bear Lake Monster legend with other regional folklore traditions in the U.S.

  • Analyze how media can influence belief and behavior using historical hoaxes.

  • Explain the role of Joseph C. Rich and The Deseret News in perpetuating a regional myth.

Key Vocabulary

  • Hoax (hōks) — A deceptive act or trick. In 1868, Joseph C. Rich published a hoax about the Bear Lake Monster.

  • Folklore (ˈfōk-ˌlȯr) — Traditional beliefs, customs, and stories passed through generations. The Bear Lake Monster is part of Utah and Idaho’s local folklore.

  • Cryptid (ˈkrip-tid) — An animal whose existence is unsubstantiated. The Bear Lake Monster is considered a cryptid by some enthusiasts.

  • Sensationalism (sen-ˈsā-shə-nə-ˌli-zəm) — The use of shocking details to provoke public interest. Newspapers used sensationalism to spread the Bear Lake story.

  • Oral Tradition (ˈȯr-əl trə-ˈdi-shən) — The transmission of cultural material through vocal story sharing. The Bear Lake Monster continues through local oral tradition.

Narrative Core

  • Open: A calm, eerie lakeshore sets the scene for an enduring mystery—splashing water and whispers of a hidden beast.

  • Info: The Bear Lake Monster legend traces back to an 1868 newspaper story by Joseph C. Rich, claiming eyewitness accounts.

  • Details: Though Rich later admitted it was a lie, sightings continued for over a century, fueling belief despite no scientific evidence.

  • Reflection: The story reveals how communities perpetuate legends, find meaning in the unexplained, and value mystery.

  • Closing: These are interesting things, with JC.

A simplified map highlighting Bear Lake on the Utah–Idaho border. The lake area is shaded blue with a dotted red outline. Labels mark nearby locations including Garden City, Fish Haven, Bear Lake State Park–North Beach, Minnetonka Cave, and Beaver Mountain Ski Area. The title reads “Interesting Things with JC #1453: Bear Lake Monster.”

Transcript

If you stand along the shore of Bear Lake, right where Utah meets Idaho, and the water’s calm, you might hear something that gives you pause. A splash. A ripple with no boat in sight. Folks around here say that’s the Bear Lake Monster coming up for air.

They’ve talked about it for more than 150 years.

Most say it looks like a big brown snake, close to 90 feet long (27.4 meters), with little legs, ears that stick out, and a head shaped like a horse’s. A few claim it’s got a mouth wide enough to swallow a man. Sounds wild—but the story didn’t start around a campfire. It started in the newspaper.

Back in 1868, a man named Joseph C. Rich wrote a story for The Deseret News down in Salt Lake City. He said settlers up near the lake had seen a strange creature—chasing horses, diving under wagons, even swimming faster than a rowboat. It was front-page stuff. Other papers ran with it, and word spread all over the West. Brigham Young himself sent people to check it out.

Turns out, the whole thing was made up. Years later, Rich admitted it was “a wonderful first-class lie.” He’d written it for fun, never guessing folks would take it so serious. But they did—and the strangest part is, the sightings didn’t stop.

In 1907, a couple of fishermen said the water lifted under their boat like something huge passed beneath them. In 1946, a Scout leader swore he saw a creature “as long as a boxcar” rise out of the lake. In 2002, a local man claimed a dark shape—at least 60 feet long (18.3 meters)—moved under his boat. No bones. No photos. No proof. Just stories that won’t quit.

And maybe that’s the real heart of it. The Bear Lake Monster started as a hoax, but it’s still alive in the way people talk. Every time the water ripples the wrong way or the wind carries across the canyon, somebody starts looking toward that deep blue water again.

Maybe folks just like believing there’s still a little mystery left out here—something we can’t measure or explain. Out in the West, that’s enough to keep a story alive.

These are interesting things, with JC.

Student Worksheet

  1. What was the original source of the Bear Lake Monster story?

  2. How did Joseph C. Rich influence public perception of the monster?

  3. Identify two reasons why the Bear Lake Monster legend continues today.

  4. Compare the Bear Lake Monster to one other folklore creature (e.g., Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot).

  5. Why might people continue to believe in a story even after it's been proven false?

Teacher Guide

Estimated Time: 1–2 class periods (45–90 minutes)

Pre-Teaching Vocabulary Strategy:

  • Preview and define key vocabulary.

  • Use visual imagery and short stories to contextualize folklore and hoaxes.

Anticipated Misconceptions:

  • Students may believe cryptids are supported by scientific evidence.

  • Some may not understand 19th-century journalism’s lack of ethical standards.

Discussion Prompts:

  • Why do some hoaxes become long-lasting legends?

  • How does media affect public belief in myths?

  • What makes people want to believe in the unknown?

Differentiation Strategies:

  • ESL: Use sentence stems (“The monster was described as…”).

  • IEP: Visual story map to sequence the narrative.

  • Gifted: Research how folklore varies across cultures and present findings.

Extension Activities:

  • Write your own local monster legend using historical fiction techniques.

  • Debate: “Does truth matter in folklore?”

Cross-Curricular Connections:

  • U.S. History: Westward expansion and the role of local newspapers.

  • Media Studies: The evolution of news sensationalism.

  • Psychology: Human attraction to mystery and belief formation.

Quiz

Q1. Who originally wrote the Bear Lake Monster story in 1868?
A. Brigham Young
B. Joseph C. Rich
C. Horace Greeley
D. Samuel Clemens
Answer: B

Q2. What was Rich's motivation for writing the monster story?
A. He believed it was true
B. He wanted to scare people
C. He wrote it for fun
D. He was hired by a rival town
Answer: C

Q3. How long was the creature described as being?
A. 30 feet
B. 45 feet
C. 90 feet
D. 15 feet
Answer: C

Q4. Which leader sent people to investigate the monster?
A. Joseph Smith
B. Abraham Lincoln
C. Brigham Young
D. Theodore Roosevelt
Answer: C

Q5. What is a “cryptid”?
A. A real animal found in a remote region
B. A creature from a novel
C. An unverified creature like the Bear Lake Monster
D. A species on the endangered list
Answer: C

Assessment

  1. Explain how media contributed to the creation and spread of the Bear Lake Monster story.

  2. Why do you think people continue to report sightings even after the hoax was revealed?

3–2–1 Rubric:

  • 3 = Accurate, complete, thoughtful

  • 2 = Partial or missing detail

  • 1 = Inaccurate or vague

Standards Alignment

Common Core (CCSS):

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1 – Cite strong textual evidence to support analysis of explicit and inferred information from a text.

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6 – Compare the point of view of two or more authors on the same historical topic.

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2 – Write informative texts to examine and convey complex ideas.

C3 Framework for Social Studies:

  • D2.His.2.9-12 – Analyze change and continuity in historical eras.

  • D2.Civ.10.9-12 – Analyze the role of citizens in shaping beliefs and attitudes.

ISTE Standards:

  • ISTE 3b – Evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.

UK National Curriculum (KS4/GCSE English):

  • AO1 – Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas.

  • AO3 – Compare writers’ ideas and perspectives, as well as how these are conveyed.

IB MYP Language and Literature:

  • Criterion B: Organization – Structure texts using a range of appropriate organizational structures.

Cambridge IGCSE First Language English:

  • Reading Objective R2 – Understand implicit meanings and attitudes.

Show Notes

In this episode of Interesting Things with JC, listeners explore the mysterious and enduring tale of the Bear Lake Monster. What began as an 1868 newspaper hoax by Joseph C. Rich grew into a century-spanning legend that continues to ripple through the culture of northern Utah and southern Idaho. The episode unpacks how folklore is born from fiction, sustained by community, and empowered by belief. For educators and students, the Bear Lake Monster offers a fascinating case study in media literacy, historical storytelling, and cultural anthropology. The topic is especially relevant today as digital misinformation mirrors the sensationalism of 19th-century newspapers, reminding learners that while stories evolve, the human desire for wonder and mystery remains constant.

References:

JC https://jimconnors.org
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