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Dark Destinations > Locations - P > Payette Lake

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Payette Lake

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Availability:	Open to the Public
Filed Under:	Mysterious Creatures > Lake/River Monsters
Added By:	TheCabinet
Added On:	March 25, 2008 - 07:32 PM UTC
Last Modified:	March 25, 2008 - 10:03 PM UTC
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Average Rating:	4 (1 ratings)
Visited By:	1 Users

Address
Mccall, Idaho, United States

Information
Payette Lake The clear, blue water of Payette Lake in Idaho may seem a tranquil setting, but those same waters may be hiding a large lake monster that is commonly known as Slimy Slim or Sharlie by locals. The lake itself, sometimes called Big Payette Lake, is seven miles long and is surrounded by forested land and the city of McCall on its southern tip. The track around the border of the glacial lake runs about 22-miles and the water exceeds a depth of 300-feet off its northeastern shore. The Legend of Slimy Slim Reports of a lake monster in Payette Lake may date back as far as the Native Americans that once occupied its land. Tribes in the area were said to fear the calm waters of the lake, believing an evil spirit lurked in its depths. However, the modern day reports started trickling in the late 1920s and reached something of a crescendo in the early 1940s. When a nearby Boise-based auditor by the name of Thomas L. Rogers talked with the press about his encounter with the creature, more and more people came forward to discuss their sightings. Rogers told the press that he encountered the serpent "...about 50 feet away and going five miles an hour with a sort of undulating motion." He further described it as follows: "His head, which resembles that of a snub-nosed crocodile, was 18 inches above the water. I'd say he was 35 feet long." Rogers's account would propel the stories into the national headlines and photographers and fishermen alike descended upon the lake either to snap a photo of the monster or capture it outright. According to an article published on August 21, 1944 in Time Magazine, some 30 people had reported sighting its "periscope-like head" since July 2. There are no reports as to how the name of "Slimy Slim" came about though the name stuck, but there was plenty of speculation as to its origins. Oddly enough, the one that seemed to resonate the most was a fantastical account from the Idaho Statesman, who speculated: "Paul Bunyan, who used to fish the Snake River regularly, tied the shore-end of his sturgeon line to Babe, his vast blue ox, one hot day when sport was slow. Babe, nipped by a horsefly at the moment a sturgeon took the bait, twitched so violently that the huge fish was sent sailing all the way to Payette Lake. A jerk like that could well have given the creature a curvature of the spine (Slimy Slim is a three-hump serpent). And then Slim developed his periscope neck by nostalgically trying to peer back over the hills toward the scenes of his childhood." Vas you dere, Sharlie? Apparently the name of Slimy Slim wasn't overly popular with the local residents of McCall who had quickly and affectionately adopted their cryptid neighbor as one of their own. Perhaps emboldened by the surge of tourism that descended upon the town and lake, the McCall-based Star News assembled a panel of judges (including then-Idaho governor Len Jordan) and a $40 grand prize and began accepting submissions to give the creature a new name in 1954. Much to their surprise, they received suggestions from around the world. One submission, from Le Isle Hennefer Tury of Springfield, Virginia, suggested using the catchphrase of radio comedian Jack Perl's popular character, Detective Baron Munchausen: "Vas you dere, Sharlie?" The name stuck and the creature was henceforward known as Sharlie. Beyond Slimy Slim and Sharlie, the lake monster has alternatively been known as The Payette Lakes Sea Serpent, The Payette Lakes Monster, or The Twilight Dragon of Payette Lake. Descriptions of Sharlie Size estimates of the so-called "sea creature" or "sea serpent" range from 10 to 50 feet in length, with a serpentine body and a flat head, said to resemble that of a crocodile or a dinosaur. Its skin is described as a scaly surface with a brownish-green or yellow color to it. Almost all of the sightings describe seeing two or three humps break the surface of the lake, leaving a large wake in its path. Sightings One of the more sensational sightings of the creature came in September 1946 when twenty witnesses sighted a serpent-like creature "between 30 and 40 feet long," according to a report by the Payette Lakes Star. Earlier that summer, a sighting by another group of nine people from Nampa was reported in the Idaho Free Press and Idaho Statesman. Several resources cite that the sightings ceased after the late 1940s, but that could not be further from the truth. In fact, sightings have continued to trickle in over the decades since, with a flurry of activity in the 1980s and 1990s and the most recent documented sighting in 2002. In fact, there was enough activity that it attracted the attention of cryptozoologist, Gary S. Mangiacopra, who published a report on the creature in 1980 for Bloomsburg State College in Pennsylvania. His report, "A Preliminary Report of Possible Large Animals in the Payette Lakes of Idaho," noted various similarities between the serpent reported to reside in Payette Lake to the more famous Champ, believed to reside in Lake Champlain - A subject he knows well, considering he co-authored the book, Does Champ Exist? in 2007. Theories Skeptics have been quick to draw their own conclusions as to what people are seeing in the waters of Payette Lake. Theories range from a simple log, to a giant sturgeon, to a herd of moose crossing the waters of the lake. However, those that reported sighting the creature have immediately taken issue with the theories and stood by their story. Still others have even suggested, given the initial reports of the head resembling that of a crocodile, that perhaps what people were seeing was nothing more than a very large crocodile. That theory is quickly shot down by others who point out that the frigid waters of Payette Lake would certainly be an inhospitable setting for any cold-blooded reptile. Sharlie Today The stories of Sharlie continue to have both its believers and skeptics to this day. The initial spattering of sightings seemed to be focused at the Sylvan Beach area on the lake's western shore, but the creature has since been sighted throughout the seven-mile surface, typically at twilight according to some reports. The city of McCall continues to embrace their cryptid cousin and it is even represented in snow sculpture form at the annual McCall Winter Carnival and graces t-shirts and buttons sold at the event. There is even a road named Sharlie Lane that runs along the western border of Payette Lake. Reportedly, tourists interested more on the resident lake monster can find plenty of information in the McCall Public Library and even the local Central Idaho Historical Museum.

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Related Sites
Boise Weekly: Travels with Sharlie October 27, 2004 article by Nicholas Collias in Boise Weekly that details this history and stories behind Sharlie - a lake monster believed to reside in Idaho's Payette Lake.
Time Magazine: Slimy Slim An August 21, 1944 article in Time Magazine that detailed the recent sightings of an alleged lake monster in Payette Lake, Idaho.
Wikipedia: Sharlie Wikipedia's entry on Sharlie, a lake monster that reportedly lives in the waters of Payette Lake in Idaho.

Similar Destinations
Mouth of the Columbia River
Tianchi Lake
Lake Champlain

See Also on TheCabinet.com
Blog: The World Meets Slimy Slim/Sharlie (08/21/08)

Available from Amazon.com
Sharlie
Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth
Monsters
Weird U.S.: Your Travel Guide to America's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Weird)
Monster Spotter's Guide to North America
Scenic Driving Idaho
Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep

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Images

Idaho's Payette Lake (and perhaps Sharlie) lurks behind the trees in September 2010.
From: TheCabinet

Picture of Payette Lake, Idaho from the main south shoreline in September 2010.
From: TheCabinet

Photo of a rock outcrop in Payette Lake that looks similar to descriptions of the monster - 09/10.
From: TheCabinet

Photo of the dark water of Payette Lake that is said to be hiding a monster - September 2010.
From: TheCabinet

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The above content is for informational purposes only. Before making any travel arrangements, it is highly recommended that you contact those in charge of the property to check for updated availability and hours of operation. While we do our best to keep this information updated, we cannot guarantee that it is completely valid and up to date. Any destination marked "Closed to the Public" is marked that for a reason and we discourage any visits or attempts to gain access to that facility. Similarly, take note of any "Travel Advisory" that may be associated with a destination. Finally, treat any location and its local residents with respect. Any vandalism and/or unruly behavior is completely despicable and only ruins the experience for future visitors.

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