Every state has its traditional myths, urban legends, origin stories, and unique monsters that play a role in the history and lore of locals. Wrapped in ever-changing mythology, these stories travel from people to people and place to place; however, while many other states across the country reap tales of horror, ghosts, and savagery, Idaho's Native American roots clearly shine through our most popular tales. Hundreds of stories exist, but these are key to the formation of Idaho:
Hundreds of stories exist, but these are key to the formation of Idaho:
Coyote and the Seven Devils
The Seven Devils form a portion of the Idaho-Oregon border, as well as line our most treasured river canyon: Hells Canyon. The Nez Perce in particular had origin stories for nearly every feature of Idaho's diverse landscape - and the story of the Seven Devils is a unique one.
Many years ago, there were seven child-eating giant brothers who lived in the horizon. The people were terrified of these giants. They sent word to Coyote to help them defeat the giants and save their children. Coyote knew he couldn't battle seven giants at once, so he dug seven massive holes in the earth and filled them with boiling liquid. As the giants were traveling east to snatch more children, they tripped into the holes and were trapped. As they struggled to free themselves, they scattered the hot liquid for as far as the eye could see. Coyote was then able to transform the giants into stone, and he opened up a canyon at their feet to keep them from ever reaching the villages again.
Coyote was then able to transform the giants into stone, and he opened up a canyon at their feet to keep them from ever reaching the villages again
Sharlie: A Payette Lake Legend
McCall's Sharlie - who was named via a newspaper contest in the 50s - is reported to be between 10 and 50 feet long, brownish-green, and travels in serpent-like waves, rising and falling out of the water. But this gentle beastie garners nothing but love from locals, who can't seem to recall an incident when Sharlie attacked any of the lakeside city's residents.
But this gentle beastie garners nothing but love from locals, who can't seem to recall an incident when Sharlie attacked any of the lakeside city's residents
Lake Pend Oreille Paddler
This deep, ocean-like lake in Northern Idaho is the perfect locale for a monstrous beast to reside. Large, grey, and prehistoric in shape and size, locals claim that he is an unknown remnant of the Jurassic era that has managed to survive extinction, against all odds. Up until this point, the Paddler has remained a peaceful part of local lore, although many say that "sightings" of the sea creature were merely glimpses of the Naval Training Station's top-secret submarine and technology testing.
Up until this point, the Paddler has remained a peaceful part of local lore, although many say that "sightings" of the sea creature were merely glimpses of the Naval Training Station's top-secret submarine and technology testing
Massacre Rocks Water Babies
Depending on the story, a water baby is a spirit or monster, traditionally seen as a Native American-bred urban legend of small child-like creatures living in the waters of reservations around the Western U.S. They are tricksters whose goal is murder.
They are tricksters whose goal is murder
The Bear Lake Monster
The legend of the "Bear Lake Monster" originally grew from articles written in the 20th century by Joseph C. Rich, a Mormon colonizer who recorded second-hand accounts of sightings of the creature. Just recently, a 25-foot decomposed carcass was found on the Utah shore of the lake, and many locals are convinced that this "water devil" somehow met his untimely end after hundreds of years of sightings and attacks. Uniquely, this massive creature was said to have used his lengthy neck to reach onto land and kill whomever he chose.
Uniquely, this massive creature was said to have used his lengthy neck to reach onto land and kill whomever he chose
Spirit Lake Origins
Spirit Lake's name is no mystery to those who live there. Years ago, a young Native American woman began a relationship with a brave from a rival tribe. Unable to wed, but determined to preserve their doomed love, the two tied their wrists together in symbolic marriage and jumped from Suicide Cliff into the lake. On moonlit nights, you can see their shadowy spirits drifting across the lake in a phantom canoe while mournful sounds fill the air as the Indian lovers seek release from their watery grave.
On moonlit nights, you can see their shadowy spirits drifting across the lake in a phantom canoe while mournful sounds fill the air as the Indian lovers seek release from their watery grave
The Urban Legend. . .of Idaho
To many, Idaho is simply an urban legend, much like the idea that the earth is round. In fact, the general consensus of outsiders is that Idaho was put on the map because cartographers needed a barrier to separate Utah from Canada, and Montana from Washington (or vice versa). You can read more about that theory.
Thousands of books and articles have chronicled the cyclical rise and fall of a never-ending parade of conspiracy-based philosophies that, at different points in Idaho and American history, have warned against imaginary and unfounded threats. Idaho, like the vast majority of the states, is no stranger to its own set of strange, paranoid, and misguided ideas of every kind and origin which, whether you subscribe to them or not, make for a fascinating peek into modern culture.
Check out some of Idaho's most infamous theories, both past and present.
Idaho Doesn't Exist
Every now and then, someone (this writer included) will refer to Idaho as if it were an "actual" place. But in an Americanized form of the Blielfeld Conspiracy and according to dozens of webpages which have genuinely (as well as facetiously) called into question the very existence of Idaho as a physical location, the Gem State simply doesn't exist.
We're not alone, mind you - North Dakota doesn't exist either. But like the original Blielfeld movement overseas, the rationale against Idaho's actuality can be boiled down to three premises: Do you know anybody from Idaho? Have you ever been to Idaho? Do you know anybody who has ever been to Idaho? For most, the answer is no. Therefore, Idaho cannot be.
To many, Idaho is simply an urban legend, much like the idea that the earth is round. In fact, the general consensus is that Idaho was put on the map because cartographers needed a barrier to separate Utah from Canada, and protect Montana from Washington. Or vice versa. But to those of us who live here in Idaho (or do we??), one explanation is that Idaho is a government-operated mind-control vacuum; another postulation is that Idaho exists, "but only as a state of mind."
The whole debacle stirs up a plethora of very real philosophical arguments. But according to conspiracy logic, if you feel like you're living in Idaho right now, odds are it is simply the result of other conspiracies at work, like those below.
But according to conspiracy logic, if you feel like you're living in Idaho right now, odds are it is simply the result of other conspiracies at work, like those below
Chem Trails Are A Government-Military Plot
In a nefarious attempt to manipulate and control the unwitting population of Idaho, resurfacing "chemtrail" theories have suggested that the Gem State is the government's testing ground for biological warfare, population control, weather manipulation, and good ol' fashioned human extermination.
The idea sounds ridiculous, but this local conspiracy quickly gained momentum in the late 90s with reports of a suspicious fibrous tissue falling from the sky in Caldwell. Paranoia particularly set in when a small-scale epidemic of illnesses (namely, collapsed lungs) occurred around the same time frame. From what we could gather, the incident was a rare weather phenomenon and the tissue wasn't toxic, although no reports have specifically stated what the fibers were.
Apparently, birds falling out of the sky is also a thing in Idaho; in June 2015, a road in Kuna, ID, was covered in the corpses of songbirds that just dropped to the ground. Just a few months earlier, in March, 2,000 snow geese were just trying to go from Mexico to Alaska but they made the mistake of passing through Idaho and dropped out of the sky. What will the government do to Idahoans next?
What will the government do to Idahoans next?
Bigfoot Is A Large Scale Cover-Up
Normally considered a classic piece of folklore, Idaho is no stranger to sightings of this immense man-beast, especially up North. How is Bigfoot a conspiracy theory, then, as opposed to a legend?
In an age when very little of ordinary private lives are kept secret anymore, the conspiracy is simply in the cover-up of the anthropoid's existence, according to theorists. A combination of authentic footprints and detailed sightings are said to be swept under the rug...but for what reason? Since sightings of the creature in Idaho are too vast and varied to report, simply note that were a Sasquatch-like creature to exist, the solitary, rural being has thus been found to be harmless. Some suggest that the afore-mentioned biological tests gave rise to the Bigfoot species, and that the government is concealing its mistake under the guise of an urban legend.
Some suggest that the afore-mentioned biological tests gave rise to the Bigfoot species, and that the government is concealing its mistake under the guise of an urban legend
Idaho Is Purposely Drugging Its Residents
In 1947, Lewiston began adding fluoride to its water, as did the vast majority of US cities - a practice which still exists today. Many suspected, however, that the addition of fluoride, which was touted as an easy way to cut down on widespread tooth decay, was in fact a large-scale attempt to underhandedly medicate Idaho citizens, as well as a means of covering up the drastic lack of dental care provided for the Gem State's working poor.
The dramatic decrease in childhood cavity levels recorded by 1950 supported the practice as a whole, but to this day, fluoridation is still majorly opposed for a variety of reasons, including links to cancer and bone loss.
The dramatic decrease in childhood cavity levels recorded by 1950 supported the practice as a whole, but to this day, fluoridation is still majorly opposed for a variety of reasons, including links to cancer and bone loss
You Won't Believe What Deformed This Idaho Cougar
Idaho made headlines recently with the discovery of a strange mountain lion (or cougar, depending on your preference) with a second set of teeth growing out of its skull. The animal was legally hunted, and the individual brought in the body for identification.
On the logical side of things, the unique and highly developed deformity is thought to be either a "chimera" - the remnants of a conjoined twin - or more likely a "teratoma," which is a unique tumor capable of growing distinguishable features. (Warning: don't Google images of the latter!) This type of physical abnormality, whose Greek name translates literally to "monster tumor," can even grow fingers and toes in humans.
Since the cougar was discovered in December, however, conspiracy theories have been swirling, particularly with regards to the cougar's location. Close to the Utah border in Preston, and with territory that no doubt reaches unquestionably close to the Idaho National Laboratory, radiation as a cause of the growth has been posited. Whether directly, or indirectly due to the animal's consumption of smaller, contaminated critters nearby, the answer isn't known.
Mind blown. What do you think? Are there any other local theories out there?
What do you think? Are there any other local theories out there?
Haunting At the Lewiston Civic Center
Prior to the theater that stands today, the Lewiston Civic Theater was once a Methodist Church that dates back to 1902. In 1971, it became a theater, and in the 1980s, two women and one young man all disappeared from the theater on the same night. Both women were found dead off the property, and the man was never found. Police believed an employee of the theater was responsible for murdering all three but never had enough to indict him.
Some believe the man's body is buried beneath the theater, and that he still haunts the building. There have been numerous sightings of a female apparition fading up the stairs and many odd occurrences all throughout the theater. The chandelier spins on its own, the trap door flies open and slams shut, a ghost of a director has been seen in the balcony, and, apparently, a bride weaves herself through the seats. Who wants to go to a movie?
Who wants to go to a movie?
The Owyhee Mountain Dwarves
Deep within the caves of the Owyhee Mountains dwell evil little dwarves. According to the Shoshone and Bannock Indians, these tiny, twisted beasts stand two-feet-tall, have long tails, and eat children. Although, before you get carried away by baby-devouring terror, it's possible that they eat elk too. One of the dwarves has been described as completely naked aside from the dead elk he wears draped across his back. And you can even identify the little buggers – just look for the long tails that they wrap around their bodies for cover.
And you can even identify the little buggers – just look for the long tails that they wrap around their bodies for cover
The Murder House At Boise State University
What's known to Boise locals as the "Murder House" is now home to a fraternity. Go figure. More than 30 years ago, this infamous house was the site of the brutal murder and mutilation of Preston Murr, whose body was dragged across the porch, down the sidewalk, and dumped 100 miles away in Brownlee Reservoir.
The blood trail led investigators back to the basement where Preston Murr's body was hacked into thirteen pieces and, allegedly, the bloodstains can still be seen today. Sometimes, it's said, the stains even appear and disappear randomly. In the house, the window blinds open and shut on their own, and – most chillingly – there's an apparition of an unknown woman in 19th-century dress frequently spotted looking out the window of the house.
In the house, the window blinds open and shut on their own, and – most chillingly – there's an apparition of an unknown woman in 19th-century dress frequently spotted looking out the window of the house
The Fish Woman of Lake Coeur d'Alene
If one is to take Idaho urban legends seriously, then there really doesn't seem to be a safe place to swim in the entire godforsaken state. Lake Coeur d'Alene not only has a mysterious fish-woman living in its waters, but it also houses a horned monster big enough to lift boats right up out of the water that has been seen on multiple occasions. Probably not the best place to take a dip!
Probably not the best place to take a dip!
The Ghost Stallion of Owyhee County
Apparently, Owyhee County, ID, has mythical creatures that materialize from the clouds. A great white stallion and its herd of phantom horses are said to appear from rifts in the clouds whenever there is a farmer or cowboy in danger. So the legend goes . . . the horses will lead those lost in the wilderness to safety. Those horses sound like some true American heroes.
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