Milestones in Ogopogo Land

Does Ogopogo really exist or is this coy serpent just a promotional stunt? Before we scoff, let us examine some of the facts concerned with this phantom creature.

Before the white man came to this fair valley, the Indians knew N'ha-a-itk, the lake monster, who lived in a cave near Squally Point. Foolish, indeed, was the Indian who would paddle a canoe or raft near the lair of N'ha-a-itk for often a storm would spring up and out of the lashing waves the demon would appear to claim a life. It was far better to carry a small animal which could be thrown overboard should a sacrifice have to be made to appease the serpent.

Chief Timbasket and family who, many years ago were visiting the Tisn-stip-ep-tinsub tribe of south Kelowna, were very sceptical of N'ha-a-itk as they watched a village shaman (medicine man) prepare for the trip down the lake. The canoes that were to accompany the honoured guest were marked with a special symbol and a live dog was to be sacrificed at Squally Point. The canoes also had to travel at a certain distance from the shore and every precaution was to be taken to avoid rousing the fearsome beast. But the chief was not to be frightened by myth nor would he steer a round-about coarse simply to keep away from the rocky point. As he paddled along close to shore, waves suddenly arose and in a flurry of lashing water, the chief and family disappeared. The Indians knew well it was the action of the lake monster which had whipped up the engulfing waves by lashing his tail.

The first settlers undoubted heard of N'ha-a-itk from the Indians but these pioneers were not much affected by superstitions. Some of these solid citizens saw the monster and there were other cases of strange sights or happenings that must be attributed to something more than everyday phenomena; a big snake-like creature rolls off a rocky point where it had been sunning itself and gives a schoolgirl and her horse the freight of their lives; a long dark object in the lake is watched by several men but when a boat puts out on to investigate they completely disappears; two horses swimming behind a boat are pulled beneath the waves.

Early settlers to the Valley probably scoffed at this Indian legend. But not for long. In 1870 John McDougall was swimming a team of horses across the lake when suddenly an unknown force pulled the horses under the water. No trace of the horses was ever found.

So the stories go, subject to suspicion and incredulity when read but much more convincing when heard from the mouth of non-believing ranchers. It must be said in all fairness that other early settlers who lived for years beside the lake never saw the aquatic beast.

Yes, there are strange things in Okanagan Lake. For example, in 1914 several people were camping on a beach near Greata Ranch. The late Mr. F. M. Buckland of Kelowna told it this way :

"One of the party who had gone to the lake edge for water was attracted by a strong smell of rotted fish. On investigating he found the badly decomposed body of a strange animal lying at the water's edge. He described his find as something that had never been seen or heard of in these parts before. The body was between five and six feet in length, and would weigh about 400 pounds. It had a short, broad, flat tail, and a head that stuck out between shoulders without any sign of neck, the nose was stubby, and sticking out of a rounded head, and no ears visible. The hide was sparsely covered with silky hair, four or five inches in length and of a bluish grey color, while the teeth resembled those of a great bird, on flipper-like arms claws that showed no signs of wear or use, such as those of a cougar or other land animal."

For years, a shoulders blade, the ivory-like tusks, and great claws were exhibited to interested people but now this strange episode of the "what is this?" has been at most completely forgotten.