Patreon Exclusive - The Legend of the Ogopogo

Unsolved Canadian Mysteries

In our sixth Patreon exclusive episode of Unsolved Canadian Mysteries, we explore the legend of the Okanagan lake monster, Ogopogo.

Ogopogo, originally called "na-it-aka", or "spirit of the water" by the Syilx people, is a legendary lake spirit that controlled passage across Lake Okanagan. Legends even claim a story where a visiting chief came to the lake and did not provide an offering for a safe passage across the lake, and the monster responded by drowning their canoes. A similar even would occur with European settlers many centuries later where their horses would be attacked in the water by something with sharp claws and teeth.

Centuries later, the monster would be renamed Ogopogo by the most unlikely source and would take on a life of its own. Many theories have emerged of what it might be -- from lake otters, methane bubbles, large eels or sturgeon fishes, and even the possibility of an ancient dinosaur.

With sightings almost every year, various agencies have tried to find the elusive creature -- so much so that two lucrative rewards have been created to find or debunk it -- prompting the provincial government to enact legislation to preserve it.

What is this "spirit of the water"? Is it just a myth, or something more? Find out in our new episode!