Great Salt Lake whale hoax

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The Great Salt Lake whale hoax is a 19th-century Utah hoax and urban legend, which has appeared in various accounts over time. The story centers around a supposed attempt by a British scientist, James Wickham, to introduce whales into the Great Salt Lake with the intention of starting a whale oil industry. Despite the implausibility of the claims, the tale persisted in folklore and humorous media reports well into the late 19th century.

Contents

Background and origin

The story was first reported in 1888 when the Salt Lake Herald-Republican reprinted an article originally published in a Canadian newspaper. The article claimed that British scientist and entrepreneur James Wickham had introduced two whales into the Great Salt Lake in 1875, with the goal of establishing a whale oil industry in Utah. [1]

According to the article, Wickham captured the whales near Australia and transported them from San Francisco to Utah by train in specially designed tanks filled with seawater. Upon their release into the lake, the whales reportedly broke free from a fenced enclosure and disappeared into deeper waters. The story also claimed that years later, an agent in contact with Wickham reported seeing the whales and their offspring "spouting and playing" in the lake. [1]

Further reports from the Jefferson County Sentinel, an Ohio-based newspaper, in May 1888 added more detail to the hoax. One article included a letter from a Cleveland, Ohio, resident humorously asking whether a permit from the church would be required to begin a whaling industry in the Great Salt Lake. The letter recounted Wickham's experiment, stating that the whales had grown significantly since their release and had produced offspring. [2]

In 1890, the Utah Daily Enquirer, a now-defunct newspaper from Provo, published an account marking the 15th anniversary of the alleged introduction of the whales. The report stated that the whales had grown to sixty feet in length and produced offspring. [3] The Enquirer portrayed Wickham's experiment as a success, despite the unlikely nature of the claims. [4]

Public response and debunking

The story of whales thriving in the Great Salt Lake was met with skepticism, largely due to the lake's high salinity and shallow depth, which are unsuitable environments for marine mammals. [1] Despite this, the legend endured in various retellings. The Deseret News and other sources debunked the story, pointing out factual errors, such as the claim that whales lay eggs—an impossibility given that whales are mammals. [3] [5]

Some media outlets, such as the Jefferson County Sentinel, added humorous embellishments, suggesting that the whales could be used to power ferry boats across the lake. [2] The Utah Historical Quarterly also highlighted that the claims of Wickham’s experiment were exaggerated, portraying them as a product of the creative imagination of the time, meant more for entertainment than factual reporting. [4]

Legacy and modern retellings

In 2019, artists Christine Baczek and David Hyams featured the story in their exhibit "Whale of a Tale" at the Rio Gallery in Salt Lake City. The exhibit included historical-style photographs (tintypes) depicting fictional scenes of the whales being transported to the Great Salt Lake. [6]

In 2021, printmaking professor Justin Diggle created a piece titled A Whale from the Great Salt Lake, Utah for the imPRESSions Open Printmaking Biennial. Inspired by the legend of James Wickham introducing whales to the lake, the print, a collage of photographs taken around Antelope Island, depicts the whale myth. [7]

In 2023, the independent short film Whales of the High Desert, directed by Joseph LeBaron, was released. The film focuses on the origins and continuation of the whale legend, based on an interview with Dr. Lynne McNeill, a folklore specialist at Utah State University. The film also addresses environmental concerns related to the Great Salt Lake. Produced in collaboration with FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake, the film was an Official Selection of the Utah International Film Festival, with plans for distribution on PBS in the fall of 2024. [8] [9]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Weiss, Megan. "The Beehive Archive: A Whale of a Tale from Early SLC Newspapers." Herald Journal, January 31, 2022. . Accessed August 29, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Whales in the Great Salt Lake story (1888)." Jefferson County Sentinel, May 4, 1888. . Accessed September 8, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Van Leer, Twila. "Whale of a Salty Tale Swims Through Pages of Old Paper." Deseret News, October 3, 1995. . Accessed August 29, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Miller, David E. "The Great Salt Lake." Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 27, Number 3, 1959. . Accessed August 29, 2024.
  5. ↑ Neuharth, Spencer. "Fact Checker: Were Whales Released in the Great Salt Lake?" MeatEater, August 12, 2019. . Accessed August 29, 2024.
  6. ↑ Hoelzer, Kaitlin. "Whales in the Great Salt Lake or more fake news? Photos in the Rio Gallery will leave you wondering." Deseret News, May 15, 2019. . Accessed August 29, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Professor Justin Diggle in imPRESSions Open Printmaking Biennial '21." University of Utah Department of Art & Art History, September 13, 2021. . Accessed August 29, 2024.
  8. ↑ Olsen, Grant. "Did whales really live in the Great Salt Lake? New film explores the infamous legend." KSL.com. August 21, 2023. . Accessed August 29, 2024.
  9. ↑ "A Whale of a Tale in the Great Salt Lake." The Utah Film Festival, January 30, 2024. . Accessed August 29, 2024.
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