Mel's Hole

Last updated

Mel's Hole is, according to an urban legend, a "bottomless pit" near Ellensburg, Washington. Claims about it were first made on the radio show Coast to Coast AM in 1997 by a guest calling himself Mel Waters. Later investigation revealed no such person was listed as residing in that area, and no credible evidence has been given that the hole ever existed. [1] [2]

Contents

Claims

The legend of the bottomless hole started on February 21, 1997, when a man identifying himself as Mel Waters appeared as a guest on Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell. Waters claimed that he owned rural property nine miles (14 km) west of Ellensburg in Kittitas County, Washington, that contained a mysterious hole. According to Waters, the hole had an unknown depth. He claimed to have measured its depth using fishing line and a weight, although he still had not hit bottom by the time 80,000 feet (24,000 m) of line had been used. He also claimed that his neighbor's dead dog had been seen alive sometime after it was thrown into the hole. According to Waters, the hole's magical properties prompted US federal agents to seize the land and fund his relocation to Australia. [2]

Waters made guest appearances on Bell's show in 1997 (February 21 and 24), 2000, and 2002. Rebroadcasts of those appearances have helped create what has been described as a "modern, rural myth". The exact location of the hole was unspecified, yet several people claimed to have seen it, [1] [3] such as self-described "intertribal medicine man" Gerald Osborne, also known as Red Elk, [4] [5] who told reporters in 2012 he visited the hole many times since 1961 and claimed the US government maintained a top secret base there where "alien activity" occurs. [2] [6]

Investigation

In 2002, a group of thirty people led by Gerald Osborne undertook an expedition to find the hole, but were unable to locate it. [3] Local news reporters who investigated the claims found no public records of anyone named Mel Waters ever residing in, or owning property in, Kittitas County. [2]

According to State Department of Natural Resources geologist Jack Powell, the hole does not exist and is geologically impossible. A hole of the depth claimed "would collapse into itself under the tremendous pressure and heat from the surrounding strata," said Powell. Powell said an ordinary old mine shaft on private property was probably the inspiration for the stories, and commented that Mel's Hole had established itself as a legend "based on no evidence at all." [2] Geologist Pat Pringle doubted Waters story about having lowered 80,000 feet (24,000 m) of fishing line into a hole, saying that the heat of the Earth would have snapped it before it could reach such a depth. [3]

Art exhibit

An art exhibition, "Aspects of Mel's Hole: Artists Respond to a Paranormal Land Event Occurring in Radiospace," curated by LA Weekly art critic Doug Harvey, was presented at the Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, California, in 2008. The show featured works by 41 artists and collectives, many created specifically for the exhibition, including works by Albert Cuellar, Charles Schneider, Marnie Weber, Jim Shaw, Jeffrey Vallance, Georganne Deen, Paul Laffoley, The Firesign Theatre, Gary Panter, The Center for Land Use Interpretation, James Hayward, Cathy Ward, Eric Wright and Craig Stecyk. [7]

The GCAC published a hardbound 146-page catalog in conjunction with the exhibit, containing contributions from all the artists, plus essays by Harvey, psychoanalyst Judy Spence, science author Margaret Wertheim, Hannah Miller, Brian Tucker, Christine Wertheim, Mike McGee and the Rev. Ethan Acres. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariana Trench</span> Deepest oceanic trench on Earth

The Mariana Trench is an oceanic trench located in the western Pacific Ocean, about 200 kilometres (124 mi) east of the Mariana Islands; it is the deepest oceanic trench on Earth. It is crescent-shaped and measures about 2,550 km (1,580 mi) in length and 69 km (43 mi) in width. The maximum known depth is 10,984 ± 25 metres at the southern end of a small slot-shaped valley in its floor known as the Challenger Deep. The deepest point of the trench is more than 2 km (1.2 mi) farther from sea level than the peak of Mount Everest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mokele-mbembe</span> Water-dwelling entity that supposedly lives in the Congo River Basin

In several Bantu mythologies, mokele-mbembe is a mythical water-dwelling entity that is believed to exist in the Congo River Basin. Variously described as a living creature or a spirit, mokele-mbembe's descriptions vary widely based on conflicting purported eyewitness reports, but it is often described as a large quadrupedal herbivore with smooth skin, a long neck, and a single tooth or horn, much like the extinct species sauropods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorp, Washington</span> Census-designated place in Washington, United States

Thorp is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. In 2020, the population was 232.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fountain of Youth</span> Spring that supposedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters

The Fountain of Youth is a mythical spring which allegedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted around the world for thousands of years, appearing in the writings of Herodotus, in the Alexander romance, and in the stories of Prester John. Stories of similar waters also featured prominently among the people of the Caribbean during the Age of Exploration ; they spoke of the restorative powers of the water in the mythical land of Bimini. Based on these many legends, explorers and adventurers looked for the elusive Fountain of Youth or some other remedy to aging, generally associated with magic waters. These waters might have been a river, a spring or any other water-source said to reverse the aging process and to cure sickness when swallowed or bathed in.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muskingum River</span> River in the United States

The Muskingum River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 111 miles (179 km) long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country of Ohio. Via the Ohio, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed. The river is navigable for much of its length through a series of locks and dams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Bell</span> American broadcaster and author (1945–2018)

Arthur William Bell III was an American broadcaster and author. He was the founder and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program Coast to Coast AM, which is syndicated on hundreds of radio stations in the United States and Canada. He also created and hosted its companion show Dreamland. Coast to Coast still airs nightly, now hosted weeknights by George Noory. Bell's past shows from 1996 to 2000 are repeated on Premiere Networks on Saturday evenings. They are retitled Somewhere in Time with Art Bell.

<i>Coast to Coast AM</i> American radio talk show

Coast to Coast AM is an American late-night radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics. Most frequently the topics relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was hosted by creator Art Bell from its inception in 1988 until 2003, and is currently hosted by George Noory. The program is distributed by Premiere Networks, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, both as part of its talk network and separately as a syndicated program. The program now airs seven nights a week from 1:00–5:00 a.m. ET. It airs on over 600 affiliates, and has repeatedly been called the most popular overnight show in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Noory</span> American radio talk show host (born 1950)

George Ralph Noory is a conservative American radio talk show host. Since January 2003, Noory has been the weekday host of the late-night radio talk show Coast to Coast AM. The program is syndicated to hundreds of radio stations in the U.S. and Canada by Premiere Networks. Noory has also appeared in the History Channel series Ancient Aliens and in Beyond Belief, a subscription-based online video series presented by Gaia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strait of Georgia</span> Waterway between Vancouver Island and mainland North America

The Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is an arm of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the extreme southwestern mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada, and the extreme northwestern mainland coast of Washington, United States. It is approximately 240 kilometres (150 mi) long and varies in width from 20 to 58 kilometres. Along with the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound, it is a constituent part of the Salish Sea.

A shadow person is the perception of shadow as a living species, humanoid figure, sometimes interpreted as the presence of a spirit or other entity by believers in the paranormal or supernatural.

Nicholas Julian Cook was CEO of defence industry consultant firm Dynamixx. He is a British former aviation journalist as well as the author of fiction and non-fiction works.

The Skookum cast is a plaster cast showing the imprint of what appears to be a large animal. It was discovered in a muddy wallow near Mount Adams in the southern part of Washington state in the year 2000. Enthusiasts have argued that the imprint may have been made by the mythical creature, Bigfoot, though scientific analysis says it was most likely an imprint of an elk. Scholars and academics consider Bigfoot, and alleged evidence, to be a combination of folklore, misidentification, and hoax rather than a living animal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Chelan</span> Lake in Chelan County, Washington, United States

Lake Chelan is a narrow, 50.5 mi (81.3 km) long lake in Chelan County, north-central Washington state, U.S. It is an overdeepened lake and resembles a fjord, with an average width of 1.3 mi (2.1 km). Near its upper end, the lake surface lies more than 6,600 ft (2,000 m) below peaks less than 3 mi (4.8 km) away. Before 1927, Lake Chelan was the largest natural lake in the state in terms of both surface area and water volume. Upon the completion of Lake Chelan Dam in 1927, the elevation of the lake was increased by 21 ft (6.4 m) to its present maximum-capacity elevation of 1,100 ft (340 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon-Erik Beckjord</span> American paranormal investigator (1939–2008)

Jon-Erik Beckjord was an American paranormal investigator, photographer, and cryptozoologist interested in UFOs, crop circles, the Loch Ness Monster, and Bigfoot. Throughout his life, he owned three separate, small-scale museums that featured displays, mostly photographs, of alleged UFO, Nessie, and Bigfoot sightings. He made guest appearances on national radio and television shows, but was criticized by skeptics and fellow cryptozoologists alike for not providing substantive evidence to back up his claims of the existence of paranormal beings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Station (Washington)</span> Railway station in Wenatchee, United States

Columbia Station, also known as Wenatchee station, is an intermodal train and bus station in Wenatchee, Washington, United States. It is a stop on Amtrak's Empire Builder train and is the main hub for Link Transit, the local bus system serving Wenatchee and surrounding areas. The station is also served by intercity buses operated by Grant Transit Authority, Northwestern Trailways, and Travel Washington.

The Iron Mountain was a stern-wheeler that plied the Mississippi River for ten years until sinking in 1882. Built in 1872 on the Ohio River at Pittsburgh, the boat was 181 feet (55 m) long and had a 35 feet (11 m) beam. The ship ran aground and sank in 1882. However, a common legend claims that it mysteriously disappeared.

The Lost Ship of the Desert is the subject of legends about various historical maritime vessels having supposedly become stranded and subsequently lost in the deserts of the American Southwest, most commonly in California's Colorado Desert. Since the period following the American Civil War, stories about Spanish treasure galleons buried beneath the desert sands north of the Gulf of California have emerged as popular legends in American folklore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marmes Rockshelter</span> United States historic place

The Marmes Rockshelter is an archaeological site first excavated in 1962, near Lyons Ferry Park and the confluence of the Snake and Palouse Rivers, in Franklin County, southeastern Washington. This rockshelter is remarkable in the level of preservation of organic materials, the depth of stratified deposits, and the apparent age of the associated Native American human remains. The site was discovered on the property of Roland Marmes, and was the site of the oldest human remains in North America at that time. In 1966, the site became, along with Chinook Point and the American and English Camps on San Juan Island, the first National Historic Landmarks listed in Washington. In 1969, the site was submerged in water when a levee protecting it from waters rising behind the then newly constructed Lower Monumental Dam, which was 20 miles (32 km) down the Snake River, failed to hold back water that leaked into the protected area through gravel under the soil, creating Lake Herbert G. West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Hole (New Mexico)</span> Sinkhole used for scubadiving in New Mexico, United States

The Blue Hole of Santa Rosa, or simply the Blue Hole, is a circular, bell-shaped pool or small lake located along Route 66 east of Santa Rosa, New Mexico that is a tourist attraction and swimming venue, and one of the most popular dive destinations in the US for scuba diving and training. The Blue Hole is an artesian well and cenote that was once used as a fish hatchery.

Art Bell's Dark Matter was an American radio talk show hosted by broadcaster and author Art Bell. Dark Matter primarily focused on paranormal and scientific topics. The program was exclusive to Sirius XM Radio, a subscription-based satellite radio service. Dark Matter debuted on September 16, 2013, and aired live Monday through Thursday from 10 pm ET to 2 am ET on Sirius XM Radio's Indie Talk Channel 104. Dark Matter was the first program hosted by Art Bell full-time since his departure from regularly hosting Coast to Coast AM in 2003. On November 4, 2013, Bell announced that he was abruptly ceasing the production and airing of Dark Matter following a dispute with Sirius XM Radio regarding Sirius XM customers experiencing technical difficulties streaming his show live via the Internet.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mel's Hole". UWTV. University of Washington. August 1, 2004. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Johnston, Mike (March 31, 2012). "Getting to the bottom of Mel's Hole". Daily Record. Washington Daily Record. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Zebrowski, John (April 14, 2002). "Expedition seeks paranormal pit". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Red Elk". Coast to Coast AM. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  5. ↑ "RED ELK". redelk.50webs.com. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  6. ↑ Whitaker, Denise (February 8, 2012), "Eastern Washington hole is shrouded in mystery", KOMO-TV, archived from the original on December 19, 2016
  7. 1 2 Stacy, Greg (October 2, 2008). "Getting to the Bottom of Mel's Hole at the Grand Central Art Center". OCWeekly. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.