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Hoax/Legend of whales in the Great Salt Lake, Utah From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 was first reported in 1888 when the Salt Lake Herald-Republican reprinted an article originally published in a Canadian newspaper. The article claimed that a 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]
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 included additional claims about Wickham's efforts, stating that the whales had grown to sixty feet in length and had produced offspring.[2] The Enquirer portrayed Wickham's experiment as effective, despite the implausibility of the claims.[3]
The claims in the story were met with skepticism, particularly due to the Great Salt Lake's extreme salinity and shallow depth, which are inhospitable to marine mammals.[1] The story was later recognized as a hoax, likely intended as humorous sensationalism rather than serious reporting.[2] The Deseret News and other sources have debunked the story, pointing out inaccuracies, such as the false claim that whales lay eggs.[4]
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.[5]
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.[6]
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.[7][8]
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