Flathead Lake is, without a doubt, one of Montana’s most impressive natural wonders. Each year, Montanans enjoy swimming, boating, tubing, kayaking, and fishing at this beloved body of water. But Flathead Lake also harbors a secret… according to some, it has a monster lurking below the surface.

Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi in the lower 48 states.
Barbara Ann Spengler / Flickr
It has over 200 square miles of water and about 185 miles of shoreline.
The story of the Flathead Lake Monster dates back well over 100 years.
DannyandhisMisty / TripAdvisor
Its first documented sighting was in 1889, when Captain James C. Kerr claimed he and his 100 passengers saw the monster while on the steamboat the U.S. Grant.
But the story actually goes back further -- the Kutenai tribe even spoke of it centuries ago.
WolfgangTrips / TripAdvisor
Legend has it that the first native tribe in the area lived on an island in the middle of the lake. One winter while crossing the frozen lake to move camp, two girls saw antlers approximately two feet in length poking up through the ice. The girls decided to take the antlers, but when they tried to cut through the ice, the ice shattered and the head of a monster appeared.

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But those girls were far from the last to see the monster.
Jodi Kurtz / TripAdvisor
To date, there have been 109 documented sightings, one as recent as the fall of 2017.
According to eye witnesses, the Flathead Lake Monster resembles the Loch Ness Monster, Nessie.
Jodi Kurtz / Flickr
Some locals have named the monster Flessie because of the similarities.
Of course, it's easy to dismiss all of these claims... but 109 sightings is pretty impressive.
Matthew Hoelscher / Flickr
But don't worry, this monster means no harm. Apparently, one local story involves a three-year-old boy falling into the lake and suddenly reappearing on the shoreline. When his mother asked how he'd gotten out, he said the monster had lifted him up.

Have you heard the tales of the Flathead Lake Monster? Whether or not these rumors are true, Flathead Lake is pretty amazing.

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