A while back I did an article on mythological beasts from my home state of Alaska. It was such a fun research project that I wanted to honor some of the other places I’ve lived: namely Oregon and Montana. This time around I’m going to celebrate some creatures from the beautiful sprawling state full of natural wonders: Oregon. Here are my top four!
Sasquatch (aka Bigfoot)
Okay, you know I have to talk about Bigfoot in relation to Oregon. This ape-like creature has been fascinating hikers and trackers for decades. The modern legend of Bigfoot really took root after a 1924 battle on Mount St. Helens in a gorge now known as Ape Canyon. Apparently, according to stories, some gold prospectors stumbled out of the forest, all talking about seven-foot-tall ape-like animals that attacked them with large rocks.
The dramatic and harrowing tale spawned the Bigfoot legend we know today. Ever since then (and even some time before that alleged attack), large footprints have been spotted around the area and some even claim to see the giant hairy beast, but never directly because Bigfoot is also pretty shy. I say, if Bigfoot is that shy, we should probably leave them alone unless we, too, want giant rocks thrown at us.
Colossal Claude
A giant sea serpent reportedly spotted on the Columbia River Bar. Forty feet long, big round body, long tail, and a horse-like head. Does that sound like Nessie? Kind of. But Claude is in Oregon! The first people ever report seeing Colossal Claude was a lightship tender—according to multiple people on the boat Claude swam around them. The monster eventually slipped back into the water out of sight.
Claude is reportedly pretty curious, coming out of the water every couple of decades to spy on beachgoers and fishing trawlers. Sounds like an okay monster to me—perhaps Claude was just a curious about us as we are about them. Sadly, Claude hasn’t been seen since the mid-1950s.
Amhuluk
Amhuluk is a sea creature in the mythology of the Kalapuya people of Oregon. The creature is commonly associated with disease, fog, and even drowning. It has a body that resembles a western dragon with horns on its head, but the resemblance stops there as it’s commonly described as being spotted with tuffs of fur stick out at odd places.
Wherever amhuluks steps, the ground turns soft. It can change form (which is endlessly cool) but amhuluks also like to take unsuspecting people and animals into its lake to drown them (which is less cool). This story has scared children for decades, and understandably so—some tales even say the amhuluk spears kids with its horns to drag them down underwater. Just, maybe stay away from the lakes.
Agropelter
While this critter isn’t strictly Oregonian (its territory stretches all the way from Maine), the Agropelter made it into my top four because of its actions alone. Described as a long, skinny ape with whiplike arms, Agropelters lives in hollow trees and, when it sees something invade its territory, the Agropelter breaks off pieces of the tree and hurls the shards at the intruder. Like a tree sniper!
It’s been blamed for many a woodsman’s death, actually, because the critters see lumberjacks as invading their home and they do not approve. Perhaps those lumberjacks should pick a new place to get the best wood.
And there you have it—my top four mythological creatures from Oregon. What kinds of creatures are around your area? Let me know in the comments!
Title image by Katie Musial.
Richard Marpole
Jennie Ivins