Sharlie

Sharlie(Slimy Slim, The Twilight Dragon of Payette Lake) is the name given to a reptile-like sea serpent much like the Loch Ness Monster that is believed by some to live in the deep alpine waters of Payette Lake near McCall, Idaho.

The first reference to the sea serpent may be the belief of Native Americans, predating western settlement of the area, that an evil spirit dwelled in the lake. ["A preliminary report of possible large animals in the Payette lakes of Idaho," Gary S. Mangiacopra, Bloomsburg State College, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania]

Modern History

The first documented sighting by western settlers occurred in 1920 when workers cutting ties at the upper end of the lake thought they saw a log in the lake. The “log” began to move. [”A preliminary report of possible large animals in the Payette Lakes of Idaho”, 1980, Gary S. Mangiacopra]

In August 1944 the serpent was reportedly seen by several groups of people who described it as 30 to 35 feet in length, with a dinosaur-type head and pronounced jaws, [Payette Lakes Star, August 3, 1944, Volume XXVII, Number 30] humps like a camel, and shell-like skin. [Buenos Aires Herald, July 4, 1944] [Payette Lakes Star, August 31, 1944, Volume XXVII, Number 43]

In September 1946 the serpent was reportedly sighted by a group of twenty people. Dr. G.A. Taylor of Nampa, Idaho explained that “it appeared to be between 30 and 40 feet long and seemed to keep diving into the water. It left a wake about like a small motor boat would make.” [Payette Lakes Star, September 5, 1946]

In 1954 A. Boone McCallum, Editor of The Star News [The Star News, January 21, 1954] held a contest to name the serpent of Payette Lake. The winning name, “Sharlie”, was submitted by Le Isle Hennefer Tury of Springfield, Virginia. In her letter to Mr. McCallum she said, “Why don’t you call the thing Sharlie? You know – ‘Vas you der, Sharlie?” ["McCall Contest Gets 'Serpent"Sharlie' Title", The Star News, January 21, 1954] This was a reference to the popular catch phrase often spoken by Jack Pearl during his old time radio show.

Sharlie was reportedly sighted dozens of times between 1956 and the last documented sighting in 2002. ["Sharlie Monster Swims Again," Scenic Idaho, 1956, Volume 11, No. 2, Dabney Taylor] ["Sharlie the Serpent of Payette Lakes, McCall, Idaho," Idaho Hunting and Fishing Guide, 1961, Jayne Brown] [The Idaho Statesman, July 23, 1964] ["Sharlie -- The Sea Serpent," Incredible Idaho, Summer, 1971, Volume 3, No. 1, Mary Jane Williams] ["Sharlie"
] ["Sharlie on the loose again?", The Star News, June 1977] ["Lake watchers ask, 'Are you dere, Sharlie?', The Star News, July 3, 1985, Tom Grote] ["There he/she goes again: Sharlie 'sighted'," The Star News, June 18, 1986, Tom Grote] ["What's That?", The Star News, August 20, 1986] ["Sharlie rears his/her head," The Star News, September 16, 1987] [”2nd Sharlie ‘sighting’ reported” The Star News, August 29, 1996, Tom Grote] [”Payette L. boaters report first ’97 Sharlie sighting," The Star News, July 1997, Tom Grote] [”Travels with Sharlie, Idaho’s most enduring monster”, Boise Weekly, October 27, 2004, Nicholas Collias]

Comparison made with Lake Champlain Monster

In 1980 cryptozoologist Gary S. Mangiacopra published research entitled “A Preliminary Report of Possible Large Animals in the Payette Lakes of Idaho” for Bloomsburg State College in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, [”A Preliminary Report of Possible Large Animals in the Payette Lakes of Idaho”, Gary S. Mangiacopra, Bloomsburg State College, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania] suggesting similarities between Sharlie and Champ, the “monster” of Lake Champlain. (Lake Champlain is located between Vermont, New York, and Canada.)

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