In the 1950s, two divers reported finding an underwater cave, and a creature shot out, leaving the silt stirred. He points out that the railroads were happy to pay the Chinese laborers because "they were a reliable workforce, so why alienate them? Jim Byers. The story begins just after gold was discovered in California, and a large ore of silver in the mountains east of Tahoe lured miners to Virginia City in the 1860s and 1870s. What did Jacques Cousteau discover in Lake Tahoe? Lava tube connections between Lake Tahoe and other lakes are an urban myth, Byers said. Its what Id do.. Windecker reportedly experienced difficulty with his equipment and began to sink. What did Cousteau see? Or it could just be people talking, said Chris Ziegler, owner of First Strike Sportfishing. Four more divers remain missing in the same area, which is infamous for swallowing up victims. "Why not take them to Donner Lake, which is much closer? After graduating from France's naval academy in 1933, he was commissioned a second lieutenant. UPDATE: Ashuntea M. Young of Fayette, Mississippi shot this video in May of 2021 at the very top of Cave Rock. Other stories about oddities beneath Lake Tahoe have been debunked by experts. At a maximum depth of 1,644 feet, Lake Tahoe is the second-deepest lake in the country (Crater Lake, full of its own mysteries, is the deepest), so it is possible that there is much we dont know about what lurks beneath. It seems certain that Tahoe has claimed some bodies. These bodies stay preserved because at depths of 600 to 700 feet; the lake constantly stays at a temperature of around 39 degrees fahrenheit. Learn how your comment data is processed. Some in the region insist that famed diver and naturalist Jacques Cousteau explored the lake in a mini-submarine in the mid-1970s and emerged pale and shaken. Some in the region insist that famed diver and naturalist Jacques Cousteau explored the lake in a mini-submarine in the mid-1970s and emerged pale and shaken. . We do know the mob was influential on the Tahoe area in the 60s and 70s. Jean-Michel CousteauPierre-Yves Cousteau Although El Dorado County authorities say he had no close relatives, those who counted him as a friend are thankful this mystery has been resolved. Jacques Cousteau reportedly said, "The world is not ready for what is down there!" Tahoe historian and author David Antonucci recounted this old myth, and where it came from, in a recent article he wrote for a local newsletter. What is the average size of a kitchen trash can? var obConfig = { footer: '' }; Bookmarks are saved to your account and can be accessed from any device. I was lucky to have grown up in Lake Tahoe, an area surrounded by crystal clear water, stunning bays, sharply jagged peaks, and snow-covered ridges, and have always had a fascination with what we referred to as the bottomless Lake. They were wondering, Whats this person doing down here? he said. But some of his stories never faded. All Of Them. Mono County Sheriff Pleads with Public to Stay Home. Into Horror History. "All of our bodies have bacteria that live in them," she said. Business / Community / Event Type / Family / Food & Drink / Wellness, Granite Flat Campground: A Workforce Housing Alternative, Salmon Buying Club A Slow Food Fundraiser. Indigenous folklore from the region includes descriptions of water babies, dangerous and powerful creatures whose cry can serve as an omen of death. In 2006 a family vacationing near Tahoe sighted a large, black, scaly looking creature similar in appearance to a sturgeon with an upturned white nose. Jacques Cousteau has never been to Lake Tahoe. "The world isn't ready for what was down there," is the quote . Tales tell that miners of the late 1800s and mobsters in the early 1900s were the perpetrators. Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the French oceanographer who opened more of the Earths surface to human endeavor than any other explorer, died yesterday at his home in Paris. He took his discovery to a mining stock speculator in San Francisco, named Colonel Clair. This was not the case with Windecker, who was covered head to toe in a wet suit with gloves and boots. Some of his family did, although they came without a submersible. A remote-controlled mini-submarine with a robotic claw raised the remains July 27. He emerged from the water shaken, but not with cold. South Lake Tahoe, CA Alligators. (Lawrence I. Berkove, a professor emeritus of English at the University of Michigan in Dearborn, republished much of the Sagebrush Schools work in a 2006 anthology.). Both are repeated in numerous places, but both also appear in one message at Snopes.com, the urban myth checking website. Cousteau was hoping to make a documentary about it. Junior Matt Decker, an avid visitor of Lake Tahoe, talked about the conspiracy at the bottom. The thing is, I lived in Northern California during the 1970s, and I distinctly recall commercials for Cousteaus Lake Tahoe dive special, which was aired as part of some local news broadcast. At 1645 feet (depending on the level of water in the basin), Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the US. When he came back up, he said he would not film it because the world was not ready to see what the U.S government did to these poor people. we all know Jimmy Hoffa is somewhere on the bottom in his cement diving boots! He had one brother, Pierre-Antoine. When Cousteau returned, he said he would not film it because the world was not ready to see what the U.S. government did to these poor people. Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news. There is no exact number of bodies at the bottom of the lake but locals and experts estimate over 200 bodies are still preserved down below because of the cold temperatures. Cousteau completed his preparatory studies at the Collge Stanislas in Paris. How to Market Your Business with Webinars. Due to the near-freezing temperatures at the bottom of the lake, the bodies would be highly preserved. Asked what hed seen and filmed on the lake bottom, Cousteau reportedly replied, The world isnt ready for whats down there.. But McLaughlin has another reason for dismissing the rumor. There was just one problem the story wasnt true. It is not known exactly how many bodies are at the bottom or where they are specifically located, but it is widely believed that this vacation spot has had a past that many were not aware of and could be spooked by. Cousteau was born on 11 June 1910, in Saint-Andr-de-Cubzac, Gironde, France, to Daniel and lisabeth Cousteau. Dixie II Emerald Bay Sightseeing Cruise that promises to share the "fascinating history" of Lake Tahoe. The tale continues: Meeker connected the dots and realized there was a hole in Lake Tahoe that led to the Comstock Lodes mines. 10 Things You Need to Know About Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Quora User Political Animal, Physician, Goofball, and All Around Nerd. Avalanche slams into Olympic Valley apartment building; No injuries reported, Southwest Gas offers snow safety advice, tips, Tahoe Youth & Family Services appoints Lane as interim director, IVGID Board of Trustees discuss budget goals, transparency, Tahoe weather: Break before weekend storm could drop another couple of feet of snow. At this temperature, it prevents gasses that lead to decomposition from being released into the body. The rock underneath the lake sank down to form a flat-bottomed basin called a graben. He didn't go deeper than anyone ever before. Meeker used a makeshift fishing rod to lower a stone into the water. The stories were first told bytheWashoeandPaiutetribes in the mid-1800s, sayingthe creature residedin an underwater tunnel beneathCave Rock. The story was credible enough to fool scientific institutions into requesting specimens for analysis to which De Quille quipped, A sold professor the eyeless fish biz.. She writes about Lake Tahoe and mountain communities throughout the West. Following the gold rush, when white settlers pushed their way west and grabbed land around Lake Tahoe, murmurs of curious scaly monster sightings began to pop up in local loreand in the news. A further and wilder rumor states that Cousteaus planned Tahoe dive was halted by powerful individuals, for reasons unknown. It has long been thought that Lake Tahoe in the 30s 40s and 50s was a popular dumping ground for mobsters as it was remote, deep, and close to the Reno and Las Vegas areas. It has been said that some independent filmmaker got ahold of some deep sea diving machine and found where all these people were at and went down to see for himself so he could film a documentary on it. It's said that French Explorer Jacques Cousteau did a deepwater dive into Lake Tahoe in the 1970's, only to emerge with no documentation or photography. Unfortunately, he lost his life in the accident. Tracking Tahoe Tessie Down. An animation shows a family watching TV. Another aspect of the rumor speculates that, not only are they floating, gathered and preserved, but are shrunk in on themselves as well, due to the pressure. Think of a box of copier paper. He dismissed speculation that Windecker had gone undiscovered for so long because his body had been caught in underwater tunnels that legend says connects Lake Tahoe with Pyramid Lake northeast of Reno. This means that not only are there hundreds of bodies tied together but that they are all preserved because of the cold temperatures. Still in its wetsuit, the body was very well preserved. It was pretty scary for them. While Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, it also holds an interesting history. I flipped. What he couldnt dispute is the possibility that the lake could be home to a giant sturgeon, the largest freshwater fish in North America. I wonder if millions of years ago a dinosaur drowned in the lake and feel to the bottom, froze solid and on occasion bloats up from a slow discomposure, rises to the surface, thaws a little releases the gases in a turmoil on the waters surface as is reported, and then sinks back down again once the floatation of the gases is gone? When he approached the area in a speedboat, there were no traces of the kayak, and his students did not report flipping over at any time. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. This fact has spawned rumors, the most famous of which involves Jacques Cousteau and still makes me shudder, years after I first heard it. News reports at the time of Windeckers disappearance described him as a 44-year-old former city planner from Reno who set out for a dive on July 10, 1994. Journalist Dan De Quille (center) with fellow Virginia City reporters, (left to right) William Gillespie, Charles A. Parker, Robert Lowery and Alfred Doten. One of the original tall tales about Lake Tahoes mysterious depths first surfaced in the 1870s. Windeckers body was clad in a wetsuit and buckled into a weight belt and air tank. What did Jacques Cousteau find in the bottom of Lake Tahoe? We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Tahoes myths are fun and harmless and add to the lakes legendary mystique, he writes. 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