History

What is it?

It is known as Stin-Qua

What is its history?

Ask the locals. The people of Cowichan have a history of stories of a giant serpent-like creature that lives in the deepest parts of the lake … capable of swallowing whole canoes and their contents.

What does it look like?

It is over 50 feet (16 meters) in length, with a very large head, furious eyes and an enormous mouth and teeth.

Where does it reside?

Cowichan is situated beside the Cowichan River and is the second largest lake on Vancouver Island, measuring 34 km long and in places over 500 feet (166 meters) deep.

What evidence proves it exists?

The Cowichan Leader newspaper on Thursday, June 12,1930: (extracts from the report)

Is there a giant water serpent in Cowichan Lake similar to the reputed Okanogan Lake Ogopogo? There are of course, many doubters, but the mass of evidence from reliable sources has grown to such an extent that there would appear little question about there being one or more large serpents in the waters of the lake.

A new interest has been aroused in this strange reptile by the report from Mr. C. E.

Cauldwell (Cougar Charlie) that last week he saw the serpent. Mr. Cauldwell and Mr. Fred Fillinger, planer foreman of the Industrial Mill, Youbou, were together at the time on the shore at the head of the lake. The serpent was distinctly seen swimming Interested in the fishing, nothing more unusual was noticed until Mr. Jarvis, looking around saw about eight feet of tapering neck and a serpent like head standing straight out of the water.

Who has seen it? 

In 1928, two friends, Jarvis and Hill, were hunting and fishing in the area. While crossing Bear Lake (near Mesachie Lake) in the early morning of Sept 17, 1928, they were surprised by a strange sight … they described what they saw as a serpent like creature holding its neck straight up in the air for about five seconds. It then moved its head back and forth before disappearing with a “serpentine motion” of the body.

Mr. Norman G. Thomas, proprietor of the Riverside Inn, Lake Cowichan and Mrs. Thomas reporthaving distinctly seen the Ogopogo early in October 1930 between 8:30 and 8:45am.

Mr. Thomas says that Mr. Victor Rundquist is another former lake resident who has seen the serpent. He also relates the story of an old lake resident who tells of sighting the reptile while coming down the lake in a rowboat near shore.

Youbou’s Charlie Caldwell, known as Cougar Charlie, maintained that the creature he’d spottedresembled a serpent. Caldwell said he and Mr. Fillinger saw a mysterious creature … while fishing on Cowichan Lake.

Sawmill workers at Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island reported seeing a large lake creature during the 1960s.

A local fisherman, also in the 1960s, said he hooked something that pulled him and his boat around the lake for an hour.