Author presents historic tales of Flathead Lake on July 15

A controversial fish that may prove the Flathead Lake monster exists and a jet entombed in the depths of Flathead Lake are among the stories Bigfork author Butch Larcombe will share July 15 in Kalispell. 

His talk is the monthly presentation of the Northwest Montana Westerners, a local history group.

“Nesse,” is an 181-pound sturgeon now on display in the Polson Museum. The huge fish was caught in 1955 in a contest to discover whether the species is responsible for reports of monster fish sighted as early as 1889. A controversy continues over whether Nesse actually came from Flathead Lake.

A Navy Reserve pilot buzzed his girlfriend's lakeshore home in 1960, only to crash in the deepest part of the lake. The wreckage remained untouched for nearly a half-century. But a private effort in 2006 recovered human remains and raised questions whether pilot error was really the cause.

Larcombe will also talk about the repeated attempts to swim the 27.3-mile length of the lake, until Paul Stelter finally succeeded in 1986. His feat wasn't duplicated until 2005.

Other tales include the politics behind the construction of the 204-foot Kerr Dam on tribal land, the fleet of steamboats that provided the only practical route to the Flathead Valley for decades, and the east shore highway around the lake that was built with convict labor. He will also cover some of the unique characters connected with the lake.

Larcombe is the author of several books on Montana history. His latest book, Historic Tales of Flathead Lake, was published just three weeks ago.

The presentation starts at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the museum, at 124 2nd Ave. East in Kalispell. Cost is $5 for the general public, with members and youths under 16 admitted free.