Lake Chelan is 55 miles long and said to be 1,486 feet deep. It's located in Chelan County, northern Washington. There have been many claims over the years of underwater caverns in the lake, that the lake is connected to other area lakes and some even think there is an underwater connection to the Pacific.
A lake of this size has an abundant fish population that could easily sustain such a large animal.
The Lake Chelan Dragon is thought to be related to the Loch Ness Monster who is believed to be a female. The dragon is believed to be the male, as it has the ability to fly. Local natives to the area have a long running history with encounters with the Lake Chelan Dragon. According to one legend, Native Americans discovered a devil living in its depths and tried to kill the beast by damming the lake. But, it survived.
The creature resurfaced in 1892. According to a local newspaper, an unidentified young man was bathing in the lake when some very sharp jaws locked onto his legs. The man screamed for help, and two of his friends tried to pull him out. But the hungry monster had other plans. After a life-and-death game of tug-of-war, the men dragged their friend onto the beach—with the creature still clamped onto his legs. The thing had the legs and body of an alligator, the head and eyes of a snake, a scaly tail, and bat wings. And though its skin was “soft as velvet,” the beast was impossible to kill. The men attacked the monster with knives, rocks, and sticks to no avail. The creature wasn’t letting go. Eventually, they built a fire and dragged the dragon over the flames. That got a reaction—a bad one. The dragon flapped its wings and soared into the air, with the man still in its mouth. Suddenly, it dived into the lake, disappearing along with its victim.
It had legs and body like an alligator and the head and eyes of a serpent. Between its fore and hind legs were large ribbed wings.
Many prominent locals have made claims to having seen the Lake Chelan Dragon throughout the lake recently.
The Pirate Legend
Two hundred years ago, a Scotsmen, born in Fort Augustus took a treasure chest from the Fort where his Father was a soldier, and it was assumed that the chest was filled with gold and other riches, and set out to sea on a long journey. However its true contents were discovered by the Captain and crew during a mysterious and violent storm off the coast of Washington in 1812.
Somehow the ship was transported to what is now known as Lake Chelan. The ship under great stress was tossed violently in the storm, and the chest and its contents were washed overboard into the water below. The Captain not willing to loose his mysterious prize dove into the water after it. He held on to the treasure chest and it took him quickly down to the crushing depths of the nearly 1,500 foot deep lake.
Unbeknownst to the crew, two female stowaways were on board who kept watchful eyes on the chest. Stewards to its precious contents. They too, jumped in after the chest and as they hit the water the crew watched with disbelief as it appeared that their feet transformed into fish-like fins as they breached, then dove into the angry water. Mermaids! One went after the chest the other after the Captain. The Captain was taken to the shore and the chest was taken deep, deep down into a under water cavern. Where its contents, an egg, cracked open and a hatchling emerged.
Sources:
lakechelandragon.com
Ladies of the lake: Tales of transportation, tragedy, and triumph on Lake Chelan
new-cryptozoology.wikia.com
sciforums.com
Lake Chelan: The Greatest Lake in the World
North American Lake Monsters: Stories
Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World's Most Elusive Creatures
