CASCADIA: Shasta Lake & the Displaced

Foggy Seattle mornings are this author's favorite writing companions. I love curling up with a notebook and pen on the couch, cat beside me, dog at my feet, to jot down traces of a dream or a story outline or ideas for the podcast.  This mini-episode was born in that cozy space. As I was researching Mount Shasta, giving the place a fresh deep dive for the new book, I remembered something, Shasta Lake. As we drove past this lake from I-5 I'd watch houseboats peeking out the window like a soldier in a foxhole, wondering how ANYONE could float on that creepy body of water.  In one instance, Dad pulled over where there was a boat launch because someone needed a restroom. A family wearing matching red striped tee shirts loaded supplies onto a boat, and their joy was obvious. To me, it felt like the opening shot of a horror movie, Spielberg-esque, a glimpse of a picture perfect family, set up to lull the viewer into a feeling of safety before it all goes to hell in a hand basket. Well, I'm not the only one that feels uneasy at the site of Shasta Lake. And recently, someone found a prosthetic leg in the waters. Oh, and if this place doesn't give YOU nightmares, it might after you hear a creepypasta from YouTube about a fisherman that goes missing and claw marks on the side of his abandoned boat. Let's get into it! Shasta Lake 101 Located in Northern California not far from Redding, it is the state's largest reservoir. A manmade creation between 1935-45 in tandem with the construction of Shasta Dam that spans the Sacramento River, it covers 30,000 acres of what was once a valley. When Shasta Lake is completely full it can reach depths of 500 feet. Shasta Lake is known as the 'houseboat capital of the world' and is a water sport playground. Besides fishing, skiing, swimming, and wakeboarding, visitors love exploring the Shasta Lake Caverns and seeing the massive Shasta Dam from the water. Shasta Lake, a massive manmade reservoir - but what was the valley before it was drowned? Links to episode sources. Please give these amazing journalists and creators some love! Underground Good, Jessica Foster, taking care of the disinterred and her son, too, Shasta Scout A Long History Shadows Fight Over California's Shasta Dam, The State of Science spotlight, Science Friday (originally published by The Spiritual Edge at KALW Public Radio, Judy Silber, lead reporter for "The Spiritual Edge" from KALW in San Francisco, California Dam drowned a railroad town, but also many villages and 26 cemeteries After a century of displacement, Shasta Indian Nation sees hope in dam removal, OPB (a true fisherman's tale) Fisherman Vanishes on Lake Shasta Under Strange Circumstances, UNK Files, YouTube Send us Fan Mail If you are searching for a fresh, binge-able podcast, this might be the one for you! Support the show Support Curious Cat, an independent, human-made podcast! ***Curious Cat Podcast on Substack!*** Buy Curious Cat Podcast a Coffee!