At an average depth of just nine feet, Utah Lake is certainly not the deepest. Still, it’s hard to picture the third largest lake in the West as a giant dried up hole.
It happened, though. A handful of times, according to area historian Robert Carter. “A lot of people don’t realize Utah Lake has dried up before,” says Carter. “Most recently during the 1930s.”
If you’ll remember, much of the United States was plagued by the Dust Bowl during the so-called “Dirty Thirties.” Like other states, Utah was very much affected.
So much that in 1935, Andy Anderson and Dave Williamson (pictured) were able to stage a mock boxing match on what would have been the middle of the lake floor, according to Utah Lake: Legacy. That same day, the men safely walked from Pleasant Grove to the other side of the lake, the book reports.
It’s unclear if Utah Lake has ever entirely dried up, however. “Newspaper accounts have listed an average depth of a foot or less,” says Carter, suggesting that deeper parts of the lake may have remained covered, even though large areas of the lake were dried.
Either way, the incredible account is a not-too-distant reminder never to take the lake for granted.