Mel’s Hole

In 1997, a man calling himself “Mel Waters” called into the Coast to Coast AM radio program with an extraordinary claim: he owned a property near Ellensburg, Washington, that contained a hole of apparently infinite depth. This hole, he said, could absorb anything thrown into it, had restored a dead dog to life, and had been seized by the government. Mel’s Hole became one of the most famous mysteries in paranormal radio history.

The Initial Claims

The First Call (February 1997)

Mel Waters called into Art Bell’s Coast to Coast AM and described:

• A hole approximately 9 feet in diameter
• Located in rural land near Ellensburg, Washington
• Known to locals for generations
• Used as an informal dump by residents

The Measurements

Mel claimed to have measured the hole’s depth:

• He lowered fishing line into the hole
• He used 80,000 feet of line (over 15 miles)
• The line never touched bottom
• He gave up after running out of line

For context, the deepest known point on Earth (Mariana Trench) is approximately 36,000 feet deep.

Strange Properties

The Dead Dog

The most famous story:

A neighbor asked Mel if he could dispose of his dead hunting dog in the hole:

• The dog had died; the neighbor was too upset to bury it
• The dog was thrown into the hole
• Days later, the same dog appeared in the woods
• It was wearing the same collar
• The dog was acting strangely, wouldn’t respond to its name
• The neighbor was disturbed and got rid of the “new” dog

The implication: the hole had somehow returned the dog, though changed.

The Black Beam

Mel reported another phenomenon:

• A black beam of light sometimes rose from the hole
• This “black light” was visible in daylight
• It seemed to absorb light rather than emit it
• Objects passed through it felt cold

No Echo

Objects thrown into the hole:

• Made no sound upon landing
• Garbage, appliances, even a whale carcass had been dumped
• Nothing was ever heard hitting bottom
• The hole seemed to absorb everything

Government Interest

The Seizure

According to Mel:

• Government personnel approached him
• They offered to lease his property
• When he refused, they became more insistent
• Eventually, the property was seized
• The area was fenced off
• A fake airstrip was constructed over the hole

Compensation and Threats

Mel claimed:

• He was given a mailbox in Australia where rent checks were sent
• He was warned not to discuss the hole
• He was provided with resources to relocate
• He was implicitly threatened

The Second Hole

Basque Country, Nevada

In later calls, Mel claimed to have found a second hole:

• Located in the Basque sheepherding region of Nevada
• On a property he acquired after leaving Washington
• Similar properties to the first hole
• But with additional phenomena

The Sheep Seal

This hole produced an even stranger story:

• A dead sheep was lowered into the hole on a rope
• When pulled up, it had a living seal inside its carcass
• The seal was alive but had a tumor
• The tumor contained strange objects when removed

The story became increasingly elaborate and bizarre.

Investigation

The Search for Mel

Researchers have tried to verify Mel’s claims:

• No “Mel Waters” matches the property records
• The exact location has never been confirmed
• The government seizure isn’t documented
• The fake airstrip hasn’t been located

The Search for the Hole

Multiple expeditions have searched:

• The Ellensburg area has been surveyed
• Abandoned mining areas have been explored
• No bottomless hole has been found
• No one else has reported the phenomenon

Analysis

Why People Believe

Mel’s Hole captures imagination because:

• The storytelling was compelling
• The details were specific and rich
• It touches on government conspiracy themes
• The supernatural elements are original
• Art Bell gave it extensive coverage

Why Skeptics Doubt

Problems with the story:

• Physics makes a 15-mile-deep hole impossible
• No physical evidence has been found
• “Mel Waters” appears to be a pseudonym
• The claims escalated over time (typical of fabrication)
• No other witnesses have come forward

Performance Art?

Some suggest:

• Mel was a creative storyteller
• The calls were entertainment, not fact
• The increasingly bizarre elements were intentional
• The mystery was the point

The Legend Grows

Ongoing Interest

Despite lack of evidence:

• Mel’s Hole has its own following
• Researchers continue to search
• New theories are proposed regularly
• The story is retold and embellished

Cultural Impact

Mel’s Hole has appeared in:

• Paranormal documentaries
• Podcast discussions
• Online communities
• Conspiracy theory forums

What Is Mel’s Hole?

If Real

The hole would represent:

• Impossible physics
• Unknown underground worlds
• Government-level secrets
• Technology or phenomena beyond our understanding

If Fabricated

It represents:

• The power of radio storytelling
• How legends are created in real-time
• The appeal of mystery in the modern age
• Participatory folklore

The Mystery Itself

Perhaps the point isn’t whether Mel’s Hole exists:

• The story itself is the phenomenon
• The search is the experience
• The possibility matters more than proof
• Some mysteries are meant to remain mysteries

Legacy

Mel’s Hole remains:

• Unsolved and unverified
• A fixture of paranormal lore
• A testament to the power of storytelling
• An invitation to imagine the impossible

Somewhere in rural Washington, according to one man on a late-night radio show, there was a hole that went down forever. It swallowed everything. It gave nothing back - except, once, a dead dog that wasn’t quite right.

No one has found it. Perhaps no one will. But the story continues, passed from listener to listener, searched for by those who want to believe in a world where something impossible waits just over the next hill.

Mel’s Hole. Fifteen miles down.

Still waiting to be found.

Or to be proven as the greatest tall tale ever told on late-night radio.