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Mel's Hole is, according to an urban legend, an allegedly "bottomless pit" near Ellensburg, Washington. Claims about it were first made on the radio show Coast to Coast AM by a guest calling himself "Mel Waters." Later investigation revealed no such person was listed as residing in that area, and no credible evidence that the hole exists.
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Mel s hole first 3 calls 1997 2000
Description
The legend of the mythical bottomless hole started on Feb. 21, 1997 when a man identified as "Mel Waters" appeared as a call-in guest on Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell. Waters claimed that he formerly owned rural property nine miles west of Ellensburg in Kittitas County that contained a mysterious hole. According to Bell's interviews with Waters, the hole had infinite depth and the ability to restore dead animals to life. Waters claimed to have measured the hole's depth to be more than 15 miles (24 kilometers) by using fishing line and a weight. According to Waters, the hole's magical properties prompted US "federal agents" to seize the land and fund his relocation to Australia.
Waters made guest appearances on Bell’s show in 1997, 2000, and 2002. Rebroadcasts of those appearances have helped create what's been described as a "modern, rural myth". The exact location of the hole was unspecified, yet several people claimed to have seen it, such as a tribal medicine man named Red Elk, who in 2012 told reporters he visited the hole and claimed the US government maintained a top secret base there where "alien activity" occurs.
Local news reporters who investigated the claims found no public records of anyone named Mel Waters ever residing in, or owning property in Kittitas County. According to State Department of Natural Resources geologist Jack Powell, the hole does not exist and is geologically impossible. A hole of the depth claimed "would collapse into itself under the tremendous pressure and heat from the surrounding strata," said Powell. Powell said an ordinary old mine shaft on private property was probably the inspiration for the stories, and commented that Mel’s Hole had established itself as a legend "based on no evidence at all".
"Aspects of Mel's Hole" art exhibit
An art exhibition, "Aspects of Mel's Hole: Artists Respond to a Paranormal Land Event Occurring in Radiospace," curated by LA Weekly art critic Doug Harvey, was presented at the Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, California in 2008. The show featured works by 41 artists and collectives, many created specifically for the exhibition, including works by Marnie Weber, Jim Shaw, Jeffrey Vallance, Georganne Deen, Paul Laffoley, The Firesign Theater, Gary Panter, The Center for Land Use Interpretation, James Hayward, Cathy Ward, Eric Wright and Craig Stecyk. The GCAC published a hardbound 146-page catalog in conjunction with the exhibit, containing contributions from all the artists, plus essays by Harvey, psychoanalyst Judy Spence, science author Margaret Wertheim, Hannah Miller, Brian Tucker, Christine Wertheim and the Rev. Ethan Acres.