[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6078059,"mediaKeyId","2962473-cdf84856139befe340b6137c0f6dcf70","parentId",2962473,"title","Allen Park’s “Hobbitville” lore reflects idiosyncratic community history and surviving park features","audioSeconds",48,"startMs",184651,"endMs",233090,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2962473-cdf84856139befe340b6137c0f6dcf70&start=184&end=233","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2962473-cdf84856139befe340b6137c0f6dcf70/thumbnail_184651.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6078059/Utah/Allen-Parks-Hobbitville-lore-reflects-idiosyncratic-community-history-and-surviving-park-features","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6078059-da0b51b9997fd449a42663cd04e48fc1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771029815&Signature=IQrOyxgZQ7C7aYWHGho~9zlX~7f73p1XRVjhId06bFIND-PHJGDm~qN~shgYsHCLzuiLKUqvLUy7RM2OwBJsUpz0vJ~WP7t0YzTEBs-A4nCxzE9DzK99vgVpussEZt1UCGyZg-hq3SKVOvTlPxu5pEgPnOWqcDJu~4bLTNtIzNH618zP7b9TA552MZ6m02INU1aCy0u1Kfutsb1HsXJeLJtWYPW0QwxmQ7SJDMWHVqwi6pQ37IWU8UbnttQ-sPwo~5kcQptqZqeoi7o9r3jIflFR7RWgBFrd7GPKAbU9Zcbre8vIr3j9KLKZ0Nao7g5CSG11jXAICuV8Ui00Lcu7oQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-11T13:39:26.32Z","article","Dr. Lynn McNeal, a professor of folklore at Utah State University, said Allen Park in Salt Lake City has a long, unusual history that fed local rumors and the nickname \"Hobbitville.\" McNeal traced the park’s roots to Dr. George Allen, a local physician who developed the site in the early 1930s and kept animals there for public enjoyment.

\"This park was originally started by Dr. George Allen in the early 1930s,\" McNeal said. \"He was a local physician, and he was known as just a really good guy. He offered medical services to a lot of people who couldn't afford it. He also was an animal lover. One of the first things he did was move in a bunch of animals.\"

McNeal described animals kept or displayed there in earlier years — an elephant, a chimpanzee and reindeer — and said some descendants of the original peacocks remain in the park. Local lore, she said, gave rise to stories of small, rustic houses and the idea that \"hobbits\" or \"little people\" once lived there; folklorists classify the phenomenon as an idiosyncratic community that draws explanation through rumor and legend.

On practical matters, McNeal said the park is open to the public from sunrise to sunset and advised visitors to look for peacocks and mosaicked sculptures and benches around the houses.

The interview treated the \"Hobbitville\" label as a product of storytelling rather than a literal community of fictional characters: \"Local legend has long held that this was a community of hobbits, or at least little people, living in this park,\" McNeal said. \"So this is what some folklorists have called an idiosyncratic community.\"","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Only In Utah: Myths & Legends","oneSentenceSummary","Folklorist Dr. Lynn McNeal described Allen Park in Salt Lake City as the center of local stories about “Hobbitville,” tracing the site’s origins to Dr. George Allen in the early 1930s and noting surviving features such as peacocks and small rustic houses.","taxTitle","Utah Office of Tourism, Utah Government Divisions, Utah Legislative Branch, Utah","taxId",8862,"location","Utah","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6078064,"Bear Lake monster legend traces to 1868 Deseret News report, remains part of local folklore and tourism",112,1921,114711,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2962473-cdf84856139befe340b6137c0f6dcf70&start=1&end=114","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2962473-cdf84856139befe340b6137c0f6dcf70/thumbnail_1921.jpg","/articles/6078064/Utah/Bear-Lake-monster-legend-traces-to-1868-Deseret-News-report-remains-part-of-local-folklore-and-tourism","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6078064-967dace944a8b1df26ae42286e7087d4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771029815&Signature=G8SdJIf8tpGLr~tzXPeMVvXt2ef2X3~vFOibPmZgSSvjq9dCjX8ptyZmrz-zJTzca4NPG3PpK88w8c2o9EyI-ULYK~QfDZiO0hoI7tnkTLL0inJaJpbhqjVh~uEM3~G~gULMTemwStUoUPVbhN9-6pMWehguA-0MOLS35JIx-pw4imfRtmsbAgJBepuTO~4R4JKa5HguMkpprn6cVaOi2yoFWq8wNjGHOoqqNsO--oC1slL6KG5mmmuI3DlsoycXAgeLf1mYSK2ztmdLBphFPD-4WpVZ9pBlORxP8ftqqbnTq5dGE-CycM3K0bIcJJvLPsPI~uYXaD3423XnRFjheQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dr. Lynn McNeal, a professor of folklore at Utah State University, told listeners that the first documented report of the Bear Lake Monster appeared in 1868 when Joseph C. Rich, a correspondent for the Deseret News, published an account citing local sightings, including by members of the Shoshone community.

\"Don't let these peaceful waters fool you,\" McNeal said, describing how stories of a creature “anywhere from 40 to 200 feet long, a dark brown color with big serpentine humps moving through the water and a giant head that some say looks like a crocodile or an alligator” have circulated around Bear Lake.

The original Deseret News reporter later admitted fabricating elements of his story, McNeal said, but she added that reports both before and after the article kept the legend alive. \"Legends really exist best in ambiguity. It's not about belief... It's kind of the space in between the two,\" she said.

Beyond folklore, the Bear Lake Monster figure has been incorporated into local events. McNeal listed recreational options at Bear Lake — swimming, boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, hiking and cycling — and highlighted the Bear Lake Monster Winterfest, which includes a polar plunge, a regatta and decorative boats fashioned to resemble the monster.

The interview framed the creature as part of regional cultural history rather than a confirmed biological entity: McNeal emphasized how stories, repeated sightings and local celebration sustain the legend.

For listeners and visitors, the segment positioned the Bear Lake Monster as both a piece of regional heritage and a draw for seasonal tourism activities.","An 1868 Deseret News account first recorded reports of the Bear Lake Monster; folklorist Dr. Lynn McNeal says the story persists in local memory and contributes to tourism events such as Bear Lake Monster Winterfest.","actionData","errors"]

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Allen Park’s “Hobbitville” lore reflects idiosyncratic community history and surviving park features

Bear Lake monster legend traces to 1868 Deseret News report, remains part of local folklore and tourism