Whale of a Tale - About

An article published in The Utah Enquirer in 1890 tells the story of Mr. James Wickham. Born in England, Mr. Wickham believed that the Great Salt Lake was the perfect habitat for breeding and raising whales to meet the oil and bone market demands of the late 1800s. He imported 2 juvenile whales to San Francisco from Australia and further transported them to Great Salt Lake via the transcontinental railroad in 1873. This tintype is the only known portrait of Mr. Wickham.

In order to move two Australian whales from San Francisco to Great Salt Lake, Mr. Wickham commissioned two special railcars to hold 30,000 gallons of sea water and safely transport the animals to their new lake habitat. This tintype is the only known photograph of Mr. Wickham’s commissioned railcars. The ability to “mail” the whales by train made this experiment possible as the travel time was much faster and the cargo too heavy for other modes.

The path to Great Salt Lake was set forth by the Central Pacific Railroad from northern California to Corinne, Utah. Mr. Wickham determined that the ideal location to “plant” the whales was a small bay where Bear River met the lake. Situated just west of this confluence, Corinne was known at the time as the “Gentile Capital of Utah.” At it’s peak, the town boasted 1,000 permanent residents, none of whom were Mormon. This tintype of the train carrying the whales just north of Great Salt Lake, roughly 35 miles from Corinne, was taken at quite a distance from the train for unknown reasons. But, it is believed to be the only tintype of the train transporting the Australian whales to Great Salt Lake.

Mr. Wickham “planted” the whales in a small bay with fencing he installed to keep the animals corralled. After a few minutes of inactivity the whales broke free and swam to deeper waters. Within minutes they were out of sight and Mr. Wickham gazed helplessly at the salty sea. Six months later, an associate of Mr. Wickham’s spotted the whales not fifty miles from their intended home in Great Salt Lake. This tintype is the only known photograph (and the only known underwater tintype!) of the original Australian whales Mr. Wickham “planted” in Great Salt Lake. 

Today, no one talks much about the whales of Great Salt Lake. The animals live in the deepest sections of water, far from shore, and they mainly keep to themselves. But, they’re there. While unlikely, you may be able to catch a glimpse of a breaching whale from the shore of Great Salt Lake. You will have better success if you join Great Salt Lake Whale Watch Society on a whale watching tour.

Great Salt Lake Whale Watch Society was established to educate the public on these unlikely lake creatures while advocating to protect them. They commissioned this bronze marker to place at the small bay where the whales were “planted” to memorialize the event.