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| Kitchen Lake, Hudson Photo |
Soon to be turned into a 30 acre fishing and park area, as of Feb. 2012.
Kitchen Lake. Just east of
SE 149th and SE 119th & Sooner Road, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The legend: A witch's house, burned to the ground, batteries die/drain, animal parts hanging from trees, strange anomalies, creepy feelings, etc. Some claim the event occurred in the early 1900's.
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| Kitchen Lake, Hudson Photo |
The Investigation: The area is in the region south of Tinker AFB land, where in the late 1940's a huge fire destroyed land and houses there (most were being demolished). This fire, no doubt, becomes mixed with the general fire legend leading to a corruption of both tales. The Tinker fire, since it involved aircraft fuel, did linger in the air for a long time according to locals and newspaper accounts. The area of the house revealed evidence of a fire but no mysterious hanging animals, no energy draining, no strange feelings, and nothing but the isolation of a rural area. Most reports indicate the 'house' was empty when it burned (possibly due to lightening strike). It was obvious from examination of the region, it was a popular area for people to park and drink (the so called lake, low and swamp like filled with plants, was rife with tossed beer cans, bottles, and wrappers). A few people still live in the area, some horses are kept, and many no trespassing signs indicate problems with sight seers. Temperature fluctuations were explained by air coming off the nearby body of water; this created cool drafts and might account for some of the 'strange smoke' (fog) observed. The house is also in the general area of an alleged 'cry-baby bridge' which has been debunked.
Conclusion: The legend is a whole cloth urban fantasy, no doubt constructed by bored local youth, added to by skittish legend trippers fueled by drugs, drink, and/or fabrication. Examination of known photos is inconclusive and may reflect nothing more than smoke (never smoke on an investigation!), fog, or insects.
