Washington has more than its share of urban legends. After all, our state has more Bigfoot sightings than any other state. That being said, when it comes to creepy, sinister tales, it doesn’t get much eerier than the Lady of the Lake. Not only is it a true story, it’s one of the most enduring legends of the otherworldly Olympic Peninsula.

Lake Crescent is located in Clallam County, not far from Port Angeles.
B Gallatin / Flickr
The lake, which was formed during the last great Ice Age, is so deep that even a study by the Navy in the 1960s couldn't determine its true depth. Later studies determined there were parts of it that are over 1,000 feet deep.
The legend of the Lady of the Lake began in the 1930s, when Hallie Latham Illingworth moved to the area and married Montgomery "Monty" J. Illingworth.
RPPHOTOS / Flickr
Monty was known for being a ladies' man. Hallie had moved to the area in hopes of pursuing a better life after two failed marriages.
The marriage between Hallie and Monty was extremely volatile.
Bogdan Migulski / Flickr
On at least one occasion, the police were called to break up a fight between them. Hallie would sometimes show up to work at a Port Angeles restaurant with black eyes and bruises. In 1937, she disappeared entirely.

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In the summer of 1940, a woman's body floated to the surface of Lake Crescent.
matthias lueger / Flickr
The woman, who was wrapped in blankets and hog tied with heavy rope, had been strangled. But that wasn't even the worst part. The woman's face was unrecognizable, but her body had not decomposed—her flesh had turned into a soap-like substance.
Of course, the public soon learned of this grisly discovery, and the woman became known as the Lady of the Lake.
drburtoni / Flickr
After a thorough examination and some research, a medical student found an upper dental plate and was able to connect it to Hallie Latham Illingworth. Monty had moved to Long Beach by then, where he'd moved to be with a woman he was seeing before Hallie's disappearance. He was arrested and found guilty of Hallie's murder, serving nine years of his life sentence before he was paroled.
Lake Crescent is beautiful and peaceful. It's hard to imagine that it once turned a woman into soap.
Anna Hesser / Flickr
But with waters this deep, who knows how many secrets it's hiding?

Have you ever heard this tragic tale?

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Lake Crescent, Washington 98363, USA