The Devil's Kettle
At a Minnesota waterfall, half the river pours into a hole in the rock and seems to disappear.
What was reported
On the Brule River, near Lake Superior, the water splits around a rock. One half falls normally. The other half plunges into a deep pothole called the Devil's Kettle and seems to vanish.
For years, people said that sticks, balls and even dye dropped into the kettle never came out anywhere, and some wondered whether the water ran to Lake Superior through a hidden tunnel.
Explanations offered
In 2016 and 2017, state hydrologists measured the flow above and below the falls and found it was the same. That means the water in the kettle rejoins the river just downstream, below the surface of the plunge pool, so anything thrown in is probably broken up or hidden there.
- When
- Known for generations; studied in 2016–17
- Where
- Judge C.R. Magney State Park, Minnesota, USA
- Witnesses
- Hikers and scientists
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.