''For other places with the same name, see

Rattlesnake Island (disambiguation) Rattlesnake Island refers, variously, to the following places: United States * Rattlesnake Island (Clear Lake), in Lake County, California * A previous name for Terminal Island, in Los Angeles County, California * Rattlesnake Island (New Hampshir ...

.'' Rattlesnake Island is a small island on

Okanagan Lake Okanagan Lake ( oka, kɬúsx̌nítkw) is a lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. The lake is long, between wide, and has a surface area of 348 km2 (135 sq. mi.). Hydrography Okanagan Lake is called a fjord lake as i ...

located directly east of

Peachland Peachland is a district municipality in the Okanagan Valley on the west side of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1899 by John Moore Robinson, although the region had long been home to the Okanagan people. Peachland is ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The land and shore surrounding the island form part of Okanagan Mountain Park. Legend has it that the lake monster,

Ogopogo In Canadian folklore, the Ogopogo is a lake monster said to inhabit Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. Some scholars have charted the entity's development from First Nations folklore and widespread water monster folklore motifs. The Ogopo ...

, lives in a cave on Rattlesnake Island earning the small land mass the nickname "Monster Island". In the early 1970s, Eddy Haymour developed the island as a tourist attraction which included a mini-golf course with a replica of the Great Pyramid at Giza and a giant camel. The provincial government blocked the project shortly after it opened. In 1986 the BC Supreme Court ordered the Province of British Columbia to pay Eddy Haymour $250,000 in damages for their "highly improper" actions. A documentary about this affair, '' Eddy's Kingdom'', was released in 2020. On August 16, 2003, a lightning strike near the island started the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park Fire that burned a large portion of the surrounding park.

Gallery

File:Rattlesnake Island from the Northwest.JPG, Rattlesnake Island from the Northwest File:Western Side of Rattlesnake Island.JPG, Western Side of Rattlesnake Island, note navigation marker File:Small Beach on Southern Side of Rattlesnake Island.JPG, Small Beach on Southern Side of Rattlesnake Island File:Eastern Entrance to Ogopogo Gap.JPG, Eastern Entrance to Ogopogo Gap, Rattlesnake Island is on the left File:Rattlesnake Island as seen from Ogopogo Gap.JPG, Rattlesnake Island as seen from Ogopogo Gap File:Rattlesnake Island Pyramid Base.jpg, Remaining Base of Eddy Haymour's pyramid replica, made from cinder blocks at the highest point on the island. File:Rattlesnake Island Mini Golf Course.jpg, One of many concrete mini golf holes from the island's development in the 1970s.

References

{{reflist

External links

The Fifth Estate - Eddy Haymour and Rattlesnake Island 1985

The History of Rattlesnake Island
Okanagan Regional District of Central Okanagan Lake islands of British Columbia Tourist attractions in the Okanagan Articles containing video clips