Early settlers also tell of witnessing a creature in Okanagan Lake. Susan Allison saw Naitaka in 1878. She was on her ranch on the west side of the lake waiting for her husband to come home. He was across the lake at Okanagan Mission on business. While she was watching the lake, a huge storm blew in, and the water became very rough. Worried about her husband, she ran to the edge of the lake. Mrs. Allison then saw a 60 foot long creature floating motionless. Suddenly it began to swim against the storm, speeding up as it plowed through the wind and waves. John Allison, her husband, did not believe her story. But a mining superintendent, Thomas Smitheran, admitted that he, too, had seen the lake monster on that day. Settlers started to patrol the shores of Okanagan Lake. These armed men were ready to protect their families from the lake demon.

One day, John MacDougall, who was of First Nations descent, was on his way to John and Susan Allison’s ranch to help with the haying. Usually, he would drop a chicken or a pig in the lake to keep Naitaka happy. But on this day, he forgot to bring an offering. He was towing a team of two horses across the lake. Halfway across, the horses got sucked underneath by some unknown force. MacDougall’s canoe would have been dragged under too, but he cut the tow rope and quickly rowed away. His team of horses was never seen again. MacDougall was convinced that the lake monster had grabbed his horses.