Is there anything solid behind the Mel’s Hole story?

I’d separate what can be checked from what was claimed. A caller told the story on a radio program in 1997, but that only verifies that the tale was told, not that the hole existed. The account gives no confirmed location or independent measurement for the reported depth.

An 80,000-foot-deep hole would be an extraordinary geological feature. Without a survey, physical evidence, or a location others could inspect, the number is a claim, not a measurement. That leaves the caller’s identity and the hole itself unresolved rather than proven.

There could be an ordinary starting point that got enlarged in the retelling, like a shaft, pit, or local story. But those are possibilities, not findings. Without a reliably identified site, it’s hard to test any of them, and guessing at a mine or natural formation doesn’t get us closer to evidence.

To me, the interesting part is how a story can stay compelling even when its central claim is unsupported. The bottomless pit, the unusual animal stories, and the alleged government involvement are memorable details, but none of them establishes a real location. I’d treat the whole thing as a piece of radio folklore unless verifiable evidence turns up.