The creature in Lake Manitou

Lake Manitou Monster

Lake Manitou ,Indiana, was  considered forbidden by the  Potawtomi native Americans who lived in the area. They believed  that a monster lived in the lake called, Meshekenabek.  Lake Manitou is a 55ft deep man-made lake which was created in 1827  flooding a large area and joining several smaller lakes. The Potawtomi warned settlers  against building a mill on the lake claiming that the monster would "rush forth from its watery dominions and take indiscriminate vengeance on all those who resided near the sacred lake."

Construction of the corn mill went ahead .Some of the men who worked around the  lake for the construction claimed  to have seen something large in the water. They said  the creature was dark coloured, and over thirty feet long with a long neck and a head like a horse. (sounds familiar).

Then some years later the area's first blacksmith also saw the monster. He claimed that  the head was about three feet across the frontal bone and looked  something like a cow’s head, but the neck tapering and having the character of the serpent. It’s was dingy coloured, with large yellow spots.

Two weeks after the blacksmith sighting, two  fishermen claimed that while out fishing on the lake one evening, a large disturbance in the water appeared on the lake.  The men began to row their boat in its  direction but then realising they could be in danger stopped and watched . They found themselves looking at a creature of nearly sixty feet in length moving rapidly under the surface of the water towards them. A  large grey head broke the surface of the water and then submerged  again. Once the creature had disappeared they rowed for the shore as fast as they could.

In July 21, 1838, the Logansport Telegraph reported that two men spotted a creature  which was "sixty feet long, and looked like a huge snake."

In 1849 the Logansport Journal reported that a huge buffalo carp weighing  several hundred pounds was caught in the lake. People thought that the monster had been found and caught., Then  in 1888 a 116-pound  catfish was pulled from the lake by four men. The monster sized fish was placed on display before being cut up  and sold at ten cents a pound.

So was there a lake monster, a serpent or just a monster fish ?

In recent years, reports of the Lake Manitou monster have been very few. If anyone knows of recent sighting please post a comment.

New Theory on the Lake Champlain Monster?

Is the Lake Champlain monster a mutation?

Lake Champlain is a  freshwater lake in North America mainly within  the United States  but partially situated across the Canada/U.S.A border, in  Quebec. The lake over 100 miles long and  14 miles wide at the widest point. The  depth is approximately 400 feet .

In 1609, Samuel de Champlain wrote that he saw a lake monster five feet long and as thick as a man's thigh, with silver-gray scales a dagger could not penetrate. The creature had jaws over two feet long with sharp teeth. Native Americans said there is a history of a creature up to ten feet long seen by many over the years .

A famous  photo was taken by Sandra Mansi, whose family encountered the beast, named "Champ",  on Tuesday, July 5, 1977. Some claim it is simply photo of a man swimming, others a long necked unknown  creature.
A review of some sightings here:
https://cryptozoo-oscity.blogspot.com/2013/12/review-of-some-champ-sightings.html

There is a list of sightings and some information here:

https://www.lakechamplainregion.com/heritage/champ

This story appeared a few days ago:

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/22/fish-two-mouths-caught-lake-champlain-new-york/2083144001/

A fish with two lower mandibles ,so two mouthed , was caught in Lake Champlain. It was some sort of genetic mutation but whether it was caused by pollution is unknown. This however begs the question could Champ, the lake monster, be a mutation ?  It could explain its large size and appearance.

Sea Serpent Sighting?

A ‘sea serpent’ is seen lurking off Cape Cod. But some have a more logical explanation

BY MARK PRICE

AUGUST 19, 2019

Professional shark spotter Wayne Davis said he has seen a lot of strange things off Cape Cod, but even he was taken aback after photographing a strange shape that looks remarkably like a sea serpent.

A really big sea serpent — about 300 yards long, he said.

Davis posted his photo Aug. 4, and rather dryly added that he “found a sea serpent today.”

Almost immediately, social media users began debating what the shape might be, with one  commenter bringing up its likeness to the Loch Ness Monster, the world’s most legendary sea serpent.

Read rest here see photo here:

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/article234027737.html

My impressions of Frank Searle

Frank Searle

With the story of Paul Harrison hitting the news and that he made up interviews,its unlikely a book about Frank Searle will appear. So I thought I should write down what I knew about Frank from the few  meetings I had with him. Had I known that such stuff would be important to some people in the future I would have kept a record but hind sight is a wonderful thing. One of my illnesses ,Graves Disease, has affected my thinking processes. I was warned it could change my personality but not that I would think I was going mad or that I would have problems thinking as clearly ever again. As an academic it has been devastating not to be able to do so but early retirement  meant no one knew. So whilst I am reasonably un-muddled I thought I should write about Frank in case dementia sets in and I forget everything.

What you need to know is that the late 1960’s and early 70’s were very different times from today.There was no internet and people tended to believe what was in the newspapers and what scientists said. Less scepticism because of lesser knowledge I suppose . You had to go to the library to look things up and The British Library in London if you had no access to a university library for deep research.

So I first met Frank in about 1970/71 when I was about 15 or 16. I was up at Loch Ness on holiday with my friend’s family and a cousin.In those days   a monster hunter was great news and very exciting so we all trooped down ,friend’s family, friend, me and cousin to meet Frank Searle. He was living in a tent then and was fairly new to the Loch. My friend’s mum described Frank as dapper looking ,a bit film star-ish.To us younger ones he was just another adult. However Frank had ,they say in my native Yorkshire ,the gift of the gab, and he soon had us all listening to his story. He was determined to prove Nessie existed and to get photos to prove it. The conversation ended up with friend’s Mum worrying about Frank in a tent in the winter but he said he was army trained and was hardy.

The next time I saw Frank was after his famous photo had been published and I was about 17/18.On holiday again with friend and family etc.Still quite innocent in some ways and wanting so hard to believe Nessie was real. Frank had quite a following and lots of visitors.

Frank sounded so knowledgeable and had me and my friend convinced Nessie was a dinosaur. He was affable in those days to people would listen and wanted to believe. He was also a ladies man and I felt uneasy to be alone with him and glad friend and male cousin were there. I was tall and slim with hair down to my waist in those days and already had been offered a modelling job in London.(calm down guys ,I am an old fat lady these days)He was revelling  in being the famous monster hunter .I think he felt like a star of monster hunters,he was the man.         

The next time I saw Frank was 1976 .Nicholas Witchell, with whom I corresponded for a while ,had published his book exposing Frank as a fraud. It was a different Frank we met this time. He was belligerent and bristled if anyone mentioned  the  book.He had some choice language to describe Mr Witchell. We didn’t stay long.I felt sad for him .Frank wanted to be the star monster hunter and now he was exposed as a liar .

The last  time I saw Frank was a year or two later. He had a young woman living with him .He was physically ejecting a man from his campsite and being quite aggressive about it.The man had criticised Frank’s photos.I said hello and asked how he was and he replied he was fine apart from these ****** . I took that to mean sceptical visitors. I felt sad that he was so different from the affable man we had first met. I never went to visit him again.

I think Frank wanted to be the only monster hunter and the only one to prove Nessie existed and to do so he faked things.He was quite a character and a story teller but in later  years his aggression was to the forefront and he was always belligerent and on the defensive. The story was he attacked other monster hunters ,I don’t know whether it is true or not but can believe he would want to scare others off so he could be the only one,the one to find Nessie.

I still think Frank did a lot for the Loch in terms of attracting tourists and whether he is much maligned I don’t know. I know he changed and became more aggressive.I felt sad for him and still do . He meant well but it all went wrong and just served to make Nessie and him more of a laughing stock than a serious subject for study. RIP Frank , I don’t think you will ever be forgotten.

The Monsters of Devil's Lake

Devils Lake Monster

Devil's Lake is a lake in the South  of the Baraboo Range in Sauk County, Wisconsin, USA. It was originally a gorge of the Wisconsin River prior to the last ice age where a glacier had been, leaving a portion of the river gorge between the moraines filled with water. (A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris, rock etc).

The  legend of Devil’s Lake starts with a Native American chief who took  a group of young warriors on a late night hunting trip  across the lake. The  moon was out as they put the canoe into the water. Suddenly there was a disturbance in the water. Tentacles appeared on the surface and capsized the canoe. The warriors were pulled under the water .No one survived but the cacophony of screams brought others rushing to the lake who saw the tragedy in the moonlight. The natives  held an event every year after this during which animals were sacrificed to the lake monster. These days it’s a festival and picnic celebrating tribal traditions. The Nakota Sioux and Ho-Chunk tribes have  used Devil’s Lake and Devil’s Lake State Park area, as a gathering place for centuries.

To date science has no record of freshwater Octopi but it is not the first one to be reported .The Oklahoma Lakes Monster being the most famous (see Link below).This does not mean they do not exist but they have not been found or discovered yet so it is a possibility that Octopi either in the past or in the modern world have evolved to live  in fresh water.

 https://cryptozoo-oscity.blogspot.com/2009/10/oklahoma-lakes-monster-octopus-or.html

It is not the only reported monster in Devils Lake. When early  Christian missionaries arrived in the area of Devil’s Lake they were greeted by the Nakota tribe who told them about yet another creature .There was  year of a great drought but the Natkota tribe  remained near the lake, despite it being in the process of drying out ,because it was a fertile hunting ground. Being the only water source for miles all the local wildlife came to drink and were easily hunted . It eventually became two lakes, separated  by a shallow strip of mud. One morning the tribe found   a huge, fish-like creature, which they referred to as “Hokuwa,” trapped on the narrow, muddy strip. The tribe watched terrified as the  amphibious animal thrashed about  in an effort to free itself. The tribes people believed the creature,  to be an Unktizina ,the product  of the mating of of the evil spirit Unk and the lizard beast known as Unkcegi . Eventually the animal was able to free itself and disappeared into the lake. The Missionaries reported the description the creature as being plesiosaur like.

The story does not end there.

On March 4, 1950 Marybell Allum, a teenager and  daughter of the local marshal came across a strange carcass that had washed ashore near Devil's Lake. The carcass which was named    "Old Hairy" was described as weighing  a thousand pounds and  over twenty feet long  with "the body of a cow, approximately nine tails and hair all over the body and legs". It's identity  remains a mystery. Was this strange carcass one of the monsters from Devil's Lake ?
NB I have since discovered a new type of hairy boar/pig was introduced to the area .I do wonder if this was in fact a bloated corpse of one or two of the animals washed ashore after drowning.

Then more recently someone claimed to have photographed the monster in the lake.

 https://www.devilslakewisconsin.com/2017/09/05/the-return-of-the-lake-monster/

So is there still a monster in Devil’s Lake?

Rock Lake and Red Cedar Lake Creatures

The Rock Lake and Red Cedar Lake Monsters

Rock Lake is in south central Wisconsinapproximately 20 miles (32 km) east of Madison. It is 87 feet (27 m) at its deepest point. The water is quite silty and murky in places according to divers.. In the late 1800’s a large serpent-like creature was seen along the shallows of Rock Lake. It was described as aggressive, frequently hissing at onlookers

In1867 there were a number of sightings. A man named Harbeck saw a "saurian" in the water several times and claimed to have once encountered it on shore, where the creature "hissed at him." Another time it grabbed his trolling hook and pulled his boat along.. A Mr. R. Hassam saw the creature in the rushes at lake's edge. At first he thought it was a tree limb. "On closer examination he saw it was a thing of life and stuck it with a spear, but could no more hold it than an ox," reported the local paper. Fred Seaver saw it twice, once after the creature seized his trolling hook and pulled his boat "at a rushing speed" more than half a mile, until Seaver cut the line. It soon had a name, "The Rock Lake Terror."

Then a sighting occurred in 1882. Ed McKenzie and D.W. Seybert were rowing boats on the lake, racing each other to a sandbar. Ahead of them they saw what appeared to be a floating log. It turned out to be an animate object with 3 feet of it showing above the surface. It suddenly came to life, raised it's "snake like head" out of the water and opened its jaws and then dove under the lake surface. It then reappeared almost immediately next to McKenzie's boat. McKenzie reported that it was as long as his boat and that it was the colour of a pickerel. According to the Aug. 31, 1882, issue of the Lake Mills Spike newspaper Seybert yelled to McKenzie to strike it with his oar to drive it away. McKenzie stood up in his boat and called to shore for help. "Bring a gun! Bring a gun! There's a big thing out here. Come quick!" he shouted to witnesses on a nearby boat landing. One of them, John Lund, said he clearly saw the creature, though at first he took it to be a man struggling in the water. Lund soon recognized the creature, however, as the one he had encountered while fishing just the week before. It had snapped his trolling line, but not before pulling on it so hard that it cut Lund's hand.Not all the witnesses agreed that the creature was dangerous or aggressive.. Ol Hurd, on the boat landing with Lund, thought it resembled a huge dog. Another witness named Wilsongrabbed a shotgun and took a swift boat to McKenzie and Seybert. But when he arrived the creature had fled.

"The air all around was heavy with a most sickening odour," reported the Lake Mills Spike newspaper. McKenzie was pale. His teeth were chattering.

Then there was a reported sighting of the lake creature was in July 1943. Joseph Davis, was 15 years old at the time and he went out to fish on RockLake.. He saw a patch of water rolling like a wake, then from out of the water the torso of a brownish-black creature rose up. It was 6 or 7 feet long at the surface. For a minute Davis sat in his boat, spellbound, waiting for the head to rise up. But the creature dove down instead, and Davis fled to shore.

Indian legends tell of a time when the Ho Chunk were camped on the shores of the Rock River, not far from Rock Lake, Lake Ripley and Red CedarLake.

"In this stream lived a huge and terrible monster. The older people of the tribe say this

creature had a large head, awesome jaws, and body likened to a serpent. It is said to have

ranged the whole length of the stream, preying on both animals and men, as to which he

most preferred no one knows. Hapless creatures that went to the water to drink were

frequently seized and swallowed. At all of the fording places this demon found hunting

good. Indians crossing at these places were promptly dragged beneath the water and

never seen or heard of again. Some Indians believed that there were several of these

monsters living in the waters of the Rock River and made many offerings of tobacco and

other desirable things to appease the wrath of the monsters."

A few miles from Rock Lake is Red Cedar Lake The lake covers an area of 1,841 acres (7.45 km2) and reaches a maximum depth of 53 ft (16 m).. In the 1890’s, a “serpent” went on a rampage along its shores. It seized animals from surrounding farms, carrying them still alive into the water. Later, their partially devoured remains were found lying in the muddy shallows. In 1890, a farmer claimed to have seen a serpent 40 feet long carrying off one of his hogs. In 1891, a serpent was seen by a fisherman tying up his boat. He looked up and saw an undulating body, something like that of a snake. The head he could not see. Farmers and other fishermen claimed to have also observed the serpent; one stated that the creature had a very large head with "protuberances like saw teeth" on its 50-foot back. In 1892, the serpent was blamed for partially devouring five sheep belonging to William Ward. Anxiety about the monster was so severe that residents of nearby Lake Ripley, joined to Red Cedar Lake by an underground stream, closed their summer cottages and returned to their homes in the cities.

At the time, it was also thought that the two lakes Rock and Red Cedar were connected by an underground river.

There appear to have been no recent sightings. Could it have been an out of place crocodile that has now died out? Certainly a strange story .

Sighting reported in Loch Linnhe

New Sighting? see comments

Is there a creature in Loch Linnhe?

Loch Linnhe is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. It is about 50 kilometres (31 miles ) long and about 2km (1 and 1/5 miles) wide  It opens into the Firth of Lorne at its south-western end and  the town of Fort William lies at the northeast end of the loch, at the mouth of the River Lochy.There have been several reports of a creature in the Loch over the years. The first documented sighting appears to be in the 1940’s.A witness said that she had seen a creature with a long neck swimming in the loch. It was dark brown, had small black eyes, and stubby rounded horns.In June 1954, a Mr. Eric Robinson said he observed three humps which he estimated were moving at 30 mph and the water was churning behind the creature. He only saw it for a few minutes.In June 1964, 10 years later a Mrs. Preston saw the head and neck of a creature in the Loch.Then in July  1967, John Rankin Muir, William S. Muir, and others said they saw a snake like head and neck with two or three humps. They watched for approximately 10 minutes.There are ample fish stocks in the Loch .The southern end around Lismore is  known for  big pollack, giant skate, wrasse and conger eels and during the summer months people expect to see shoals of mackerel, porpoises, dolphins and even occasionally a Minke whale.The Loch Linnhe Artificial Reef was completed in 2006,to study tides I presume but as far as I am aware its construction did not prompt an appearance of the monster.The Loch is open to the sea and as it attracts dolphins etc , it could have been a shoal of these that people have seen or some other large marine creature passing through. As Fort William is a popular tourist area it would be expected that photos would appear of the creature or more sightings would be reported. Perhaps there was a creature in the Loch  but it has long since passed out into the sea. If anyone knows of any recent sightings please post a comment.

Unknown said...3 August 2019 at 08:14

Dos familias españolas (4 adultos y 4 niños) hemos visitado Escocia durante 9 días. En el camino entre Glencoe y Fort William paramos en un área de descanso para admirar las vistas del fiordo Linnhe. 4 niños y 2 adultos vimos avanzar por el fiordo, en dirección a Fort William, la cabeza por fuera del agua de un animal que avanzaba rápido. Poco tiempo después se sumergió mediante un movimiento circular dejando ver lo que pareció un largo cuello.

translation:Two Spanish families (4 adults and 4 children) have visited Scotland for 9 days. On the road between Glencoe and Fort William we stop at a rest area to admire the views of the Linnhe Fjord. 4 children and 2 adults saw the fjord move towards Fort William, head out of the water of an animal that was moving fast. A short time later he submerged himself in a circular motion, revealing what looked like a long neck.

What do you think?Monster or something else?

Nessie shows herself again?

Sightings of the Loch Ness Monster are on course for a record this century after a holidaymaker logged the 12th official spotting.

The latest glimpse of Nessie - just three short of the record set in 2018 - came on Thursday when monster-sceptic Richard Cobb of Bradford was staying at a holiday lodge near the Craigdarroch Inn.

It was around 9.30pm something broke the loch's calm surface and walking tour company boss Mr Cobb, 43 - who was on holiday with his brother Colin, 46 - was stunned.

The father-of-three said: 'I've been coming to Loch Ness since 1992 and I know what a boat wake looks like. But there were no boats around when this thing surfaced.

I never believed in Nessie - but now I'm not so sure. What I saw was just weird.

'It was a dead calm, warm night and this thing broke the surface a few hundred yards away. I couldn't make out a head or anything - but there was something in the middle that was different to the rest of it.

'I watched it for about 90 seconds. It was moving and disappeared. I don't believe Nessie is a dinosaur or anything like that - but there is something in there for sure.'

Read rest here :

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7298719/Loch-Ness-Monster-hunters-claim-12th-sighting-far-year.html

lake ontario dragon comment thief

Sunday, 16 October 2011

It seems that that not only is a certain person copying my blog posts and not crediting where they came from ,so therefore claiming credit for my research but they are also stealing your comments and posting them in their blog. This was originally posted in 2009 but then reposted in 2011 because of the comment. It has appeared this week in another  persons blog including the comment. No mention is made of cryptozoo-oscity once again and no mention that this recent sighting was a comment on the my blog. The person responsible will get theirs, karma does not forget nor forgive. I just wanted to warn everyone that I cannot protect your comments from being stolen and used by other people anymore than I can protect my blog posts from being stolen. It is breach of copyright but I don't have the energy nor the financial resources to pursue it. As everyone knows my health is very poor and sometimes my arthritis so bad I can't type. I should like to point out that I have given CFZ permission to use my posts but no one else should be using them without accrediting  this blog. Its ill mannered, gives cryptozoology a bad name and is a crappy thing to do. 

new sighting of Gaasyendietha?

Gaasyendietha, a dragon in lake Ontario?

Gaasyendietha, according to Seneca mythology, is a dragon that dwells in the deep areas Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario empties into the St. Lawrence river which runs out into the Atlantic Ocean. The average depth of Lake Ontario is 280 feet( 72 metres) and in the deeper areas the depth is about 800 feet( 266 metres). Like Loch Ness the lake rarely freezes in the winter.

Jacques Cartier, the French explorer who mapped much of the St. Lawrence river, kept a journal and in it he recorded that he and members of his crew saw what they described as "a giant finned snake" that moved like a caterpillar, using its side fins to propel itself forward in the water. Cartier's crew tried to capture the beast, but it moved too quickly and dove beneath the waters. When Cartier consulted with the indigenous peoples of the region, they called the creature "Gaasyendietha.”

The reports of something in the lake continued:

In 1817 the crew of a ship witnessed the appearance of a blackish snake-like monster “a foot in diameter(30cm) and 30 – 40 feet in length( 10- 15 metres)” approx three miles offshore.

In 1829 Two children stated that they saw a “20 – 30 feet.”( 7-10metres) snake-like creature near Grantham. Their experience was recounted in a local paper, which went on to state that “this wasn’t the first sighting in Lake Ontario and, doubtless, that such serpents lived in the lake.”

This newspaper report appeared on www.cryptomundo.com:

1867 September 5 – Another report of the appearance of the great snake or water monster in Lake Ontario has reached us. We have it from reliable citizens who reside on the Lake shore in Parma [New York], ten miles or so west of the mouth of the Genesee, that on Thursday last [possibly August 29] , just as sunset, this monster was seen in the water close to shore. A drove of cattle went to drink, whereupon the huge monster raised his head above the water and approached the shore, intending no doubt to take an evening meal of fresh beef. The noise made by the animal as he came into shallow water frightened the cattle and they ran back from the beach in great fright. Half an hour later the same drove of cattle sought to drink at a place fifty rods west of the spot where they first went and were again driven away by the monster. The occurrence drew to the beach several persons residing not far distant and caused a sensation. It won’t answer for anybody to go into that neighborhood and say that there is not a monster in the lake. Too many have seen the animal to doubt its existence. – Rochester [N.Y.] Union.“The Ontario Sea Monster Again,

Galveston, Texas, Galveston Daily News, September 5, 1867.

In 1968 a Scarborough resident saw an eel-like creature 20feet ( 7 metres ) long with a “mane of some sort” in the waters off Toronto.

These sightings are from the Eastern end of the Lake.

September 1881. Passengers and crew of the steamship ‘Gypsy’ saw a creature approx. 25 – 40 feet( 6-14 metres) in length with small legs and a large tail in the water.

In 1888. in the channel between Wolfe and Simcoe islands two sailors reported seeing a serpent creature

In 1892 a couple was reportedly “attacked by a huge serpent with eyes like balls of fire” near Brackey’s Bay. The husband fended off the monster with his fishing pole.

In 1931 Two physicians reported a 30feet long ( 10 metres) creature described as having “one eye in the middle of his head as well two antler-like horns” as they sailed from Alexandria Bay to Kingston’s yacht club in August

In 1970’s an employee of the Ministry of Natural Resources twice witnessed “a large creature dive into the lake from the shores of Prince Edward County. (However whether this is on official record I don’t know).

So does a dragon live in Lake Ontario or some sort of water snake or eel? If anyone knows of any recent sightings please post.

1 comments:

jvantorre said...

Hi me and my friends were at a concert last night september 5th 2011 at the toroto docs. Out I'n the water we seen a creature describing all of these descriptions. It was black maybe 2 ft wide and only slithered York the serfice never jumped but came up enough to expose it's large fin. I seen it three times I'n roughfly 30 min and my friend seen it twice. Before we had to go into the concert. At first we thought there might be a possibility of fresh water dolphins but no siting have been recorded, that's when we ran across the story of this monster and there is no doubt I'n my mind that this is the creture that we seen last night I'n Toronto harbor

8 September 2011 06:23