Sea Serpent in Indiana?

Horseshoe Pond Sea Serpent

Six miles south of Vincennes Indiana, is Horseshoe Pond said to be the home of a serpent. Isaac Daines reported seeing it to The  Vincennes Commercial and the story appeared on April 22cnd 1892. The newspaper described Daines as "a highly respected farmer, whose veracity cannot be questioned." Daines said both  his wife and he had seen it plus some  hired men and neighbours, had  seen the creature on several occasions. Daines described it as 60 feet long, bigger and longer than a telephone pole and looking like a snake, but it had a head that resembled that of a large dog. It was  black on the back and sides.

It was seen in the water and did not venture on shore.Its movement was described as ‘gliding’ through the water. When they approached it ,it became  alarmed and swam away and moved rapidly when they tried to pursue it.

Daines said he had tried to kill the monster several times. The bullets seemed to have no effect. He planned to gather  a bunch  of men armed with Winchesters to kill or capture the sea-serpent.

The serpent seemed to disappear but then on June 17, 1892 The Vincennes Commercial reported that the sea-serpent had been seen again by "men of good repute for veracity," this time in Big Swan Pond, ten miles south of Vincennes.

The huge snake was still described as having the head of a dog, with a white throat, but its black back and sides were now described as spotted or mottled, red and yellow, like the side of a large water snake. No further sightings were ever reported of the serpent.

Could it simply have been a large water snake of a sort that the local people did not recognise? It is easy to confuse size when things are in the water because of the refracted light. Or did a mysterious serpent pass through the area on its way to somewhere else? Unless some evidence comes to light we will never know what happened to the large snake of Horseshoe Pond.