The Ogua Monster

 

The Hoult Monster or Ogua.

The Ogua, also known as the Rivesville Monster or Hoult Monster, is a freshwater monster from the West Virginia and Pennsylvania area. It is said to live in the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela rivers.

In ancient times giant snapping  turtles roamed the area . The Ogua is said to be like one of the ancient turtles. It is described as 20 feet (6.6 metres) long and estimated to weigh 500 pounds.Some say it has two heads. It is seen on land as well as in the water. It can catch deer and crush them whole.Some say it is more alligator like with four stubby legs rather than fins and agressive.Its colour is brown or reddish brown.

The first sighting of the creature was in 1745. Eye  witnesses reported seeing a giant 2-headed turtle come up out of the Monongahela River, and pull a 12 year old boy who was fishing on the bank under the water.

Early settlers to the Hoult area told  of a monstrous beast, bigger than a bear, with a 15 foot ( 5  metres) long tail.  An Amphibian  it would live in the waters of the Ohio and Monongahela rivers by day, and by night, come on land  to hunt.  Lashing at the deer with its massive tail, it would then pull the prey under  the water to eat it. It would dart out of the water in pursuit of prey.

There have been no recent sightings but large turtles are not unknown. Maybe it will make another appearance if not extinct.

 

Giant South African Snake

The Grootslang is a legendary huge snake that lives  in a deep cave in the Richtersveld, South Africa.Described as being 40–50 feet (12–15 metres)long  and leaving  a track 3 feet (approx 1 metre) wide.

The  cave is  known as the "Wonder Hole" or the "Bottomless Pit" locally and said to be connected to the sea.It is also said to be full of diamonds. It is approximately three miles from the Orange River. Some locals say the Grootslang  takes cattle from the river bank.

 Belief in the snake is strong locally among Khoikhoi  people  and some local living Europeans and they fear it.

Prospector Frederick Carruthers Cornell (1867 — 1921) collected information on the grootslang He wrote that many  Khoikhoi in the area claimed to have seen  it.

 A pastor,Father  Wolf of the Pella Mission also reported that the Khoikhoi spoke of a huge snake preying on their cattle. He took the stories seriously, but his attempts to find the Grootslang were not successful.

South African pioneer Doctor Hans Sauer (1857 — 1939) claimed in his book Ex Africa (1937) to have encountered a grootslang when he was  ten years old at the source of the Orange River.

A general dealer named G. A. Kinnear also claimed to have seen a grootslang in 1899, whilst shipping  goods across the Orange River in a flat-bottomed ferry boat

In 1910 some men were  camped some twenty miles below the Augrabies Falls. One was an American named Kammeyer, The Orange River was in flood and  Kammeyer, had been bathing in a quiet backwater near a herd of cattle. He returned to the camp in an agitated state, claiming that an enormous snake had emerged from the water and dragged one of the calves into the river. It was  confirmed that a calf was missing from the heard, and Kammeyer stuck to his story.

While searching for treasure in the Richtersveld of South Africa in 1917, the English businessman Peter Grayson disappeared. Rumors said  that the Grootslang had taken him.

In June 1950, a G. K. Atherstone claimed that local people had showed him to a spot on the Orange River where a huge snake had been seen. Some hundred yards out on the water, a black serpent's head appeared ahead of the undulating rings of a large body.

There were several reports of sightings between 1960 and 1963

In January 1960, Oranjeville locals Mr and Mrs C. J. Reyneke, and their two children, claimed to have seen a pair of "swimming monsters" in the Vaal Dam.. The Reynekes estimated that the animals were some 200 feet ( 65 metres)   long, but only around 4feet  1.3 metres)  in diameter. The creatures , which the Reynekes believed were playing, eventually dived underwater and disappeared.

Large snakes are not unknown. Largest  living green anaconda snake measured 6.3 metres/20.7 feet), The  largest reticulated python from  Indonesia, was measured at 6.95 m (22 ft 10 in) and weighed 59 kg (130 lb 1 oz) .

A very large snake is not impossible but 200 feet sounds like an exaggeration. The Grootslang may indeed be real. 

Lake Erie Monsters?

 

A Lake Erie swamp monster? Alligator sighting begs question: What else is Lake Erie hiding

With a fisherman catching an unusual salmon in Lake Erie and a group of people reporting an alligator on the Great Lake, you may be wondering what else has been hanging around this 210-foot deep waterway.

On July 28, Colton Alex of Erie caught a 10.4 pound Atlantic salmon that is believed to have been stocked hundreds of miles away in Lake Huron. On Aug. 4, people believe they saw an alligator swimming near East Avenue. As of Friday, the reptile has not been captured.

However, it’s not the first time an alligator was released in Erie.

“We caught a 3-foot long alligator at the mouth of Elk Creek,” said Capt. Jim Smolko of the Northwest Region of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Smolko believes it happened about a dozen or so years ago. It was in late September or early October and was spotted near the access area in a pile of trees. “The water was getting cold. If somebody didn’t catch it, it was probably going to end up dying.”

The reptile was caught and given to someone in North East Township who could care for it.

Read the rest of the story of strange things in the Lake here :

https://eu.goerie.com/story/sports/outdoors/2024/08/12/did-peope-see-a-swamp-monster-aliens-alligators-and-sharks-in-lake-erie/74740504007/

There is said to be  another resident of lake Erie, a lake monster called South Bay Bessie.

Lake Erie is 241 miles long( approx 389kms) and 57 miles(approx 90kms) at its widest point.It is shallow compared to other great lakes but is said to be over 200 feet(over 65 metres) at its deepest.

The lake creature, now known as Bessie, was first reported in 1817 when the crew of a schooner reported seeing a large serpent like creature swimming in the lake. On July 8th, 1898, the Daily Register Newspaper, of Ohio reported that the lake monster was able to live on both land and in water and  was a fierce, ugly, coiling creature between 25(8 metres) and 30 feet long ( 10 metres)and at least 12 inches thick( .3 metres).

It became a bit of joke in 1912 when some hoaxers tried to pass off an exotic snake as the creature. Then more sightings began to be reported.

In 1960, Ken Golic was fishing off a pier in Sandusky when he heard what he thought were  rats. He decided to throw a couple of rocks at them but then when he got close he saw a cigar shaped creature.

In 1969, Jim Schindler was startled by a snake like creature came near South Bass Island. He said it appeared to be about 2 feet ( .6 metre)wide.

In September 1981, Theresa Kovach of Akron watched a snake like creature  from a house on the shore.She said  that "was so large that it could easily capsized a boat."

In 1983, Mary M. Landoll saw Bessie off Rye Beach in Huron. Mary was out to the front porch just before dawn when from the lake she heard a rowing sound and saw what looked like a capsized boat, but realised it was animate. It was a greenish-brown and about 50 feet( 18metres) long . It had a long neck and an eye was visible on the side of the head .

In 1985,there were two reported sightings . Tony Schill of Avon, Ohio was boating with friends north of Vermilion when they saw a dark brown snake like creature with a flat tail. Tony stated that "five humps came out of the water. No way it was a sturgeon." .In 1985, Dale Munro of Lorain was also boating when he saw something strange. He stated that it had three humps and was black.

In 1989, Gail Kasner had a soner reading graph a graph from a boat owned by Ken Smith of Streetsboro. It appeared to show cigar shape object about 35 feet ( 11 metres)in length at a depth of about 30 feet.(10 metres)

Then there were several sightings in 1990 including:

Susan Seeson, of Salem saw a  creature two miles from Cedar Point. In September , Bob Soracco was jet skiing when he saw something.. He told reporters that he saw humps with gray spots. "It was very long as I moved closer and it was going down.". In the same month, Harold Bricker and his family were fishing north of Cedar Point Amusement Park when a creature swam by their boat .They described it as being 35 feet ( 11 metres)long and having  a snake like head. It moved as fast as their boat.Also in  September  Fire inspectors, Jim Johnson and Steve Dircks of Huron, saw the creature from a window facing Lake Erie. They described it as  black at about 30 feet( 10 metres) long.

In September 1991, Dennis Szececinski,was fishing in the bay when something long and black slithered in front of him. Also in In 1991, George Repicz shot  some video footage which he claimed showed  Bessie.

In the summer of 1998, Leslee Rasgaitis reported seeing 3 black humps moving in the water of the shore of Huntington Beach, Ohio.

There are some more recent sightings I believe but the explanation given is that it is a sturgeon. I have never seen a sturgeon undulate so it has humps .Perhaps it is a giant eel or water snake? Whatever people are seeing it should be investigated.

Skinwalker Ranch

 

Skinwalker

In Navajo culture, a skinwalker  is a type of  witch who has the ability to turn into or  possess  animals. They are considered evil and  can be male or female.  The nearest creature in western mythology would be a werewolf, The Navajo are reluctance to talk about them,

"We as Native people are now opened up to a barrage of questions about these beliefs and traditions ... but these are not things that need or should be discussed by outsiders. At all. I'm sorry if that seems 'unfair', but that's how our cultures survive.”

(Keene, founder of the website Native Appropriations on being asked about skinwalkers in literature.)

The legend came to the notice of the wider world with the story of the skinwalker ranch.

The so called Skinwalker Ranch, previously known as Sherman Ranch, is a property located southeast of Ballard, Utah,Claims about paranormal events at the ranch first appeared in 1996 in the Salt Lake City, Utah, Deseret News,

Robert Bigelow, founder of the National Institute for Discovery Science, purchased the ranch for $200,000 in 1996, after being convinced by the stories of cattle mutilations, and strange lights told by the family of former ranch owner Terry Sherman.Bigelow set up round-the-clock surveillance of the ranch, hoping to get to the bottom of the paranormal claims.

In 2005, Colm Kelleher and co-author George Knapp published a book, Hunt for the Skinwalker, Kelleher and Knapp, reported they saw evidence of  incidents that include vanishing and mutilated cattle, sightings of unidentified flying objects or orbs, large animals with piercing red eyes and invisible objects emitting  magnetic fields. However, the investigators admitted to "difficulty obtaining evidence consistent with scientific publication".

There was a TV series made of the investigations at the Ranch which further extended its fame.

The  Sherman’s family ranch was 400 miles north of Navajo Nation so skinwalkers unlikely..

Author Robert Sheaffer believes the events  at the Skinwalker Ranch to be "almost certainly illusory", as the previous owners of the property, who had lived there for 60 years, say that they saw no strange things of any kind . Sheaffer considers the "parsimonious explanation" to be that the Sherman family invented the story "prior to selling it to the gullible Bigelow", with many of the more extraordinary claims originating solely from Terry Sherman.

All I can suggest is read the literature and watch the TV series and make up your own minds.In view of the lack of Navajo nation in the area ,the skinwalker legend seems unlikely. However as I have said in the past certain areas seem to attract strange phenomena .Or do they attract the people that see them? You decide.

 

 An article for those interested in the ranch:

https://www.history.com/news/skinwalker-ranch-paranormal-ufos-mutilation

Pitt Lake and its creatures

 

  Pitt Lake Creatures

Pitt Lake is lake in  British Columbia. It is approximately 25 km (16 miles) long and about 4.5 km (2.8 miles .) wide. It is one of the world's  tidal lakes, The lake has  a reported maximum depth of  468 feet.

There are many strange things about the lake including the report of the so called Pitt Lake Giant. Described as 10 -15 feet tall ( 3-5 metres) ,covered in hair with long arms . Prints show 4 toes and are 2 feet long( .66 metre).

On June 28th, 1965,  two prospectors Ron and Loren Welch, followed a track of large  footprints to a smaller ice bound lake.where they encountered a large bigfoot like animal estimated to be 10-15 feet tall (3-5metres). They returned later but it had gone.

In late 1975 a man deer hunting saw what looked like a bear walking on its hind legs

In 1995,  there was  a report from the owner of the Pitt River Lodge who spotted a set of large tracks alongside a creek whilst hiking in a remote area.

The strangeness doesn’t end there the lake also has a monster, the Pitt Lake Lizard, a.k.a. Canadian Alligator .It is reported to be between 5 and 10ft long (1.6 and over 3 metres),with a dark skin,a long snout and four legs with webbed feet.

In June 1973 couple Warren and Sharon Scott watched as a large number of creatures that resembled huge reptiles swam slowly through the water looking like a family group.. While the couple watched from shore, Warren reportedly captured a baby one and sent one it to the Simon Fraser University biology department for study. Records of what became of this collected specimen have not been found.

In 2002 the Pitt River Lodge owner, Dan Gerak claimed to have seen a creature that was over 5ft (1.6 metres) long and possessed dark black skin . He described the creature as resembling that of an oversized salamander.

There have been stories of giant salamanders in the USA but no proof was found.

See: https://cryptozoo-oscity.blogspot.com/2009/07/does-new-discovery-give-hope-to.html

Then there is the legend of the lost gold mine.

Local newspapers claimed that since 1900 some two dozen prospectors and treasure hunters looking for Pitt Lake’s gold mine died. It was said to be Slumach’s curse. An old man  who  put a curse on the mine in the Chinook language  “Nika memloose, mine memloose”. Loosely  translated it reads “No man who finds the gold will live long enough to bring it out.”

I have often said some areas seem to attract strangeness and more than one phenomenon is found there…..Pitt Lake appears to be one of those areas.

Lake Superior Serpent collided with Ship?

 

Lake Superior Serpent Responsible?

A freighter ship in Lake Superior collided with something underwater, Coast Guards says

The U.S. Coast Guard says a freighter in Lake Superior has hit something underwater and started taking on water.

The Coast Guard Great Lakes district received reports about 6:53 a.m. that a 689-foot-long (210-meter-long) ship called the Michipicoten had collided with something about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of Isle Royale, which is part of the state of Michigan. The ship was carrying taconite, which is a low-grade iron ore, and had 22 people aboard.

Authorities say the cause of the collision will be investigated.The collision occurred in the northwest part of the lake, which straddles the U.S.-Canadian border and is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area.

ByThe Associated Press June 8, 2024, 4:18 PM

Source :

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/freighter-ship-lake-superior-collided-underwater-coast-guards-110954409

Could it have been the Lake Superior Serpent?

Lake Superior or Gitchigumi (meaning Great Water or Great Lake) is a fresh water lake. It is 1,333 feet deep in places , with an average water temperature of 34 degrees F and is 350 miles long and up to 160 miles wide in parts. The lake is almost an inland sea. It is said to house a lake serpent ,Pressie, named after the Presque Isle River where one of the best sightings occurred .The native indigenous people called the serpent Mishipishu and it is seen in pictographs at various shoreline sites, either as a spiky cat-like creature or as a serpent .Modern sightings cite a serpent type creature up to 75 feet long with a horse-like head on a longish neck and a bilobate (whale-type) tail, and described as dark green to black in colour. The reported sightings go back centuries

Read rest here :

https://cryptozoo-oscity.blogspot.com/2009/07/pressie-lake-superior-serpent.html

 

The Billiwhack Creature

 

Billiwhack Monster

This creature is said to be sighted around the former Billiwhack Dairy in Santa Paula, California

 Its described as a tall  goat/ape/ human hybrid with twisted horns and grey or  white fur.Sightings started  in the 1940 and it has been seen multiple times. Most sighting have been reported by local students to the area. Some say it carries  a large club and throws  large rocks at cars leaving dents.

The Billiwhack Dairy was once owned and operated by the Ruble family. It closed in the mid 1920's and has since been sold many times .The abandoned buildings of the old dairy still dominate the land.. In the fifties, a nine year old boy reported being attacked and clawed by a weird animal near the Billiwhack Dairy. He had scratches across his arms and back. Then  in 1964  it terrorized several hikers for a few  hours and made headlines in a local newspaper.

The Ventura Star Free Press published the first article about the Monster on November  4th 1964. It was the main source of news coverage of the Monster.

The Billiwhack Monster is reputed to  have been the creation of secret experiments during World War II that were intended to create super soliders by the Office of Strategic Services or the OSS. The OSS was the precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency. The story is that the OSS had Ruben performing experiments beneath the dairy. The Billiwhack Monster is apparently a product of this research and experimentation that escaped to roam the local area.

A secret organizations, the OSS was involved in all sorts of experiments ranging from brainwashing techniques, use of  drugs on unsuspecting  victims, studies of diseases for use in warfare, and other immoral practices.

 The creature seemed to mainly be attracted to attacking young people.The last sighting I could find was in the 1970s , a woman  and her husband saw it crossing the highway in front of their car.It was over 100 yards away so they could have been mistaken.

So super soldier or urban legend? Maybe someone will make an investigation of the diary buildings and reveal the answer.