While doing my usual cruising on Facebook this morning I came upon the Lake Monsters page. On that page I saw something which I thought was pretty remarkable, a set of Lake Monster photos which struck me as being possibly genuine. These were the photos, probably the same photo reprinted several times:
And I found that these were supposedly photos of the Lake Superior monster and a reference link given to a source about the Lake Superior monster. The source did not mention this photo and I mentioned that part too. "This is one of many photographs taken in the 90s by the Us navy.They estimated the creature's length about 15 m [approx. 45-50 feet long] long,with a long tail," was the first part of the reply, "These photographs appeared in either SIGHTINGS or UNSOLVED MYSTERIES.I don't remember which, but they showed an amateur footage of the same creature on the surface." was the second half of the reply which came later.
As it turned out, both the mentioned photographs actually came from a different lake, Lake Pepin.
http://www.lakecitymn.org/about/pepie.html
With the contrast turned up a great deal higher
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| courier_wedge_dec__3_1987 |
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| Anonymous photo, pepie_swimming_below_maiden_rock 2008-06-20 |
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| Something swimming on the Lake between Central Point and Maiden Rock. Submitted by local fishermen Al Knudson, DVM and Steve Raymond |
The legend of Pepie
Lake Pepin is the largest lake on the Mississippi River, over two miles wide and 22 miles long. It forms the natural border between Minnesota and Wisconsin and is located about 60 miles south of the Twin Cities. Surrounded by scenic bluffs and quaint villages, Lake Pepin is widely described as one of the most scenic spots in North America!The native Dakota people that lived in the area refused to travel on Lake Pepin in bark canoes because of the large "creatures" that would rise from the depths of the Lake and puncture the thin bark skin of those canoes. They would only travel on Lake Pepin in more stout dugout canoes that were made by hollowing out a large log.
On April 28, 1871 "a lake monster is seen swimming in Lake Pepin" (Minnesota Almanac, published by the MN Historical Society). Since then, many people have reported sightings of an unidentified creature surfacing from the depths of Lake Pepin. The locals have given this shy and elusive creature a name; Pepie.
Over the years the question persist, what is Pepie? Because Lake Pepin is almost identical in size and geography to Scotland's Loch Ness (which is 23 miles long and 1.5 miles wide), many people feel that Pepie is a relative of the famous Loch Ness creature dubbed Nessie.
Still others feel that the sightings might be surfacing schools of the huge game fish that are so abundant in the Lake
http://www.pepie.net/PepiesHome_Page.php
The legend of PepieLake Pepin is the largest lake on the Mississippi River, over two miles wide and 22 miles long. It forms the natural border between Minnesota and Wisconsin and is located about 60 miles south of the Twin Cities. Surrounded by scenic bluffs and quaint villages, Lake Pepin is widely described as one of the most scenic spots in North America!
The native Dakota people that lived in the area refused to travel on Lake Pepin in bark canoes because of the large "creatures" that would rise from the depths of the Lake and puncture the thin bark skin of those canoes. They would only travel on Lake Pepin in more stout dugout canoes that were made by hollowing out a large log.
On April 28, 1871 "a lake monster is seen swimming in Lake Pepin" (Minnesota Almanac, published by the MN Historical Society). Since then, many people have reported sightings of an unidentified creature surfacing from the depths of Lake Pepin. The locals have given this shy and elusive creature a name; Pepie. Over the years the question persist, what is Pepie? Because Lake Pepin is almost identical in size and geography to Scotland's Loch Ness (which is 23 miles long and 1.5 miles wide), many people feel that Pepie is a relative of the famous Loch Ness creature dubbed Nessie.
Still others feel that the sightings might be surfacing schools of the huge game fish that are so abundant in the Lake.
In an effort to solve the puzzle, we have posted a $50,000 reward for indisputable proof of Pepies existence. Click on "News" for the details.
An editor on the site added this message: Note; There are only three known [bona fide Plesiosaurian] Lake Monsters in existence today, Champ in Lake Champlain, Nessie in Loch Ness, and Pepie in Lake Pepin. -- M.F.A.
Lake Pepin is actually the widest part of the Mississippi River and very plausibly the creature in it could be the last refuge of "The Great Serpent of the Mississippi River (Said to be shaped like a Plesiosaur in some of the older accounts) that once roamed the whole length of the river and which was once important in Native American lore.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pepin
The 50000 dollar reward was mentioned once before on this blog. This is the original source for that story:
http://www.wisconsinosity.com/Pepin/articles/Pepie/wcco/lake_pepin_sea_monster__capture_.htm
http://cryptidchronicles.tumblr.com/post/26501197906/pressie-the-lake-superior-sea-serpent
http://voices.yahoo.com/pressie-lake-superiors-own-monster-6762668.html?cat=58
[One of the Lake Superior reports also specified a Puckwudgie creature on two legs and five feet tall]
"Missi", the Mississippi River Monster, at the level of Tennessee, from Flickr (During WWII reports referred to "Submarines" with "Periscopes". "Missi" is the proper regular name for the creature anywhere along the lenth of the River, and several reports at New Orleans state it is the same creature seen there as at the River's source)
[NB, I have no confidence in this photo as representing the Mississippi River Serpent, unfortunately]
The Serpent of Serpent Lake (Not only meant to represent this lake, this represents all of such creatures in the area generally. Serpent Lake runs into the Mississippi) There is a photo said to represent the monster of Serpent lake in circulation but it might be only a copy of the Lake Pepin monster photograph shown above. The statue represents a monster thirty feet in length.
Several early reports from Wisconsin (eg, Rocky of Rock lake) also come from tributaries of the Mississippi river. And several large lakes at the source of the Mississippi (eg, Leech Lake, etc) have historical records of such reports: Serpent Lake is in the area of the sources for the Mississippi.
George Eberhart, Mysterious Creatures (2002), Water Monsters Appendix
Minnesota
Big Sandy Lake. Chris Engstein fired at a horned monster in August 1886. Charles Fort, The Books of Charles Fort (New York: Henry Holt, 1941), p. 615.
Leech Lake. John Aldrich and Skip Christman were using a fish-finder in September 1976 when they detected two 60-foot targets at a depth of around 100 feet. Minneapolis Star, October 1, 1976; Betty Sanders Garner, Monster! Monster! (Blaine, Wash.: Hancock House, 1995), pp. 88–89
[Both these lakes are near the source of the Mississippi. Eberhart seems not to know of Pepie-DD]
Wisconsin
Devil’s Lake.
Two huge serpents with finlike paddles were allegedly seen fighting in August 1889. “Western Lake Resorts Have Each a Water Monster,” Chicago Tribune, July 24, 1892.
"[W]hen the first Christian missionaries arrived on the shores of Devil’s Lake they were greeted by the Nakota tribe who told them about yet another creature that was revealed in the year of the great drought.
The Natkota’s remained near the swiftly drying lake, not only because it was the only water source for miles, but also because the animals upon which they fed were forced to expose themselves in order to drink, providing the tribe with an ample — and relatively simple to hunt — food source. As the summer progressed the lake grew smaller and smaller, until it eventually became two lakes, separated only by a shallow strip of mud, which ran through the center.
One morning the Nakota’s awoke to find what they described as a huge, fish-like creature, which they referred to as “Hokuwa,” trapped on the narrow, muddy strip of exposed lake bed.
The tribe watched as the apparently amphibious animal — which they described as having a large body, long neck and small head much like other prototypical LAKE MONSTERS such as CHAMP or the LOCH NESS MONSTER — thrashed and writhed in an effort to free itself from its drying perch for days.
The sight filled the Nakota with both awe and terror and not even the bravest warrior dared to approach the creature, which they believed it to be an Unktizina — the vile progeny of the evil spirit Unk and the lizard beast known as UNKCEGI — for fear that the spirit’s wrath would bring on even greater hardships than just the drought. Eventually the animal was able to free itself and (presumably) make its way back into the deeper portion of the lake."
American Monsters
http://www.americanmonsters.com/site/2010/10/devils-lake-monsters-wisconsin-usa/
Elkhart Lake. An animal with large jaws was seen in the 1890s. Charles E. Brown, Sea Serpents Wisconsin Occurrences of These Weird Water Monsters (Madison: Wisconsin Folklore Society, 1942).
Lake Mendota. See BOZHO.
Freshwater Monster of Wisconsin.
Etymology: Potawatomi (Algonquin)... May be a shortened form of the name of the Algonquian trickster figure Manabozho.[ie, "Supernatural"?] Physical description: Serpentine. Long head and neck. Large eyes. Long tongue. Distribution: Lake Mendota, Wisconsin. Significant sightings: On June 27, 1883, Billy Dunn and his wife encountered a huge, green snake with light spots that had to be beaten back from their rowboat with an oar and a hatchet. In the autumn of 1917, a fisherman saw a head and neck 100 feet off Picnic Point. Sources: “A True Snake Story,” Madison Wisconsin State Journal, June 28, 1883; “Western Lake Resorts Have Each a Water Monster ,” Chicago Tribune, July 24, 1892; Char les E. Br own, Sea Serpents: Wisconsin Occurrences of These Weird Water Monsters (Madison: Wisconsin Folklore Society, 1942).
Mississippi River. The Menomini Indians warned Jacques Marquette in 1673 that the river was filled with monsters, some like enormous trees, others with tigerlike heads. Jacques Marquette, Récit des voyages et des decouvertes du R. père Jacques Marquette de la Compagnie de Jesus (Albany, N.Y.: Weed, Parsons, 1855).
Lake Monona. Eugene Heath took several shots at a 20-foot-long animal on the evening of June 11, 1897. “What-Is-It in Lake,” Madison Wisconsin State Journal, June 12, 1897; Charles E. Brown, Sea Serpents: Wisconsin Occurrences of These Weird Water Monsters (Madison: Wisconsin Folklore Society, 1942).
Pewaukee Lake. There were several sightings of a monster in the 1890s. Charles E. Brown, Sea Serpents: Wisconsin Occurrences of These Weird Water Monsters (Madison: Wisconsin Folklore Society, 1942). Red Cedar Lake. A 50-foot animal was seen by a fisherman in 1891. Charles E. Brown, Sea Serpents: Wisconsin Occurrences of These Weird Water Monsters (Madison: Wisconsin Folklore Society, 1942). Lake Ripley. Serpentine animal. Betty Sanders Garner, Monster! Monster! (Blaine, Wash.: Hancock House, 1995), p. 181.
Rock Lake. See ROCKY.
Freshwater Monster of Wisconsin. Etymology: After the lake. Physical description: Spotted dark brown, like a pickerel. Horselike head. Eyes like a snake’s. Long neck. Distribution: Rock Lake, Wisconsin. Significant sightings: The earliest sighting was in 1867. On August 28, 1882 (or 1887), Ed McKenzie and D. W. Seybert were in a rowboat race on the lake when they spotted a floating log that turned out to be the head and neck of an animal. The creature was as long as their boat and the color of a pickerel(Pike, spotted green and brown, and Costello says the head reared up out of the water in front of the witnesses). Sources: Charles E. Brown, Sea Serpents: Wisconsin Occurrences of These Weird Water Monsters (Madison: Wisconsin Folklore Society, 1942); Mary M. Wilson, A History of Lake Mills: Creating a Society (Milwaukee, Wis.: Mary M. Wilson, 1983), pp. 521–522; Frank Joseph, The Lost Pyramids of Rock Lake (St. Paul, Minn.: Galde, 1992), pp. 89–95.
Lake Waubesa. A dark-green animal, 60–70 feet long, was seen around 1900. Charles E. Brown, Sea Serpents: Wisconsin Occurrences of These Weird Water Monsters (Madison: Wisconsin Folklore Society, 1942).
see also http://www.atthecreation.com/wis.monsters/deep.html
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| Hoax Postcard of unknown date, said to come from New Orleans area |
"Minnie", a travelling mockup of the "Loch Ness Monster" type, was making the news a while back:
http://www.bringmethenews.com/2013/06/07/minnesotas-answer-to-loch-ness-monster-resurfaces-at-lake-nokomis/
And currently the mockup is on permanent display on Lake Nokomis.
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| Minne-the-Lake-Monster-photo-Facebook-com-LakeMonster |
Recently a similar-appearing cement mockup was erected upriver of New Orleans but authorities wanted it removed since it was in violation of local ordinances.
If nothing else all of this shows a continuing public awareness of the Mississippi River Plesiosaur-shaped water monster, which according to John Keel was known as far back as colonial times and even to the "Mound builders" before them, who represented it in artworks always as being of the Plesiosaurian type.(This was mentioned in his regular column "Mysteries of Tiome And Space" along with a mention of Harold T. Wilkins' sighting of two green Plesiosaurs in a creek in Cornwall, in a book also by that title.)
More Mississippi Monsters:
http://kurtisscaletta.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/the-mississippi-river-monster-of-1877/
The Mississippi River Monster of 1877
A great many able monsters have been seen by sea captains in different states of gin, but the fresh-water monster which is at present infesting the waters of the Mississippi surpasses the ablest of them. (The New York Times, September 7, 1877)
A handful of stories in the fall of 1877 concern a sea monster in the Mississippi River. The monster is described as being 65 feet long, with the body of a snake, the head of a dog, and a ten-foot tusk-like bill. It has six legs and the mane of a horse. You can find the stories here, and they’re all quite enjoyable for their descriptions, style, and quality of evidence. I particularly like the one where the reporter avers the certainty of the monster’s existence because it was witnessed by a Methodist minister.
What the monster needs is a name. What would you call this pelican-billed dogsnakehorsefish?
[The illustration which goes with this article is entirely fanciful]
Since the head of this creature was compared to a dog or a seal although many times larger, because it had a "horn" on its snout and because it had large webbed feet 14 inches across, I suspect this series of reports was once again inspired by an errant Elephant Seal, the whole scenario sounding very much like Roy Mackal's version of the White Lake Monster. The tail is not reported as such and is imaginary, likely the extra pair of limbs also.
http://www.unmuseum.org/whiteriv.htm White River Monster Elephant Seal
Posted on the Cryptomundo site by way of Jerome Clark is this account of what may actually have been a Mishipizhw or Water-Panther (American Master-Otter) since there is a mention of a long tail and "sawteeth", although the reference is obscure. It was ten feet long and 500 pounds, quite reasonable enough dimensions:
A Terrible Fish Story
A strange monster was captured recently [during May] in the [Missouri] river opposite Canton, by some fishermen, in their seine, while dragging for fish. We know not what to call it, or what it looks like, or how to describe it, for it is unlike any creature of earth, air or water, that we have ever seen. It is not a fish, nor is it an alligator, or crocodile, or a turtle, but resembles the pictures we have often seen in books of the mythical dragon. It is a hideous looking and apparently savage monster – the last remnant of a past age. It has a huge, slimy, scaly body, short, strong legs, immense claws, long, serpent-like tail and sharp teeth, set in, like those of a saw. It chaws up ravenously everything with which it comes in contact, but seems loth [sic] to leave the water even in quest of food, and can only be seen where drawn out by the chain with which it is made fast. We should judge it to be ten feet in length, and it weighs probably 500 pounds. When provoked, it makes a roaring noise similar to a sea lion. The parties having it in charge are having a large tub or tank for it, and they intend to take it to Quincy [Illinois] and St. Louis for exhibition. They have refused a thousand dollars for it.
– Lagrange (Mo.) American.South Side Signal, Babylon, New York, May 14, 1870
“There is, of course, not the remotest possibility that this story is true, but it’s a great yarn anyway.” – Jerome Clark
Oh and along the way during this search there was a reconstruction of the "Big Blue" catfish under the title "The Legend of Old Blue"
The hoax postcard photo definitely was not taken near New Orleans or anywhere else in the Lower MS River Valley. I live an hour & a half from New Orleans (in South MS). There are no physical features in Southern LA or MS similar to those in the photo. The timber in the background is Northern spruce and similar species, easily characterized by their "Christmas tree" shape, whereas the longleaf, loblolly, and slash pine of the Deep South are noticeably bushy at the top with few limbs at the bottom on mature trees.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I merely supplied the information which came to me long with the photo. In this case it is the idea that the freshwater monster is Plesiosaurian that is important and not the location. It is of little enough value anyway, since it is already a known hoax. But the sculpture put into the water is definitely from near to New Orleans, a little bit upstream from it. It basically documents the same belief but is of no other especial value also.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I knew another source had said (even expressing doubt as well) that the photo was rumored to be taken near New Orleans. I just thought I would put to rest and qualify my reasoning. The scenery actually looks very similar to Northern MN, but I guess it could be anywhere in the Northern U.S. or Canada. I have to agree about the photos of the newer sculpture. As usual, I love reading the blog!
ReplyDelete