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Illustrated by Savannah Belden All stories are from is from Americanfolklore.com

Introduction Legendary monsters “exist”, if only in legend, all over the world. It is no different in the United States. All cultures have historic mythical tales that were created long ago to explain things that people didn’t understand. Some of these involve scary creatures, which are most likely not real, but in some cases maybe they are. And, history tells us that people are great storytellers. When Europeans arrived in America, they brought their own superstitions and legends with them. They soon found more myths and legends of the Native Americans. While many of these tales were, no doubt, perpetuated from a lack of knowledge, they continue to persist. In other cases, these monsters may be real, as evidence has not disproved them. Water serpents may still lurk within lakes and oceans, Bigfoot or Sasquatch may still be hidden within deep forests, unidentified flying objects have spawned new legends, and ghosts and witches are still blamed for a number of unexplainable events.

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Creature Categories Sea Monster

Bear Lake The Altamaha-ha White Lake River Monster Human-Like

Momo Bigfoot Banshee of the Badlands Phantom Dragoon Animal-Like Ghost Camel Jackalope Beast of Bray Road El Muerto Snallygaster Specter Moose Dawyyo

Bear Lake Sea Monster River Snake on the Border

Straddling the Utah/Idaho border in the upper northeastern corner of Utah is beautiful Bear Lake. In addition to its wonderful sporting opportunities for boaters, skiers, and fishermen, Bear Lake allegedly is called home to a sea monster. Said to resemble a huge brown snake, nearly 90 feet long, the legend has been around from the days when only Indians inhabited this area. When white settlers came to the valley, the Shoshone Indians inhabiting the area told of how the creature had often captured and carried away their people. Their description of the animal sounded much

like a large crocodile or a mythical dragon. According to the many who have spied the serpent, it has a thin head, a largemouth, and small legs that it utilizes to move swiftly through the water. The slithering snake like-creature has also been described as spouting water upwards from its mouth and moving so fast through the lake that it leaves a wake behind, much like a boat. This latter-day wonder is said to be about twenty feet in length, with a mouth sufficiently large to swallow a man without any difficulty, and is propelled through the water by the action of its tail and legs.

Sightings of the creature have led some to say they have seen the monster crawl up onto the beach with short flipper-like legs. Once upon the sand, it holds its head high and turns it from side to side as it looks about.

capture one of the beasts. As to what happened to the captured creature, no one seems to know. If the legend of the sea monster, itself, is not enough, another legend tells that even the mythical Pecos Bill, the King of tall tales, once wrested the sea monster, a fight that lasted for several days.

Though many believe the monster to be nothing more than a legend, there has been some scientific research made into his actual existence. Findings theorize the creature could be a descendant of a dinosaur-like creature or sea lizard from the time when Lake Bonneville covered the entirety of this great basin.

Does Bear Lake actually hold a sea monster? The debate rages on around the campfires, but in any event, an excursion to this beautiful lake, often called the Caribbean of the Rockies, will provide a great summer adventure.

In the summer of 1871, a local citizen was said to have actually captured a young member of the monster family near Fish Haven. This report eviden tly had some credibility as it was reported in the Salt Lake City Herald: The citizen, a fisherman, had actually set a large trap, made especially for the purpose of trying to

The Altamaha-ha Georgia’s Sea Monster

Near the mouth of the Altamaha River in southeastern Georgia is said to reside a hissing sea monster. Called Altamaha-ha, for the river, or “Altie” for short, the legend predates BritishEnglish colonization and is said to have originated with the Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe. One of the largest rivers in the state of Georgia, it empties into the Atlantic Ocean and has one of the largest river basins in the country, second only to the Mississippi River. Extending about 137 miles, it joins up with three major tributaries — that of the Ocmulgee and Oconee Rivers near Lumberton City, and joined further downriver by the Ohoopee River. It empties out into Altamaha Sound above Brunswick, where it is joined by the Darien, Butler and Champney Rivers before making its way to the ocean. The river area, located primarily in McIntosh and Glenn Counties along the Atlantic Coast, is not composed of beaches, but rather, is made up of many islands, acres of marshes, dikes, canals, ponds, and old rice fields. The Altamaha-ha is said to inhabit the myriad of small streams and twisting channels of the river and adjacent marshes, particularly around Darien, Butler Island, and elsewhere in McIntosh County. This strange cryptid is described as having a sturgeon like body including a bony ridge on its top. With front flippers and no back limbs, it swims like a dolphin, and has the snout of a crocodile,

with large, protruding eyes and large sharp teeth. Its coloring is said to be gray or green with a whitish-yellow underbelly. Reports indicate that it is 20-30 feet long, though some have stated seeing smaller or larger creatures, suggesting that Altamaha-ha is not alone. It has reportedly been seen basking itself on the shore, trolling casually along the river, and has even reacted defensively while in the presence of boaters. Though no physical evidence of the Altamaha-ha has been found, the tales date back for centuries with the Indians describing a giant snake-like creature that hissed and bellowed. One of the first non-native reports of the creature was on April 18, 1830, when a correspondent of the Savannah Georgian newspaper reported multiple sightings of a sea monster on the Georgia coast. The primary eyewitness was a Captain Delano of the schooner Eagle, who reported seeing a large creature off of St. Simons Island below the mouth of the Altamaha River. His description stated that it was about 70 feet long, its circumference about the size of a barrel, and its head resembled that of an alligator. Five other men on the schooner also reported having seen the monster, as well as several planters on St. Simons Island. In the 1920s timbermen riding the river reported sighting a large snakelike water monster and in 1935, a group of hunters spotted what they called

a "giant snake" swimming through the river. In the 1940s, boy scouts reported seeing the creature, as well as two officials from the Reidsville State Prison from the 1950s. In 1969 when two brothers were fishing on the Altamaha River at Clark’s Bluff they reported seeing an animal that they first thought was a sturgeon, but quickly changed their mind when they got a better look. Stating that it measured about 10-12 feet long, with a snout like an alligator, and a horizontal tail. They also described the creature as having a triangular ridge along the top of its body, sharp pointed teeth and being gunmetal gray in color. In the summer of 1980 two men reportedly saw Altamaha-ha stranded on a mud bank near Cathead Creek. They reported that the animal was lying half way in the water, thrashing and trying to free itself from the bank. They described it as being dark-colored with rough skin and about 20 feet long. While watching, the creature freed itself, submerged and disappeared.

Later that year, in December 1980, another man reported having seen what he thought was Altamaha-ha in Smith Lake. His description said the animal was 15-20 feet long, snake-like with two brown humps that protruded from the water, and left behind a wake like that of a speedboat. Another report in the 1980s described by a crab fisherman stated the creature looked like "the world’s biggest eel." A more recent report in 2002 was by a man pulling a boat up the river near Brunswick who reported seeing something over 20 feet in length and six feet wide break the water. In 2010, an amateur photographer captured video of something strange swimming in the channel off Fort King George Historic Site in Darien Sightings of the Altamaha-ha continue to this day.

a viewing area where he charged $25 for a chance to see the monster, and also sold sandwiches and soft drinks. Though business was brisk for a short time, no one else ever saw the creature. In 1966, three people fishing also saw Whitey, describing it as having a tail like a mermaid’s, a long body, arm-like flippers. and a head shaped like a monkey’s.

In 1971, two men reported that they saw three-toed tracks along the muddy river banks, as well as in the trees near the river. This same year, the monster was photographed by a man by the name of Cloyce Warren of the White River Lumber Company. Several other people that same year also claimed to have seen the sea monster.

White Lake River Monster Newports’ Serpent

A strange creature is said to lurk within the White River outside Newport, Arkansas. In fact, this legend is so widely accepted that the Arkansas State Legislature created the White River Monster Refuge adjacent to the Jacksonport State Park. Furthermore, the resolution made it illegal to molest, kill, trample, or harm the White River Monster while he is in the retreat. The White River Monster is described as snake-like, about 30 feet long with a spiny backbone, and makes a loud bellowing noise. Most of the many reports came from fishermen and campers along the White River. In 1924, a Little Rock resident reported having seen the creature, further describing it as having a dingy gray, crusted hide.

These multiple accounts were enough to convince the Arkansas State Legislature, who created the refuge two years later.

Though the furor persisted, at least one biologists believed that the White River Monster was actually a lost elephant seal who had somehow migrated out of its normal ocean habitat up the Mississippi River and into the White River near Newport.

Whitey as the locals call him, has been sighted frolicking in the White River for more than a century and a half. The creature was first spied by the Quapaw Indians who once inhabited the area and the tale was passed down from generation to generation. According to this first account, the creature overturned a brave’s canoe before sinking back into the depths of the river. During the days of the Civil War, Whitey was accredited for overturning a loaded Confederate gunship. In 1937, a farmer named Bramleltte Bateman who lived south of Newport proclaimed to have seen the animal several times, saying: The animal rises to the surface in the late afternoons and floats or swims around 5 to 15 minutes with its head underwater. Intending on capitalizing on the sensation, Bateman soon set up

In the meantime, Whitey has become Newport’s local celebrity as his facsimile leads the Christmas Parade every year and the legend has created a hubbub of souvenir shops, signs, and other promotions in Newport. White River’s version of the Lock Ness monster has also been documented in newspapers and books around the world as well as in several television documentaries.

In the last several years the sea monster hasn’t been spied but most of the locals believe that it is still there. Others think that the creature died when the river became too shallow. White River, Arkansas

Momo Bigfoot of Missouri Momo is a large Bigfoot-like creature that began to be sighted near Louisiana, Missouri in July 1972. Momo, short for “Missouri Monster”, was reported to have a large pumpkin-shaped head with black furry hair covering its body, and so much fur on its head, that its face couldn’t be seen with the exception of glowing orange eyes. This 7-foot-tall, hairy beast was first seen on the edge of the woods just outside of town by two young boys and their sister. These kids also said that the creature smelled terrible and was carrying a bloody dead dog. Following the childrens’ first sighting of Momo, more people reported having seen the beast in the weeks that followed. Reports stated that it was seen up and down the Mississippi River with later sightings occurring further west along other waterways.

Others reported having caught fleeting glimpses of something in the woods while some said they smelled something beastly or heard haunting cries, growls similar to a bear’s, and inhuman screams. One of the witnesses was Richard Alan Murry, a lifelong local who had served as the town’s fire chief and sat on the city council. He reported that when he was driving along a small creek that runs through the middle of the town, he saw something moving in the woods. When his headlights fell on the upright figure, the creature quickly ran away and disappeared. He later stated “I was amazed to see something. I thought it was a bunch of nonsense, but then I saw something.”

20-person posse was put together to kill the beast, but the creature was never found. Momo Newspaper Report Tracks were found and submitted to Lawrence Curtis, director of the Oklahoma City Zoo who deemed the tracks to be that of an unknown primate species. After a rash of early sightings, the encounters occurred less and less over the next few years, before they stopped altogether.

Before long, the news media picked up the story, attracting curiosity seekers and monster hunters from around the country. At one point, a

Bigfoot

America’s Biggest Legend

Bigfoot has been sighted throughout the United States, from the 16th Century to the present. The first reported sightings were by Native Americans. It was called numerous names by different Indian tribes, “Sasquatch” was only one of over 50 different names given to the creature. Looking more like a hairy man than an ape or monkey, it is mostly reported as being between 6 – 8 feet tall but has been sighted with a smaller female and or offspring. The larger, adult male of the species is rugged and built very muscular. Its shoulders are wide, and it has very little neck area. It has short brown to black hair covering its body, with longer hair on the head. Most reports have the creature’s eyes glowing or shining red in the dark when reflected by a flashlight or some other light source. Most folks report no odor when they have encountered Bigfoot, but of those that do, it appears to display a strange anomaly of projecting or discharge a scent, at will

People sometimes report one smell, then suddenly it changes into an entirely different odor. Odors have been described as rotten flesh, poop, old vomit, outhouses, rotted fish, rotten eggs, or foul and just sickening. Bigfoot seems to make Ape-like grunts and growls, to almost a scream like sound, and others have heard whistles and strange calls. Indians almost all believe Bigfoot is a non-physical creature. Some Indian tribes mention that they have seen the creature transform into a wolf. Others think that these creatures live in another dimension from the physical plane but can come here as they desire. Some also believe Bigfoot has great psychic abilities, reports of sightings show the creature can be visible to some people, while at the same time remain invisible to others in the same group. There are many reports from non-Indians who saw the creature after a UFO

sighting. And others that have searched for, and researched Bigfoot for years are coming to the conclusion that the creature is a spiritual being because he can appear or disappear at will. Great Lakes Indians mention that if one is walking in the woods and you hear the sound of a stick being hit against a hollow log or tree, beware, for this area is Sasquatch territory. This seems to be an interesting thing to note because other non-Indians have even reported this. People have reported that sometimes the stick hitting is loud or thud like a large log is being hit against a tree, while at other times it is more like a small stick is being used.

roofs and against their homes and cabins. The creatures’ episodes of hitting sticks and rock-throwing may be the best evidence we have to show that they are spiritual beings. If you research paranormal cases involving "poltergeist" incidents, you will soon realize that many of the cases involve the throwing or dropping of stones against houses, and on the roofs of the homes where the poltergeist attacks are occurring. In many of the poltergeist cases, the stones being dropped and thrown were the beginning of the infestation, or encounter, just like in the

Besides, the stick hitting, another well-documented fact many Bigfoot researchers report is rock throwing. Researchers have had stones thrown at them, and at their vehicles, and there have also been reports from people living in Bigfoot hot spots, of having stones thrown on their

Banshee of the Badlands Dakota’s Ghost

"Hell, with the fires out," is what the Bad Lands of Dakota has been called. The fearless Western nomenclature fits the place. It is an ancient sea-bottom, with its clay strata worn by frost and flood into forms like pagodas, pyramids, and terraced cities. Labyrinthine canons wind among these fantastic peaks, which are brilliant in color, but bleak, savage, and oppressive. Game courses over the castellated hills, rattlesnakes bask at the edge of the crater above burning coal seams, and wild men have made a despairing stand here against advancing civilization. It may have been the white victim of a red man’s jealousy that haunts the region of the butte called a "Watch Dog", or it may have been an Indian woman who was killed there, but there is a banshee in the desert whose cries have chilled the blood that would not have cooled at the sight of a bear or panther. By moonlight, when the scenery is most suggestive and unearthly, and the noises of wolves and owls inspire uneasy feelings, the ghost

is seen on a hill a mile south of the Watch Dog, her hair blowing, her arms tossing in strange gestures. If war parties, emigrants, cowboys, hunters, any who for good or ill are going through this country, pass the haunted butte at night, the rocks are lighted with phosphor flashes and the banshee sweeps upon them. As if wishing to speak, or as if waiting a question that it has occurred to none to ask, she stands beside them in an attitude of appeal, but if asked what she wants she flings her arms aloft and with a shriek that echoes through the blasted gulches for a mile she disappears and an instant later is seen wringing her hands on her hill-top. Cattle will not graze near the haunted butte and the cowboys keep aloof from it, for the word has never been spoken that will solve the mystery of the region or quiet the unhappy banshee.

that trudges about the ash and clay and haunts the camps in a search for music. If he hears it he will sit outside the door and nod in time to it, while a violin left within his reach is eagerly seized and will be played on through half the night. The music is wondrous: now as soft as the stir of wind in the sage, anon as harsh as the cry of a wolf or startling as the stir of a rattler. As the east begins to brighten the music grows fainter, and when it is fairly light it has ceased altogether. But he who listens to it must on no account follow the player if the skeleton moves away, for not only will it lead him into rocky pitfalls, whence escape is hopeless, but when there the music will intoxicate, madden, and will finally charm his soul from his body.

The creature has a companion, sometimes, in an unfleshed skeleton

Phantom Dragoon Delaware Ghost The height that rises a mile or so to the south of Newark, Delaware, is called Iron Hill because it is rich in hematite ore. But about the time of General William Howe’s advance to the Brandywine River, it might well have won its name because of the panoply of war — the sullen guns, the flashing swords, and glistening bayonets — that appeared among the British tents pitched on it. After the red-coats had established a camp here the American outposts were advanced and one of the pickets was stationed at Welsh Tract Church. On his first tour of duty, the sentry was thrown into great alarm by the appearance of a figure robed from head to foot in white, that rode a horse at a charging gait within ten feet of his face. When the guard was relieved the soldier begged that he might never be assigned to that post again. His nerves were strong in the presence of an enemy in the flesh — but an enemy out of the grave!

Ugh! He would desert rather than encounter that shape again. His request was granted. The sentry who succeeded him was startled, in the small hours, by a rush of hoofs and the flash of a pallid form. He fired at it and thought that he heard the sound of a mocking laugh come back. Every night the phantom horseman made his rounds, and several times the sentinels shot at him without effect, the white horse and white rider showing no annoyance at these assaults. When it came to the turn of a skeptical and unimaginative old corporal to take the night detail, he took the liberty of assuming the responsibilities of this post himself. He looked well to the priming of his musket, and at midnight withdrew out of the moonshine and waited, with his gun resting on a fence. It was not long before the beat of hoofs was heard approaching, and in spite

of himself, the corporal felt a thrill along his spine as a mounted figure that might have represented Death on the pale horse came into view; but he jammed his hat down, set his teeth, and sighted his flint-lock with deliberation. The rider was near, when bang went the corporal’s musket, and a white form was lying in the road, a horse speeding into the distance. Scrambling over the fence, the corporal reassured, ran to the form and turned it over: a British scout, quite dead. The daring fellow, relying on the superstitious fears of the rustics in his front, had made a nightly ride as a ghost, in order to keep the American outposts from advancing, and also to guess, from elevated points, at the strength and disposition of their troops. He wore a cuirass of steel, but that did not protect his brain from the corporal’s bullet.

Ghost Camel Red Ghost of the West In 1848, the importation of camels for military purposes in the southwest was suggested to the War Department by Henry Wayne, a Quartermaster Major. Two years later, Secretary of War and Mississippi Senator, Jefferson Davis, tried to persuade the Senate to look into the use of camels for the U.S. Army. During this time period, the southwest territory of the United States was greatly expanding and it was thought that camels could be used to carry at least twice the amount of weight as horses or mules, and might also be used in tracking and pursuing Indians, as they could travel without water or rest for much longer than horses. It was also suggested that the camels might carry the mail and that fast camel passenger trains might be developed to run from Missouri River points to the Pacific Coast. Initially, the Senators voted the idea down, but after California newspapers began to promote the idea, they finally agreed in 1854, passing a bill to appropriate $30,000 for the camel experiment. For years afterward, wild camels continued to be spied roaming in the desert, especially in southern Arizona. Along with these real sightings, a number

of legends and tales began regarding these ugly beasts of burden. The most popular is the tale of a camel known as the Red Ghost. In 1883, a woman was found trampled to death and, on her body and a nearby bush, were clumps of reddish fur. Large hoof prints were found in the area, but locals were perplexed. A short time later, a large animal careened into a tent in which two miners lay sleeping. Though they were unable to identify the beast, again, large hoof prints and tufts of red hair were left behind. After more incidents occurred, the locals finally recognized the large animal as a camel. Soon, people began to report seeing the camel, who one rancher said carried a rider, though the rider appeared to be dead. The next report came from a group of prospectors who saw the camel and while watching him, spied something falling from its back. As the beast moved on, the prospectors went to see what had fallen and discovered a human skull. For the next several years, numerous others spied the camel, who by this time had been dubbed the Red Ghost,” carrying its headless rider. However, in 1893, when an Arizona farmer found the red camel grazing in his garden, he shot and killed

the beast. By this time, the large camel had shaken free of its dead rider, but still bore the saddle and leather straps with which the corpse had been attached. There was much speculation as to who th mysterious dead rider the camel had carried for several years might have been. One tale alleges that the rider was a young soldier, who was afraid of the camels, and therefore, was having much difficulty in learning how to ride them. In order to teach him how, his fellow soldiers tied him to the top of the beast, determined that he would get over his fear. They then hit the camel on the rump and the beast took off running. Though the soldiers pursued the camel and his rider, the red beast easily outpaced them and escaped into the desert. Neither the camel nor his helpless rider were ever seen again.

"The Last American Camel Is Dead. The camel, dubbed Topsy", was last seen trekking across the desert of Arizona into California. When she made her way to Los Angeles, she was taken to Griffith Park to live. However, sometime later, she became so crippled with the paralysis, the zoo attendants were forced to put her down. Seemingly, all the real army camels have long passed. However, legends continue to abound of people sighting a giant red camel, carrying a headless rider, in the deserts of Arizona. It sounds as if "Red Ghost", may very well be living up to his name.

Though the abandoned beasts of the Camel Corps roamed for decades, they soon disappeared altogether. In 1907, a prospector reported that he had seen two wild camels in Nevada and other reports continued to come in sporadically. However, in April 1934, the Oakland Tribune reported:

Jackalope The Myth of Wyoming Whether the jackalope actually exists or is simply a hoax popularized by a Douglas, Wyoming resident in 1939, is still hotly debated today. For those who believe, the jackalope is said to be an antlered species of rabbit, sometimes rumored to be extinct. One of the rarest animals in the world, it is a cross between a now extinct pygmy-deer and a species of killer-rabbit. However, occasional sightings of this rare creature continue to occur, with small pockets of jackalope populations persisting in the American West. The antlered species of rabbit are brownish in color, weight between three and five pounds, and move with lightning speeds of up to 90 miles per hour. They are said to be vicious when attacked and use their antlers to fight, thus they are sometimes called the "warrior rabbit." The jackalope was first encountered by John Colter, one of the first white men to enter what would one day be the State of Wyoming. They also allegedly possess an uncanny ability to mimic human sounds and when chased will use these abilities to elude capture. During days of the Old West, when cowboys gathered by the campfires singing at night, jackalopes could often be heard mimicking their voices.

Most commonly sighted in the states of Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, and New Mexico, the jackalope also appears to have a European cousin, in Germany, known as the wolpertinger, and in Sweden, a related species called the skvader. Illustrations of horned hares go back as far as the 16th century in scholarly European works Some people do not believe a separate species exists of its own, but rather the jackalope is real only because of a virus called papillomatosis. Also called Jackalopism, the disease causes certain growths caused by a parasite to harden on the top of a rabbit’s head, resembling horns. It is this virus that they attribute to the birth of the jackalope legend .

For others, the jackalope is thought to be nothing more than a mystical creature, perpetuated by Douglas Herrick, a resident of Douglas, Wyoming, in 1939. The whole thing began after Douglas and his brother Ralph had returned from hunting one day. When Ralph threw a dead jackrabbit on the floor of the shop, it slid right up against a pair of deer horns. When Ralph declared that it looked like a rabbit with horns on it, Douglas, a taxidermist, decided to mount it. From there, the mounted jackalope was born and the pair of brothers began to sell them to the public. Before long, they could be found everywhere, in homes and taverns all over the American West. At the same time, jackalope postcards became a popular Western souvenir. The jackalopes of Douglas, Wyoming became so popular that by the late 1940s the city had proclaimed itself as the Jackalope Capital of the World,” promoting the self-proclaimed title in brochures and other tourism advertising

Every year, Douglas hosts and annual Jackalope Day in June that hosts a Mini-Monster Truck Obstacle Course, Mud Volleyball tournaments, a Motorcycle Show and Rally, the Greased Pig Run, and numerous other events for those hoping for a peek at a “real jackalope.” Each year, the Douglas Chamber of Commerce also issues thousands of jackalope hunting licenses, despite rules specifying that the hunter cannot have an IQ higher than 72 and can hunt only between midnight and 2 a.m. each June 31st. But, this is still not enough for the Queen City of Jackalope Country, which now plans to build yet another giant Jackalope. Towering over I-25, the giant fiberglass jackalope will stand 80 feet above the plains. In 2005, Wyoming legislators declared the jackalope as the state’s Official Mythical Creature.

In 1965, an eight-foot concrete statue was erected in downtown Douglas and today billboards, and jackalope images can be seen all over Douglas — on park benches, fire trucks, motel signs, and a 13-foot-tall jackalope cutout on a hillside. The city is also very good about warning visitors of the vicious animal’s propensity to attack, so tourists will see a number of posted warning signs throughout the town: Watch out for the jackalope.

The Beast of Bray Road The Werewolf of Wisconsin A hairy humanoid with canine features, the Beast of Bray Road, has been sighted in Wisconsin dating back to 1936 on a rural road outside of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. More recent sightings in the 1980s and 1990s, place the creature in Racine, Walworth and Jefferson Counties. Those who have seen the beast describe him as eating or hunting/scavenging. Also known as Manwolf, Bear-Wolf, and Indigenous Dogman it is said to be around six feet tall with gray and brown fur. Its face resembles that of a wolf, with shiny yellow eyes and pointed ears. Its body, though furry, looks like a muscular man. The creature is said to run and walk on all four of its legs or just its hind legs and has been spied sitting on its haunches and kneeling like a man.

Some people believe it is a werewolf, others that it is a Bigfoot and, and some believe that it is a yet unidentified species. Though it has never attacked anyone, some witnesses claim that it has acted aggressively, running at them and jumping on their vehicles. Some researchers consider the Beast of Bray Road to be identical to a kind of Wisconsin Bigfoot that locals call the "Bluff Monster" or the "Eddy". Others, including many Native Americans, believe it to be the "Wendigo", which has often been spied in Minnesota. Others believe that it has simply been misidentified and is a wolf, a bear, or a large feral dog.

This werewolf-like creature has been portrayed regularly in the media since the first sightings and even had a low-budget movie based on its legend. The number of sightings in the late 1980s and early 1990s prompted a local newspaper, the Walworth County Week, to assign reporter Linda Godfrey to cover the story. Initially, she was skeptical, but soon became convinced of its authenticity and later wrote a book titled The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin’s Werewolf.

El Meurto The Skeleton Horse of Texas In the 1800s Texas was a wild and lawless place attracting all manner of thieves, murderers, and other ruthless outlaws. To combat these many desperadoes and fight the Indians, who were prone to attacking the white settlers, rode the Texas Rangers, who set about taming the wild Texas frontier.

northward to fight off the attack. In the meantime, the sparse settlements were temporarily left unguarded. Vidal, along with three of his henchmen, wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation and gathered up a considerable number of horses on the San Antonio River, heading southwest toward Mexico.

The Rio Grande River to the south had been declared the border between the United States and Mexico; however, the Mexican government refused to recognize the boundary, insisting instead, that the Nueces River was the border. This left a giant chunk of land between the two rivers which became known as No Man’s Land and a prime target for outlaws.

What Vidal didn’t know was that, among the stolen herd, were several prized mustangs belonging to Texas Ranger Creed Taylor, usually one of the first to defend the settlements against Indian attacks, had not, on this occasion, gone after the Comanche. Creed’s ranch lay west of San Antonio, in the thickest of bandit territory, not far from the headwaters of the Nueces River. Due to the location of the ranch, Taylor’s livestock and horses were often the targets of the many bandits.

The dispute between the two countries finally forced the United States to go to war with Mexico in 1846 to make the Rio Grande the official border. However, it would take another thirty years before the Texas Rangers could rid the territory of the Mexican cattle rustlers and thieves. The Texas Rangers, a roving posse of expert gunmen, were not men to be messed with. Following their adversaries everywhere, they lived out of the saddle and often dispensed justice brutally. Two of these men were Creed Taylor and William Alexander Anderson “Big Foot” Wallace, who was himself a folk hero. It was Big Foot, with Creed’s blessing, who unwittingly created El Muerto. In 1850, a man known simply as Vidal was busy rustling cattle all over South Texas, and soon he had a high price on his head – "dead or alive." During that summer, Vidal took advantage of a Comanche raid which pulled most of the men

Taylor had enough and quickly gathered fellow ranger, Big Foot Wallace, and a nearby rancher by the name of Flores. Both Wallace and Taylor were as skilled as any Comanche when tracking and the three men shortly found the trail of Vidal and his henchmen. When the three men found the outlaw camp, they waited until night when the bandits were sleeping to attack. Catching them unaware the thieves were killed. But just killing them was not enough. Taylor and Wallace wanted to set an example that would deter future bandits. In those days, stealing cattle and horses was a crime more serious than murder. The Rangers had tried all types of brutal justice including stringing them up in trees and left hanging, shooting them, and chopping them to pieces, leaving their bodies for animal bait. But nothing had worked to stop the outlaws.

In a dramatic example of frontier justice, Wallace beheaded Vidal then lashed him firmly into a saddle on the back of a wild mustang. Tying the outlaw’s hands to the pommel and securing the torso to hold him upright, Big Foot then attached Vidal’s head and sombrero to the saddle with a long strip of rawhide. He then turned the bucking horse loose to wander the Texas hills with its terrible burden on his back. Soon, stories began to abound about the headless rider seen usually in remote country, with its sombreroed head swinging back and forth to the rhythm of the horse’s gallop.

as El Muerto was credited with all kinds of evil and misfortune. Finally, a posse of local ranchers captured the wild pony at a watering hole near the tiny community of Ben Bolt just south of Alice, Texas. Still strapped firmly on its back was the dried-up corpse of Vidal, now riddled by scores of bullet holes and Indian arrows. The body was buried in an unmarked grave near Ben Bolt, and the horse was free of its burden at last. That should have been the end of El Muerto, but the legend would live on to this day.

As time went on, more and more cowboys spotted the dark horse with its fearsome cargo, and not knowing what it was they riddled it with bullets. But the horse and its rider rode on and the legend of El Muerto, the headless one, began. Soon, the South Texas brush country became a place to avoid

Snallygaster Maryland’s Chimera

For centuries, a large winged beast known as the Snallygaster is said to have terrified the people of Frederick County, Maryland. The dragon-like beast is described as being a half-reptile and half-bird that lives deep in the caves of South Mountain. The mysterious creature is said to swoop silently down from the sky, stealing farm animals and children from the unsuspecting farm folk. Some say it’s real. The area was settled by German immigrants beginning in the 1730s, who called the creature a Schneller Geist, meaning "quick spirit" in German. The earliest folklore mixes the half-bird features with nightmarish features of demons and ghouls. Other descriptions describe the beast as halfreptile, half-bird with a metallic-like beak lined with razor-sharp teeth. Sometimes it is described as having octopus-like tentacles. The earliest stories claim that this monster sucked the blood of its victims. The Snallygaster has one widely known

enemy, called Dwayyo. The Dwayyo is reported to be a mammalian biped with features similar to a wolf, but the stance and stature of a human. The Dwayyo and the Snallygaster have reportedly had vicious encounters dating back to the early settlement of the Middletown Valley. For years, the Snallygaster lived only on the pages of folklore until 1909 when stories of the beast began to appear in newspapers. Encounters between local residents and the winged-creature in February and March 1909 described it as having " enormous wings, a long pointed bill, claws like steel hooks, and an eye in the center of its forehead." Further, it was said to make screeches like a locomotive whistle. A February 1909 article claimed that a man had been seized by the winged creature, which proceeded to sink its teeth into his jugular and drain the body of blood before dropping it along a

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The story of the mountains between Gapland and Burkittsville, where it was reported to have laid another very large egg. The last sighting in Frederick County occurred in March 1909 where three men fought the creature outside a railroad station for nearly an hour and a half before chasing it into the woods of Carroll County. Afterward, there were no more sightings of the mysterious creature for the next 23 years, at which time, it once again appeared in Frederick County, Maryland. The first reports said the bird was seen just below South Mountain in Washington County. It was surmised at the time that as the life expectancy of a Snallygaster was estimated at about 20 years, the new sightings were from the offspring of the 1909 creature. At this time, the Middletown Valley Register requested that local residents who spied the creature should provide as accurate and detailed a description as possible for scientific purposes. Two residents soon reported having seen it just east of Braddock Heights, flying about 25 feet overhead, confirming the descriptions published the previous week.The next thing heard of the Snallygaster, is that it had died in Washington County when it was overcome by the fumes of a moonshine still and fell from the sky into the 2500-gallon vat of alcohol. According to the story, revenue agents soon arrived and destroyed both the vat and the carcass of the beast. No appearances have been reported since.

ied prominently in Middletown, Maryland’s egister, and soon spread far and wide, so that the Smithsonian Institution offered for the hide and U.S. President Theodore lt reportedly considered postponing an ional trip to personally hunt the beast.

n Casstown, Ohio, wrote a letter to the Valley telling of a strange creature that flew area making horrible screeching noises. ibed it as having two huge wings, a large ad, and a tail 20 feet long.

and, it was first sighted by a man who d a brick-burning kiln near Cumberland. ar the kiln sleeping, when it awoke, it a blood-curdling scream and angrily flew was also sighted near Hagerstown, south etown at Lover’s Leap, and seen flying over ide.

Specter Moose

Forest Spirit of Maine

In 1891, an extremely large white moose was first seen in Maine by Clarence Duffy of Oldtown, a hunting guide who was working around Lobster Lake. Though he did not get near enough to the animal to take a shot, he could see him plainly. Horrified by the encounter, when Duffy told his story, he was laughed at. However, a few months later, a Bangor lumberman named John Ross, who was also at Lobster Lake, also saw the big moose. With this second sighting, some people began to believe. That same year, a New York hunter saw the big moose near Sourdnahunlt Lake and fired several slugs into the animal without the least apparent effect, with the exception of making it angry. The moose then charged the man who took refuge in a bear cave, where he remained for about an hour before the large animal sauntered away. However, these tales were still mostly discounted until a New York City sportsman, Howard Van Ness, not only saw the big moose but also shot him several times in 1892. This event occurred about 30 miles northeast of Norcross, when Van Ness, along with three other New York men, were hunting. Van Ness was separated from his companions when he shot the moose, which he described as "weighed a ton, and as tall as a camel, with magnificent head and antler." After his shot hit the animal just above the shoulder, the moose let out a deep bellow and a grunt before coming

after Van Ness, who took shelter beneath a tangled mass of fallen trees and branches. The moose then circled the area at tremendous speed and once jumped over his hiding place before finally giving up. Afterward, many hunters began to look for the great white moose, but it wasn’t seen again until 1895. At that time a Bangor taxidermist named Granville Gray spied the moose at a distance. A few years later, in 1899, Gilman Brown, of West Newbury, Massachusetts got close enough to the moose on the Roach River to count 22 points on one side of his antlers. Usually, moose antlers rarely have more than 8 to 12 points on a side. Brown also fired five shots at the large animal, which simply glowered at him and stalked majestically away. The Specter Moose, called such because of its white or light gray coloring, is said to stand 10 to 15 feet tall, weighs nearly 2,500 pounds, and has an immense set of formidable antlers that stretch from 10 to 12 feet across. In comparison, an average male moose in Maine at the time weighed about 800-900 pounds, stood around six feet tall, and had an antler span of around four to six feet. The story gained national attention when it was described in a New York Times article in November 1899. More sightings followed in the coming years with one reported in

1901 when a hunter from Boston, Massachusetts spotted the beast near Chairback Mountain in the Katahdin region. In 1906, George Kneeland, of Sherman, Maine came close to the moose when he was bicycling on the road between Sherman and Macwahoc. At first, he thought it was a horse, but when he stopped to take a closer look, he was surprised to determine that rather, it was a very large white moose. Suddenly the immense beast charged at him and Kneeland was forced to climb a tree to safety. After investigating the bicycle, the moose vanished into the forest.

In addition to its massive size, many reports also described the moose as glowing faintly, having the ability to simply disappear, and walking through solid objects. Hunters often said they were never able to get near enough to get a shot, and on the few occasions that they did, the animal was unhurt. In the following years, the moose would appear in waves of sightings, one of which occurred in 1917, only to disappear for years before it would be seen again.

Dwayyo Beast of Maryland In the woods of Maryland is said to hide a wolf-like creature known as "Dwayyo" or "Dewayo". It is described as having features similar to a wolf, with dark fur over its entire body, a long bushy tail, and a dog-like nose, but it stands like a human and utilizes its fore-legs like arms. It is said to be some 6-foot-tall. According to legend, Dwayyo is the mortal enemy of the "Snallygaster", another area cryptid that is described as a flying, blood-sucking reptile that has been sighted in the Maryland Blue Ridge Mountains. Their vicious encounters reportedly date back to the early settlement of the Middletown Valley. The first mention of the name Dwayyo comes from a sighting in 1944 in West Middleton, Frederick County, Maryland. Witnesses heard the creature make ‘frightful screams’ and there were footprints attesting to the claims of the sighting. However, the tale did not come to prominence until a newspaper account in the Frederick News Post on November 27, 1965, was published and detailed an account of the creature: "Near the woods of Gambrill State Park, John Becker went out in his yard to investigate a strange noise. It was getting dark, and he had started back to the house, when he saw something moving toward him. It was as big as a bear, had long black hair, a bushy tail, and growled like a wolf or a dog in anger. As it got closer, it stood up on its hind legs and attacked him. Becker fought the creature until it ran into the woods, leaving him, his wife and

children in horror. Deciding to remain anonymous under the alias John Becker, he filed a report with local state police, telling of an attack by a mysterious monster that he called a Dwayyo." Soon, more stories followed in area newspapers, spawning a rash of calls and letters to the newspapers. Other sightings were reported in nearby areas. However, by mid-December, the story started to fade. In the summer of 1966, the creature was again sighted on the outskirts of Gambrill State Park when a man only referred to only as ‘Jim A.’ encountered the Dwayyo as he was heading toward a campsite. He described it as a shaggy two legged animal the size of a deer that had a triangle shaped head with pointed ears and chin. It was dark brown in color and when approached it made a horrid scream and backed away from the man. Jim went on to say that the creature had an odd walk as it retreated, it’s legs, "stuck out from the side of the trunk of the body making its movements appear almost spider-like as it backed away". In the Fall of 1976 another sighting of the Dwayyo took place in Fredrick County near Thurmont when two men were driving on Route 77 onto a private road. There, they saw a large creature run across the road in front of their car. They described it as:

Later in 1978 two park rangers were near the Cunningham Falls area when they encountered "a large hairy creature running on two legs." More than two centuries ago, another such creature is told of in folklore – that of the Hexenwolf. In the late 18th century, the Pennsylvania Dutch had started to settle in Carroll, Frederick and Washington Counties of Maryland. Almost immediately, stories began to circulate about a wolf like creature. Its description was similar to that of the Dwayyo – a mammalian biped with features similar to a wolf, but with the stance and stature of a human. The legend of the Hexenwolf had long been known to inhabit tracts of land across much of eastern Pennsylvania and told in German folklore.

“At least 6 ft tall but inclined forward since it was moving quickly. Its head was fairly large and similar to the profile of a wolf. The body was covered in brown or brindle colored fur but the lower half had a striped pattern of noticeable darker and lighter banding. The forelegs were slimmer and held out in front as it moved. The back legs were very muscled and thick, similar to perhaps a kangaroo. This was not a hominid type creature; it did not have the characteristics of an ape. It was much more similar to a wolf or ferocious dog however it was definitely moving upright and appeared to be adapted for that type of mobility. I was particularly impressed by the size and strength of the back legs, the stripes on the lower half of the body and the canine-wolf-like head.”

Bonus Creatures Devil’s Hole Cave, Arkansas – A strange and mysterious creature is said to reside within the depths of this seemingly bottomless cave. El Chupacabra or the Goat Sucker – This is a heavy creature, the size of a small bear, with a row of spines reaching from the neck to the base of the tail and it takes its name from the fact that it is supposed to attack animals and drink their blood – especially goats. The Jersey Devil – One of America’s oldest mysteries, this legendary creature, described as a flying biped with hooves, is said to lurk in the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey.

Minnesota Iceman – In the 1960s, a male, human-like creature was exhibited across America. Described as 6 foot tall, hairy, with large hands and feet, he was promoted as a Neanderthal, Bigfoot or Yeti. Mothman The Moth Man – This legendary creature, described as a man-sized bird, was reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area of West Virginia in the mid-1960s.

Murphysboro Mud Monster – Prowling Southern Illinois in the 1970s was a huge, wet, hairy, mud-slathered monstrosity. The Mystery of the Thunderbird Photo – A mysterious creature that was said to have been captured near the town of Tombstone, Arizona in 1890. Thunderbirds of Illinois – Tales of strange, monster birds with enormous wingspans that are large enough to carry away human victims.

“If you take myth and folklore, and these things that speak in symbols, they can be interpreted in so many ways that although the actual image is clear enough, the interpretation is infinitely blurred, a sort of enormous rainbow of every possible colour you could imagine.” - Diana Wynne Jones