Cryptids of North America

This General Land Office Record of the Week showcases the mysterious realm of North American cryptids in a collaborative effort by the ROTW team. Step inside if you dare...

The word “cryptid” refers to a creature that is believed to exist without significant proof. This term has been widely used since in the early 1980s, but sightings and claims of the unnatural have haunted the globe for centuries. This ROTW focuses on some favorite cryptids one might find lurking in the forests and waters of North America, maybe even on Bureau of Land Management land...

The Mogollon

We begin our journey on the Mogollon Rim (pronounced 'Mo-gee-on') of Arizona. The Mogollon Rim (The Rim) is a steep slope forming the southwestern portion of the Colorado Plateau.

The Rim area and abutting mountains are referred to as the Mogollones, named after Juan Ignacio Flores Mogollon, the former governor of New Mexico in 1712. At the time, this area was occupied by New Spain. The term "Mogollon" dates back to a prehistoric Native American Indian tribe inhabiting Arizona and New Mexico around A.D. 200 to 1450.

The Rim stretches over 11 townships and 200 miles of land blanketed with towering ponderosa pines. Portions of this area were surveyed in 1934 as depicted in the plat for Township 11 North, Range 13 East, and the fractional plat for Township 11 North, Range 13 1/2 East.

This vast landscape is said to be the home of Arizona's own Bigfoot, the Mogollon Monster. The Mogollon Monster was first sighted in 1903 by I. W. Stevens. Stevens reported that he came across a wild man while taking a trip to the Colorado River. He shared his encounter with a local paper, the Arizona Republic in vivid detail.

According to Stevens, he stumbled upon footprints and with further investigation, a large pungent man along the cliff edge. The man had white hair down to his knees, a coat of white fur, claw-like fingernails, and flaming green eyes. Click  here  for full details of Steven's sighting.

Additional reported sightings include the following:

• Mid-1940's: 13-year-old Don Davis while on a boy scout camping trip, wakes up to find the monster foraging the campsite and eventually standing over him while he hid in his sleeping bag. Davis is now a reputable cryptozoologist.

• 2006: Collette Altaha of the White Mountain Apache Nation claims that sightings on the reservation are increasing and cannot be ignored.

• 2014: Unnamed sociology student spots the monster drinking water on a hiking trail near Payson, Arizona. The student attempted to take a photo, but the monster ran off into the canyon.

Descriptions of the Mogollon Monster vary from an exiled chief cursing the Rim to a fierce wild man known for decapitating large prey throughout the ponderosa pine landscape. The monster is also said to have a piercing scream and the ability to mimic other animals.

To date, there is no concrete evidence proving the validity of the sightings or refuting the idea that the Mogollon Monster is just an angry bear. Nevertheless, visitors to the Rim are encouraged to beware of what lurks among the pine trees and bring a bear/monster-proof cooler when camping.

Thanks to Shepard, Rhinelander is now known for a lumberjack eating monster, the Hodag of Wisconsin. According to Shepard, he first sighted the Hodag in 1893 while walking through a Northwoods logging camp. He claimed that it ate people, specifically any Northwoods timbermen that crossed its path. 

Shepard describes the Hodag as a stout beast with razor fangs, giant horns protruding from its head, powerful claws, a horned tail, and an unsightly face. Its profile was said to be so displeasing that the Hodag himself could not withstand his reflection and often wept in the forest. 

Henry Tryon, author of the 1939 novel “Fearsome Critters,” added further claims that the Hodag is no match for citrus fruit. Tryon suggests that a population of hodags can be easily destroyed with just two lemons. Tryon's full description of Shepard's sightings can be viewed  here .

Other steadfast believers dive into the Hodag's origins, alleging it grew from the piled ashes of many cremated ox which perished after hauling timber for the lumberjacks of the Northwoods. These details are found in the 1928 novel "The Hodag and Other Tales of the Logging Camp" by Luke Sylvester.

Hodag stories spread throughout the mid-west. Most of which were tales of the naïve who had been fooled by false accounts. Shepard refuted disbelievers by featuring a column in Rhinelander’s local paper, The New North, shortly after his sighting. Shepard told readers that he himself had captured a Hodag. Three years later, Shepard would attempt to provide evidence by participating in his county’s first annual fair. 

For a small admission fee, fairgoers could witness a live captured Hodag firsthand. They were quickly led through a dimly lit area where the Hodag was said to be very much alive and hiding in a stall, obscured by curtains. It was for the safety of all that no one spent too much time near the stall, in fear of the Hodag escaping. The exhibit was very successful, and news spread far and wide. Shepard gained enough support that the Hodag was often considered a “scientific discovery.”

Shepard continued to enter his Hodag exhibit in local fairs but with mounting pressure from skeptics, he confessed that his accounts were false sometime before 1900. Shepard admitted that he not only contrived the fictitious sightings but with the help of a friend, had manufactured the “captive” Hodag out of carved wood. Shepard’s motive was to entice an audience with fear and wonder.

Over time, most had lost their belief in a fanged monster roaming the Northwoods but continued to embrace the folklore. Today, the Hodag is featured throughout Rhinelander. There is the Hodag Country Music Festival, the Hodag 5K run, toys and clothing, numerous statues including a pandemic-compliant Hodag, a nomination for the presidential election, and cameos in cartoons ("The Hodag of Horror," "Scooby-Doo! Mystery, Inc." Season 2, Episode 5). 

Whether one believes in this citrus-fearing monster or not, credit must be given to the imagination and devotion of its fans. For archived photos of Shepard’s Hodag, check out the Wisconsin Historical Society  website .

The Van Meter Monster

Stepping out of the woods and into downtown Van Meter, Iowa, we explore the eerie tale of the Van Meter Monster.

The story of the Van Meter Monster begins around the same time the town was established. In 1903, U.G. Griffith observed a mysterious light on the roof of the Mater and Gregg building. At first, he assumed the light indicated the presence of burglars. As he got nearer, however, the light moved to the other side of the street. U.G. Griffith continued home and fell asleep. 

A few nights later, Dr. Alcott was visited by a light in the middle of the night. He went outside to investigate its source and saw a half-human and half-animal creature lingering behind the light. The creature was described as having “great bat-like wings” and a “single blunt horn.” Dr. Alcott gripped his gun and shot at the monster.

As each night passes, more and more townspeople are visited by the Van Meter Monster. Fear increases and townspeople begin to organize themselves to fight the monster. One night on patrol, they happen upon the Van Meter Monster’s lair. They see more than one monster and decide to stake out the location in hopes of slaying the monsters. As dawn breaks, a creature with huge bat-like wings is spotted and guns are fired towards the beast. However, it seems the townspeople missed. 

A “force of men” set to work to barricade the creatures in the old coal mine which was thought to be their lair. The rest of the story is unknown.

Were the monsters trapped and left to die or did they find an escape? We may never know. Artistic renditions and newspaper clippings can be viewed  here .

South Bay Bessie, the Lake Erie Monster

From deep forest to city streets to the Great Lakes, we stop off in Ohio in the hopes of sighting South Bay Bessie, the Lake Erie Monster...

The Witch of Pungo

Our final trip down scary lane lands us in Pungo. We have all heard of the Salem Witch Trials, but did you know that there was also a trial for witchcraft in Pungo, Virginia? 

Grace Sherwood better known as The Witch of Pungo was convicted of witchcraft and consented to the traditional trial for witches, trial by water. At Witchduck Point on July 10, 1706, Grace Sherwood was tied cross-bound and thrown into the Lynnhaven River. If she were to sink and drown she was innocent. If she floated then the Devil must be holding her up, and guilt was certain. 

Grace Sherwood floated, and once ashore two witch’s marks were identified. She was not sentenced to the typical execution by hanging but instead imprisoned. After seven years in prison, she was released in 1714. She recovered her property and never remarried. A statue of Grace has been erected near the site of her trial by water.

Searching through the spooky archives of the GLO, the ROTW team uncovered a patent issued to a woman in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota named Grace Sherwood. Could it be that the Witch of Pungo hopped on her broom and resettled in Devil’s Lake? It does seem appropriate. 

For more details and a glance at Sherwood's tombstone, click  here .

We hope you've enjoyed these mysterious tales and look forward to scaring you in the future.