A list of Wisconsin Cryptids
1. The Beast of Bray Road
The mysterious oddity is said to wander about the area of Bray Road located just outside of the town of Elkhorn. This werewolf cryptid has had several sightings in the 1990s with local newspapers reporting on the topic and even eventually gaining some national news attention as the most popular werewolf sighting in the U.S. Many are suspicious of its existence and others say that it has been confused as other folklore monsters such as a Wisconsin Bigfoot or a wendigo.
A photo of the beast of bray road:
2. Lake Winnebago Water Monster
Sturgeons are massive prehistoric fish that can be very frightening up close. This combination of its size and roots make for some interesting folklore, such as inspiration for the Lake Winnebago Water Monster. Some say it’s a sea serpent. Others say it’s a colossal sturgeon. One thing we do know is that there is a lot of mystery around this beast, and many fishermen continue to track the creature in hopes of proving its existence.
3. The Devil’s Lake Monster
Originally Devil’s Lake was referred to as “M’de Wakan” or “Bad Spirit” Lake by the Nakota Sioux for its vast, freezing, and salt-filled waters. Native Americans would send out scouts and warriors onto the lake for hunting trips only to hear screams with other tribesmen reporting that they saw the hunters being dragged underneath into the waters by tentacles. Other sightings by the Nakota reported a huge, Loch Ness-like fish monster in the lake as well.
4. Rocky the Rock Lake Terror
Deep beneath the surface of Rock Lake(near Lake Mills), there are what appear to be underwater “pyramids” that many people believe were built by ancient people who once called Wisconsin home. But the elusive mounds aren’t the only thing that sits below the surface, many feel that a lake monster also lives there. The Rock Lake Monster, who would later became known as Rocky, was first spotted in the lake in 1867. A man named Harbeck claimed to have seen a huge lizard swimming in the lake, and at one point, he said to have encountered it on land. Harbeck stated that the serpent was hidden within large reeds and vegetation along the shore and as he walked by (he must have startled it), the creatures head rose up, it hissed at him, and it quickly made its way back into the water. Other witnesses at the time reported seeing a large and thick creature that resembled a serpent swimming under the surface of the water. The mystery animal was known to occasionally break the surface of the water and hiss aggressively at onlookers who were close to the shoreline. Ever since then, Rocky has appeared from time to time.
5. Lake Koshkonong Monster
Jefferson County is a creepy place. It’s not only home to numerous werewolf sightings, it’s also home to the Lake Koshkonong monster. According to a November 1887 article in the Watertown Republican, duck hunters A. I. Sherman, of Fort Atkinson, and Charles Bartlett of Milwaukee, rowed in a bay in the northeastern part of the lake when they saw an gigantic serpent swimming about 150 feet from their boat. The creature raised its head above the water with a neck at least ten feet long and eight inches thick. The two estimated the beast to be at least forty feet long.
Geneva Lake, a 7.5-mile long, 144-feet deep body of water in southeastern Wisconsin, is home to a monster similar to the Lake Koshkonong Monster. Her name is Jenny. According to the Chicago Tribune, the first recorded sighting of Jenny was in July 1892, when two boys fishing saw an enormous snake-like creature. It was about 100 feet long, and three-feet thick. The creature emerged from the water thirty yards away from the boys, and started swimming toward them. The creature then turned back toward the deeper parts of the lake, and dove under. People from the town of Lake Geneva, which is on the shores of Geneva Lake, reported seeing Jenny many times by 1902, although sightings are now rare.
6. Goatman of Hogsback Road
Hogsback road is near Hubertus, Wisconsin. Witnesses of this cryptid have described it like a satyr from Greek mythology – a horned man with the lower body of a goat. This creature has appeared in the folklore of this area since the late 1800s. However, unlike lake monsters, there are recent sightings, such as a 2003 encounter when two men saw what looked like a two-legged goat walk across the road in front of their car. The creature was the size of a man with large, muscular legs and tiny arms.
7. The Mineral Point Vampire
The first sighting of the vampire happened when police were called to Graceland Cemetery in Mineral Point to investigate a trespassing. Officers saw a dark figure amongst the tombstones and tried to get closer to it. This figure escaped them, easily climbed a fence and escaped. This was the first of many cemetery encounters between police and the “vampire.” In March 2008, police received many calls about a man in a tree. When they arrived at the tree, the Mineral Point vampire leapt to the ground, easily climbed a ten-foot-high concrete wall, and disappeared. The last sighting was in July 2008, when a boyfriend and girlfriend went fishing at night at Ludden Lake. They heard something climbing below them on the planks where they sat. When the boyfriend stomped on the dock, something fell into the water. The boyfriend shone his flashlight toward the splashing to see a tall, thin man with a white face and black hair dressed in a cape climbing onto the dock. The young man threw his flashlight at the figure, and the couple ran to their car. As they sped away, the girlfriend saw the Mineral Point vampire running toward them.
Sources: http://bobber.discoverwisconsin.com/6-creepy-cryptids-call-wisconsin-home/ http://www.pinebarrensinstitute.com/post/149278527448/cryptid-profile-rocky-the-rock-lake-terror-in http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2017/04/exploring-american-monsters-wisconsin/ @the-pine-barrens-institute
