Beast of Bray Road

Brooke Solomon

Cryptozoology is the search and study for animals whose existence is little to none. There are many animals like Honey Island Swamp Monster, Bigfoot, Yeti, Loch Ness monster, Bray Road Beast and many others. All of these creatures have never truly been discovered but people have claimed to have seen sightings of them. Although there is no real proof of any of these creatures but people continue to believe they have seen them.
The Beast of Bray Road is a creature that has been known to be seen near the towns of Delavan and Elkhorn in Wisconsin. The beast has many labels to the type of creature it is. Many think it is a werewolf, some think it may be Bigfoot. The reason this creature got the name Bray Road Beast s because the first sighting of this creature happened on Bray Road in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. The creature is said to be about 5-7 feet tall on its hind legs. It is estimated to be about 400-700 pounds. People have said to see it eating road kill with it in its two front paws.

The first sighting to ever go public was on October 31, 1991. A woman named Dorostine Gipson was on her way home one dark evening when she felt as if her car's right front tire was lifted off the ground.  She got out of her car and looked into the darkness. She seen some Creature Running at her very fast. She could not make out exactly what this creature was but she said it was “very bulky and that it was compared to someone who lifted weights a lot.”  She also claimed to hear the sounds of its “heavy feet”. She quickly ran back into her car and started to drive away when the beast jumped on the back of her car. Thankfully the car was slippery from being wet that the creature had fallen off. She showed her neighbor the scratches on her car the next day. Word started to spread and many more people came up and talked about their encounters dating all the way back to 1989.
There have been many sightings of the beast through the years. Most sightings end with the beast fleeing back into the forest. This creature has also been claimed to be the Michigan Dogman. Some claim that they have a lot of similar traits but they are located in 2 different locations. No one truly knows if these creatures are the same. They may be and they may not be.
 

 

Do you believe that this creature is real? Do you believe what people are saying or do you need to see it for yourself? There is no real proof that this creature is real only the sightings that have been reported.  It is a big mystery that is yet to be solved. Maybe one day it will be but until then it will be known as an urban legend.
 

 
Work cited:
Fox News. “Beast of Bray Road conspiracy theory”. Beast of Bray road Reported by Sean Hannity. Linda Godfrey. 2009. Web. YouTube. 15 October 2015.
 
Godfrey, Linda S. Kneeling Roadkill. Dec 1991. “Tracking down 'The Beast of Bray Road': Monster or Mirage, the Sightings Sound like Something out of 'Believe It Or Not’.” TheWeekextra.com. Web. 15 October 2015.
 
Godfrey, Linda S. “Sightings of the Creature known as the Bearwolf”. The Beast of Bray Road, Hunting the American Werewolf. Linda S Godfrey. n.d. Web. 15 October 2015.
 
Hall, Jamie. “Beast of Bray Road”. The Cryptid Zoo. Jamie Hall. 2005-2009. Web. 15 October 2015.
 
Harper, Scott. “Science of Lycanthropy”. The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency. Scott Harper. 2001 - 2014. Web. 15 October 2015
 
Taylor, Troy. “The Bray Road Beast”. Unexplained America. Troy Taylor. 2002. Web. 15 October 2015

Links for Further Research:

http://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/The_Beast_of_Bray_Road
This website gives you background information about the beast and talks about the sightings.

http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/werewolf-sightings.html
This talks about the sightings of this beast and when they happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtOMAGzvleM
This video is a documentary on not only the Bray Road Beast but also the Michigan Dogman.

Bigfoot

Author: Avery Deas

"Bigfoot." Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained. London: Chambers Harrap, 2007. Credo Reference. Web. 17 October 2013.  This source gives good information about some people who has had an encounter with Bigfoot. The writer intends to persuade the reader to believe that Bigfoot is real. The source is targeting people who believe in bigfoot. This is written to let the world no bout the encounters some people had with Bigfoot. I chose this source because it tells about peoples encounter with bigfoot. There are no pictures but it is well organized. This source has real people talking about their encounter with bigfoot, which would provide good information for my research.

Martin, Linda Jo. Marble Mountain Wilderness Bigfoot Sightings. Bigfoot Sightings. LJ Mattin Web, 23 July 2012. Web 16 oct. 2013. This source gives good information on where Bigfoot was sighted or could be found. It also shows videos of the beast. The source intends to give  real evidence of Bigfoot in the wild and to show where it could be found. The writer is targeting nonbelievers by showing them video evidence of the creator. I chose this source because it showed the location of where bigfoot was seen and videos of the creator. This source is different because it actually give s proof. I hope to use the videos to improve my research. 

"LEGENDS AND OTHER TRUTHS." The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures: The Pacific Region. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2004. Credo Reference. Web. 17 October 2013. This source talks about the terrain and territory Bigfoot is most likely to live. The website is not to influence the reader but to give the reader knowledge on the type of habitat Bigfoot would live in. The source is for everyone to know. It does not target a particular group of people. I chose this source because for those who do believe in Bigfoot would love to know where to find it. With this source I hope to gain more evidence.

Pavone Food. Jack Link's "Messin' with Sasquatch" is advertainment gold. Pavone Food and Beverage. Pavone, Inc, 30 May 2013. This source shows bigfoot in commercials that we all watch. It does not Influence the reader but it gets everyone's attention by using  the TV network. This source is to entertain the readers. I chose this source because it uses funny videos to capture the reader's attention. Using this source well help me get the audience attention and not bore them with just facts but can also entertain them with funny videos.

"Yeti." The Crystal Reference Encyclopedia. West Chiltington: Crystal Semantics, 2005. Credo Reference. Web. 18 October 2013. This source gives me a another name for Bigfoot known as the yeti. It gives the reader a different name for the beast. The source targets everyone. I chose this source to show that bigfoot is none if many different names.

“Nessie” the Loch Ness Monster

Author:  Lawren Black

Original art by Fireberd904

“Nessie” the Loch Ness Monster? The Abominable Snowman?  Bigfoot?  Many don’t believe these exist but for those that do believe are known as Cryptozoologists. Cryptozoologists study these types of creatures because their existence is yet to be proven scientifically.  One of the more famous Cryptids that has been around a long time and is known around the world is “Nessie”, the Loch Ness Monster.  Pictures of Nessie have surfaced and some evidence has been collected, but no real scientific evidence has brought Nessie justice of being real.

 Living under the 24 mile long, one mile wide, 974 feet deep fresh water lake, Loch Ness, in Scotland is the famous “Nessie.”  Nessie has been around since the sixth century, but it wasn’t until 1933 when Mr. and Mrs. John Mackay reported a sighting that swept through the media internationally. Their sighting was published in the local newspaper, Inverness Courier.

Loch Ness in Highland, Scotland (NationalGeographic)

According to two articles, Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained, the appearance of Nessie is said to be a cross between a long-necked prehistoric time creature, Plesiosaur, and a seal.  Nessie real identity is yet to be discovered.  Many pictures only show Nessie as a hump or a “trunk-like” feature sticking out of the water.  Paleontologist Neil Clark even believes that “the monster was perhaps a padding pachyderm.” (National Geographic)  Clark saw many similarities between the two that made him come to believe that they are similar.

Painting by Neil Clark

While on a six-day monster hunt in 1960, Tim Dinsdale shot a four minute long film of what appeared to be a huge creature in the loch.  Dinsdale, who wanted to know more about the unknown creature, sent his film to be analyzed by JARIC, Royal Air Force Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre.  JARIC analyzed the film and concluded that the hump was 12-16 feet long and had a cross section that was at least five feet high and six feet wide.  JARIC also came to the conclusion that the unknown creature moved at a speed of seven to ten miles per hour and that “…it probably is an animate object” and a part of a living creature instead of a surface craft or submarine. (Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained)

In the summer of 1972, Dr. Robert Rines and his team traveled to Urquhart Bay and used sonar and under-water cameras to try and catch evidence of a lake monster.  Their trip turned successful when the sonar equipment and cameras caught a “thing”, 20-30 feet long and 400 pounds, moving through the water. This “thing” had a diamond shaped flippers, roughly six feet long that were attached to its body.

In December of 1975, Ornithologist Sir Peter Scott unofficially named the monster Nessiteras Rhombopteryx.  The name was taken to mean “Ness monster with the diamond shaped fin,” but later was proven to be an anagram that meant ‘monster hoax by Sir Peter Scott.’ (Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable)

The legend of Nessie has been around for many years and will stay around for many more years.  Until factual evidence of the existence of Nessie comes into play Nessie will forever remain a legend.  So what do you believe? Is Nessie real or not? 

Works cited:

Fireberd904. The Loch Ness Monster. 2010. Digital Art. Deviantart.com. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

Kristof, Emory. Scotland Photos. n.d. Photo. nationalgeographic.com. Highland, Scotland. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

Clark, Neil. Loch Ness Monster an Elephant? n.d. Painting. Nationalgeographic.com. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

"Loch Ness Monster." Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. London: Chambers Harrap, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 11 October 2013. 

"The Loch Ness Monster." Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained. London: Chambers Harrap, 2007. Credo Reference. Web. 11 October 2013.

Lyons, Stephen. “The Legend of Loch Ness.” Pbs.org. NOVA, 12 Jan. 1999. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.

Links for further research :

PBS NOVA http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/legend-loch-ness.html
The article gives us history of the Loch Ness Monster legend, along with some searches for the monster in the past.

LEGEND OF NESSIE http://www.nessie.co.uk/htm/about_loch_ness/nessgeo.html

This article gives a geological view of the Loch Ness in Highland, Scotland along with surrounding areas.

Rodrigues, Joao. “National Geographic- The Truth Behind The Loch Ness Monster [FULL].” youtube.com. YouTube. 18 Nov. 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

This video is providing us with the truth behind the Loch Ness Monster.

The Chupacabra…fact or fake?

Author: Ashley Sharpe

Image from parazzare.

The chupacabra is a wretched, blood-sucking, vampire like creature who attacks helpless livestock animals in the dead of night. Ok, the chupacabra may not really be that severe, but it is a cryptid. A cryptid is a term used to refer to a creature whose existence is suggested but has never given scientific credit.

The chupacabra legend began sometime in the 1990’s when animals in Puerto Rico were turning up dead. The animals were killed by having their blood drained by what looked like a vampire bite to the neck. The owners of these animals said that the creatures were a grayish color, walked on its hind legs, and had vampire like fangs. Other locals described the creatures as looking like dogs.

Scientists concluded that these chupacabras were mearly coyotes with mites that had burrowed under the skin. This gave them the grayish mange look. So I ask you, do you believe in the chupacabra or do you believe that it is mearly a legend?

Works cited:

Viegas, Jennifer. "Chupacabra Mystery Solved." Discoverynews.com. Discovery Communications, LLC, 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.

“Definition of Cryptid”. Monstrous.com. n.p. n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.

http://parazzare.webs.com/photos/Mysteries/El%20Chupacabra.jpg

Links for further research:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggMWBHivne0

This is a video that gives more information about the chupacabra.

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130912/NEWS/130912024/

This is an article in which a man claims he has killed a chupacabra.

The Jersey Devil

Author: Branden Ansley

   
This is one of the greatest paranormal sightings that has been reported in the North. It all started around 1735 in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey . A lady named Mrs. Leeds was about to have her thirtieth child. Before she had the child she said," let this one be the Devil," or something along those lines. Her wish came true when her child came out and turned in to a devil like creature. The creature has a horse like head, horns, hooves for feet, and wings on its back. When the devil was born it killed its' mother and most of the people that was in the house only a few got away alive.

 A lot of people have supposedly saw this creature, something like two thousand cases have been reported. A lot of people think that this is a made up story or a folktale. On the other hand people say how can this be fake if there has been so many people that has witnessed the creature. For the people that doesn't believe that the Jersey Devil is real there is plenty of theories to back them up. One theory is that the Jersey Devil is a descendent of a dragon that has stayed around for years. Another theory is that the creature is a pterodactyl, which is a animal that is from the pre-historical time period that has managed to survive for all these years. Possibly the most reasonable theory is that the creature is mistaken for the Hammerhead Bat. It is a classified mega bat and it has the same characteristics as the supposable Jersey Devil.

           
In 1909 there was an increase in reported cases about the Jersey Devil. This year was actually the most reported cases in history. There was around forty cases reported that year that were documented. Most of these sightings happened in New Jersey, however some happened in Pennsylvania. Why is this the year that the Jersey Devil was seen the most? I have not found this answer for sure but there are a lot of reasons to believe and a lot of theories out there to look at.

           
Going back and looking at the Hammerhead Bat theory, it is the best theory in my opinion. I think this because this bat closely matches the description of the creature. The bad has a big head, wings, small legs, and is pretty tall. I believe that this is where the legend of the Jersey Devil was created, and over the years people has added to the story and has "ran" with the story to make it seem true and real. Other than the big legend of the Jersey Devil the only thing we really have gotten out of this story is the hockey team in New Jersey named the Devils. 

Works Cited:

"The Official Website for The State of New Jersey." The Official Website for The State of New Jersey. New Jersey Office of Information Technology. n.d. web. 17 October 2013.

Leuter, Laura K. "The Official Researchers of The Jersey Devil." The Devil Hunters. 2004-2008. web. 17 October 2013.

Dunning, Brian. "The Jersey Devil." Skeptoid. 1 November 2011. web. 17 October 2013.

Additional Sources:

http://www.jerseyhistory.org/legend_jerseydevil.html

This is a historical site that tells you about New Jersey.

http://www.strangemag.com/jerseydevil1.html

This give information about the Jersey Devil and the Pine Barrens.

http://www.newanimal.org/jersey-devil.html

This site talks about cryptozoology and the Jersey Devil.  

Lake Monsters: Messie and Nessie

Author: Kylie Burkes

Lake monsters saturate our society. It seems like any lake you visit will have some sort of strange beast living beneath its surface. What are these creatures? What environment is best suited for them to live? Why are there so many? Lake monsters can be anything from a large snake to a prehistoric creature. Jamie Hall, the creator of the website The Cryptid Zoo, tells us in his article about lake monsters that they were once generally believed to be plesiosaurs. Now, he tells us, they are believed to be zeuglodons, a primitive whale that can easily live in cold waters. The shift in opinion happened because most lake monsters are found in northern waters that would be too cold for the reptilian plesiosaurs (“The Cryptid Zoo: Lake Monsters”). Because of the variation in the descriptions of lake monsters, there is a wide variety of creatures that could be in the lakes.

The most well-known lake monster is Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. Nessie has been around for decades. In the Monsters of the Loch Ness Roy Mackal provides a table of recorded Nessie sightings in the index. The earliest sighting was in 565 A.D. (225) showing that the legend has been around for centuries.

 Out of all the sightings of Nessie, there is no agreement on what the monster looks like. In the appendix of the Monsters of the Loch Ness there is a table of monster sightings. In two of the 251 water sightings, Nessie appeared to have some sort of limbs; in most of the land sightings, Nessie had at least two flippers (225-264). The number of appendages, whether there are two or four, is varied in the sightings. The Legend of Nessie, the official site for the Loch Ness Monster, tells us that in 20 % of the sightings Nessie’s back had distinct humps (Legend). The humps can be considered a common trait because of the percentage of sightings in which humps were sighted. Mackal believes the humps can be explained by a possible dorsal fin folding over when the creature surfaces. If Nessie were a large eel, then the eel’s horizontal and vertical swimming motion could also cause the multiple humps (150-155). This is a probable explanation but does not account for the descriptions of her having limbs.

On the home page of www.nessie.co.uk there is a list of facts about the loch ness. The lake is about twenty two and a half miles long, between one to one and a half miles wide and 754 feet deep. The site describes the lake floor as being “as flat as a bowling green” (Legend). The lake is large enough for a creature of Nessie’s size to live without being detected.

 Fourteen Pictures Library via PBS.org. This iconic photo has been subject to much controversy and debate.

In Lake Murray in South Carolina there are reports of a monster living beneath the surface. Lake murray is a manmade lake close to Irmo. The lake has now become popular for recreational activities, and a large number of those activities revolve around boating. Lakemurraymonster.com is a single page website that provides information about this mysterious creature known as Messie. The monster was first spotted in 1933 near Irmo, SC. The monster is believed to be an aggressive cousin of the Loch Ness Monster. It has been described as a prehistoric serpent (The Lake Murray Monster). When I was younger, my family would go on day trips to the lake, and we would spend the entire day boating and swimming. As a child, I was worried that I would be attacked by a water mocasin, a venomous water snake, or by a large snapping turtle. If I had been told about Messie, I would never have gotten near a lake again. The thought of a giant, aggressive monster is enough to give anyone the chills.

According to lakemurraymonster.com, the Gilbert Little sighting in 1933 was the first time the monster was seen. The most recent sighting was September 15, 2002 by Mrs. Sandie Hurst. She saw a ripple which bore a remarkable resemblance to a picture on the website (The Lake Murray Monster). The ripples she saw could have been Messie, but it also could have been something else like an animal, a log, or a wave. There is no way to be certain of what Mrs. Hurst because we weren’t there.

Do these creatures really exist? In order to prove beyond a shadow of doubt lake monsters exist, the lakes they live in would have to be drained. This process would destroy the ecosystems of hundreds of animals and kill the monsters in the process. Until a better solution is found, it is up to you to decide if our world is inhabited by large lake dwelling monster like Messie and Nessie.

 Works cited:

Hall, Jamie “The Cryptid Zoo: Lake Monsters” The Cryptid Zoo. n.p. 2005. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.

The Lake Murray Monster. n.p., n.d.Web. 17 Oct. 2012.

The Legend of Nessie the Ultimate Loch Ness Monster Site. n.p., 2012.Web. 17 Oct. 2012.

Mackal, Roy P. The Monsters of Loch Ness. Chicago: Swallow, 1976. Print.

Wilson, R. Kenneth. The Surgeon’s Photo. 1 April 1934. Daily Mail: London. pbs.org. Web. 22 October 2012.

Links for further research:

PBS NOVA http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/legend-loch-ness.html
The article gives a brief history of the Loch Ness legend, a summary of searches for the monster, and an explanation of the “Surgeon’s Photo” hoax.

The Museum of Unnatural Mystery http://www.unmuseum.org/lochness.htm
The article on Nessie provides more detailed information on the legend such as different hoaxes, modern sightings, and non-animal explanations.

Weird Things http://weirdthings.com/2009/12/the-lake-monster-south-carolina-invented/
The blog discusses the Lake Murray Monster skeptically, and the author claims South Carolina made up the legend.