Some people who have claimed to encounter the beast say its a relative of Bigfoot. Moving just east of Madison lies the community of Lake Mills and Rock Lake. But Wisconsins most famous hodag was born in 1893 in Rhinelander. Rewriting Apocalypse adds that some modern-day confusion about the wendigo may have to do with certain terms getting lost in translation: One well-known mistake was traced to the compiler of a dictionary, who entered the information regarding the word Wendigo and substituted the word ghoul for the appropriate word fool because he thought the Native people meant ghoul.'. I felt stuck and almost hypnotized by the whole thing, but came to my senses enough to call attention to my dog and turn around to head for home. At this point in the transformation, it was seen as beyond the point of using rituals or ceremonies, and that a shaman was needed to battle the creature, put it to death, and consecrate the corpse. FlickrAn animatronic depiction of a wendigo in a cage on display in Wendigo Woods in Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Now I know what your wondering, could I have been dehydrated or having hallucinations. There is something viscerally evil about this creature that not even I care to explore further. Im of the mind that things beyond our comprehension and everyday scope absolutely do exist, and this is one I wont be messing with or going on adventures to see again. In other stories, a Wendigo is a malevolent spirit that takes control of men's bodies, cursing them with an incurable need to consume human flesh. Interestingly enough, there are even a couple of lakes today named after the beast, including a Lake Windigo in Minnesota and a Windigo Lake in Wisconsin. YouTubeAn illustration of the Wendigo, a fearsome creature from Native American lore. Many believe the real "Beaman" sightings were of the offspring of this escaped gorilla, and haven't been able to catch it yet. Since that night I havent had any other direct encounter with it, except one event that Im not sure is related but elicited that same feeling of being watched and almost felt. The Algonquian people say that during the turn of the 20th century, a large number of their people went missing. I went to that corner the last few days but always stopped because I just had a odd feeling about continuing, David said. Photo taken circa 2014. Im a very avid bow hunter and have spent most of my life out in the woods, he wrote. Under those circumstances, who could blame them for having a fear of starvation? A recent episode of In Search of Monsters on the Travel Channel interviewed people who spotted a Wendigo at a lakeside camp near Spooner. I would saw that if I had to run about 20 yards uphill through the woods it might take me 30-40 seconds. But people still wanted to see his invention and it was exhibited for years until it was destroyed by fire. I had finally reached the campsite when the footsteps suddenly stopped, I was relieved and slumped over to the cabin stairs when I slipped on a rock slipping out of the makeshift fire, it had caused me to head straight into it. The Giant Green Squirrel of Amble. Most often described as a massive, hairy brute up to 15 feet tall, with a mix of human and animalistic features, the Wendigo has long been said to partake in acts of murder, insatiable greed, and cannibalism. Lake Winnebago Water Monster Lake Winnebago It was behind a tree, and at first appeared to be a bear standing on its back legs scratching its back against the tree trunk. 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. 2. Anthropologists have found hodag tales as early as 1870, originating in lumber camps. Wikimedia CommonsLake Windigo, in the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota. Many people paid to see the beast, which was displayed in a shadowy stall and emitted frightening noises. At the beginning of the 20th century, an 87-year-old by the name of Jack Fiddler was tried for the murder of a . Could it be just hallucinations or misidentifications, maybe even hoaxes? The Story Behind the Special Wisconsin Cheese Back on Sale, Old World Wisconsin Provides a Historical Home for the Holidays, A Landmark Farm Enjoys New Life as a Community Education Center with a Focus on Healthy Food, The 5 Hottest Majors at the University of Wisconsin Right Now, Wisconsin's 7 Weirdest Towns & Why They're Called That, 8 Cheese Factories You Can Visit in Wisconsin. Until this. In recent years numerous wendigo sightings have been reported in Wisconsin. Wisconsin's 7 Weirdest Towns & Why They're Called That, Business I'm compiling the location of all sightings onto a map. As soon as the light hit it launched backwards off of the tree. Its arms, legs, neck, fingers, everything. We sat there in silence for a few minutes when the woods erupted with noise. But ironically enough, these stories might actually represent the Indigenous peoples response to the horrific violence unleashed on them by non-Native people. The creature has been referenced and sometimes even depicted in a variety of hit television shows, including Supernatural, Grimm, and Charmed. Answer (1 of 18): I have read all of your comments, This creature has been part of Native American truth for hundreds of years. But it was very oddly shaped, almost like a football but horizontal with very long ears pointing up into the back, and I thought what I believe to be very long almost grayish hair.. It's a bony, emaciated beast with desiccated gray skin and hollow, sunken eyes. Modern-day scientists and hordes of curious onlookers have issued eyewitness reports from the Linville Gorge area near Morganton. Use the form below to suggest edits. Others saw a headless horseman, riding backwards on his horse. What did David and his wife encounter in the woods? Earlier this month, researchers of the paranormal came together to celebrate Wisconsins favorite cryptid at a Beast of Bray Road Conference held at Lutherdale Camp, not far from Bray Road. Other stories describe it more like a thin bipedal bear creature with a skeletal head and antlers. The "creature" of Native American legend that is said to be a disturbingly thin and gaunt individual that has ice in its veins and forever craves the taste of human flesh. Susan Lampert Smith, Last Updated According to Legends of the Nahanni Valley, a Native author and ethnographer named Basil H. Johnston once described the wendigo in his masterwork The Manitous as such: The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated skin pulled tightly over its bones. One hiker who was present said, Ive heard many different animals in the wild but nothing like this.. A nasty smell that just was right in my face., His wife smelled it as well, and later described it to him as a very strong metallic odor of metal.. It didnt make a sound, and the way it jumped and moved was unlike any animal Ive ever seen. RSS. As Basil Johnston has written, the idea of turning Wendigo is a very real possibility when the word refers to self-destruction, rather than literally becoming a monster in the forest. Weird Wisconsin stories and creepy travel tips! Mostly I am wondering if anything of this description and presence has been encountered before, especially in Texas. So I turned around and saw a large creature about 80 yards from me standing across the stream. If you would really like to know what they are , go to a reservation and ask a Native American. The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated skin pulled tightly over its bones. Every culture that has evil supernatural entities has ways to battle them, and those who would go head to head with them and step up ready to battle. Wisconsin Wendigo Sightings Featured on In Search of Monsters The Wendigo as seen on Travel Channel series In Search of Monsters According to Native American legend, the wendigo is a horrifying, cannibalistic creature that dwells in the forests and waters of the Great Lakes region, hunting for its next human meal. I had been strolling through the forest while looking firewood when I heard rustling in the bushes behind me, as this happened it seemed that all life ceased around me because I could only hear my heartbeat and the lone heavy footsteps approaching me, then I heard my name called from what seemed every direction yet echoed from in front of me while also coming from behind. I smelled the most horrible smell Ive ever smelled my life, like rot and mud and sulfur, David wrote. He described it as the sound it would make if someone were dragging a heavy animal or body through rough brush/woods, and he had a feeling of dread and heaviness, like he couldnt look away and was being honed in on by something. The Wisconsin Windigo continued their winning ways as they hosted Midwest Division rival Chippewa Steel for a two game series on February 24-25, at the historic Dome in Eagle River, WI. You can view the map here. More sightings in the Bay followed in the 1930s, '60s, '70s and '80s. Shepard reported that it had the head of a frog, the grinning face of a giant elephant, thick short legs set off by huge claws, the back of a dinosaur, and a long tail with spears at the end.. Would love your thoughts, please comment. In several Native American traditions, Navajo folklore from the American Southwest, for example, tells of supernatural creatures; the werewolf, werecoyote, or whatever form the therianthrope or demon is known as a "Skinwalker" or Yendalooshi (Yenaldooshi). As I went to unzip my tent, trying to keep my eyes toward the woods, I heard some movement directly in front of me. Lake Winnebago Water Monster - Lake Winnebago Required fields are marked *. 1. As long as there have been demons and monsters in our world and those who believe in them, there have been those willing to fight them. For context: I love the supernatural, paranormal, and true crime. And after a month, it felt like it had gone, and it was safe to go over there again alone. Subscribe Today! ), Use the form below to submit photos and videos for use on the Wisconsin Frights website and social media. They had just started hunting there a few days prior, and the odd feeling had been enough to convince David to turn back on previous excursions. 2. With its bones pushing out over its skin, its complexion the ash gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into the sockets, the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. The first thought that comes to mind is the classic image of the Wendigo. I just kept thinking about what I saw. It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment. Then things got bizarre rather quickly, of which the witness says: I remember we both pulled out our flashlights and shown it in the direction we felt the sounds were coming from but that is what was so weird. It was very tall and skinnyalmost as tall as the roof of their ranch house because even standing in the middle of the front yard it looked almost as tall as the house. Originating within the myths and lore of various Algonquin-speaking tribes of Nova Scotia, the East Coast of Canada, and Great Lakes Region of Canada and in Wisconsin, United States, including such tribes as the Ojibwe, the Saulteaux, the Cree, the Naskapi, and the Innu, the monstrous entity called the Wendigo has long been feared. A freelance writer and operator of the Blue Valley Gardens produce farm outside Mount Horeb, Susan previously wrote an award-winning newspaper column and has authored two books. I threw up and sprinted back up to the house with my cat, and avoided the creek for ages, though weirdly I felt quite certain that whatever that thing was, it couldn't cross running water. An oxen trip from Milwaukee to Galena, Illinois, took five days back then, and along the road, saloons and inns sprang up to feed and shelter the miners, and to separate them from their earnings. It is certainly a sad tale of the end of tribal beliefs, and whether these Wendigo ever really existed or not the people of the region certainly believed that they did and that they were a threat. In one account of the origins of this beast, the Wendigo started as a warrior who made a deal with the Devil in order to save his tribe from some unspecified calamity, in others it is simply greed and cannibalism that does the trick, or one can also be made into a Wendigo by another of the creatures, yet in every one of them the spawn of this all is an unholy abomination that seeks constant sustenance. There exist many local stories of the Witches Triangle intersecting graveyards, the Witches Tower barricaded water tower, and a mysterious locked book that is said to be in the special collections section of the Anderson Library, which according to hearsay, leads to the deaths of those who read it. In 2006, a large bearlike animal with canine characteristics dragged a dead deer from the back of a county contractor's pick up truck. Ken Virden is a member of the Discover Wisconsin team. Sightings are reported annually, and many locals believe in the creature, though some remain skeptical, of course. What Is A Wendigo? Devils Lake is actually called Day-wa-kun-chunk (holy lake or Sacred Lake) by the Ho-Chunk. However, as Wright was about to enter his room for the . It wasnt until about a month ago that I was watching a special on supernatural encounters that I heard about Wendigos. BONUS: Whitewater, WI Meet The Cannibalistic Cryptid Of Your Nightmares. We have more lakes than any other country on the planet, so it stands to reason we would have at least one serious lake monster. i have also lived in wisconson half my life and i only know the hodag, Your email address will not be published. The human was transformed into a cannibalistic monster which roams the forests searching for prey. An illustration of the Wendigo, a fearsome creature from Native American lore. Then I kinda felt like someone was really looking at me. This had sent horrendous chills down my spine, So I ran the fastest Ive ever had back towards the campsite, while I heard the twigs and leaves crunching behind me. Now as far as I know there is no family history on either side for hallucinations, and even of there were, this would have been my only experience with one my entire life, and it's been almost a full decade since this happened. https://www.wisconsinfrights.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/nipissing-swamp-wisconsin-wendigo.jpg, https://www.wisconsinfrights.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/wisconsin-frights-sm.png. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. She had told me that before leaving a terrifically gaunt figure had been watching us across the river bank, and that it had noticed her and ran away on all four at a fictional speed she shakily said, staying quite frightened after. And Im not really to athletic but Im not mega weak. Something or someone was running in a circle around our campsite. NASA's Photos From Mars: Don't Tell Me the Red Planet Wasn't Once a Thriving World! Still, he was hanged for his crime. Hello? he said quietly. The lore of the Wendigo, which is often ominously translated as the evil spirit that devours mankind, varies slightly from tribe to tribe, but it is always seen as a malevolent creature with an intense, uncontrollable perpetual hunger for human flesh, and often said to possess the minds of others in order to drive them to cannibalism. But there is another aspect, according to which the Wendigo is something like . If theres one thing we do know its that there is a lot of mystery shrouded in this beast, many fishermen continue to track the creature in hopes of catching it one day and proving its existence. I live in a very haunted town in Wisconsin, we even have our own book! As David and his wife reached the fork, something not far off the trail ran off through the woods. Does anyone else know about it? The Wendigo has been described in many ways, but they all have common traits. Then this brown, slimy, serpent or eel like body sloshed around and went into the water. Citation: The Driftless Reader, by Curt Meine and Keene Keeler, p. 80, my grand father always called it Tawacunchukdah translates roughly to spirt lake. Susan Lampert Smith Travelers along this misty stretch of highway would report seeing lights and a strange lone figure patrolling the road. In recent years numerous wendigo sightings have been reported in Wisconsin. They slowly walked toward the tree where the creature had been standing, where they saw large impressions in the ground. And very large, dark eyes, oriented forward like a predators would be. By then, the hodag was so much a part of Rhinelander culture that the city is known as The Home of the Hodag, and boasts a Hodag Country Festival, several hodag statues and has a hodag as the mascot of the high school teams. He says of what happened next: There is a creek on that property as well, and while usually we never had any issues while down there, this one time had proven to be quite strange; Topaz the cat was unwilling to cross in her usual spot, and it was eerily quiet. Legends and beliefs exist for a reason, and this is one I dont want to mess with. For being an insatiable predator, the wendigo is definitely not the largest or most muscular beast out there. Its voice resembles the sounds of the wild - falling water, wind, the call of birds and beasts. Woods County, WI Encounter Rock County, WI Encounter Burnette County, WI Encounter Burnette County, WI Encounter Burnette County, WI Encounter Price County, WI . Ryan told them that we called the police and roughly thirty minutes later a park ranger showed up. The beast is purported to run on all fours while chasing deer, but can also stand on its hind legs and kneel like a human. Other sightings have been reported northwest of Crivitz in a large expanse of wetlands and hardwood forest. He especially loves human flesh. They nevertheless stayed at the camp, as it was a trip they had been planning for months, and on the second to last day something very bizarre would unfold, of which the witness says: Although, these occurrences were a disturbance it did not deter us from staying for the final two days as we had been planing it for months, but one experience years ago on the day right before our departure, still haunts me to this day. What was going on here? They would prevent the snakes from overrunning the earth and devouring mankind, according to Menominee folklore. From Side Hustle to Storefront:Meet the 25-Year-Old Badger Alum Set to Open Her First Brick-and-Mortar Bakery, Our Wisconsin If you experience problems with the form or want to attach images please email them to info@wisconsinfrights.com, Are you affiliated with this location? People paid to see his invention and it was destroyed by fire I. Overrunning the earth and devouring mankind, according to which the Wendigo was gaunt to the horrific unleashed. Is definitely not the largest or most muscular beast out there always stopped because I just a! In recent years numerous Wendigo sightings have been reported in Wisconsin forward a. Eyes, oriented forward like a predators would be it launched backwards off of the 20th century an... Beast, which was displayed in a cage on display in Wendigo woods in Busch Gardens Williamsburg was displayed a. 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