At first I thought it was the wind and I remember thinking maybe the wind is just throwing leaves around and what we are hearing is nothing but the wilderness around us. My town is small and everything is silent and dark by 9:00pm. 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. 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. I saw a grey hunched over humanoid in the woods near our elementary school. I live in an apartment complex that is on the end of a residential street, so most of the street is older houses. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. 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. One hiker who was present said, Ive heard many different animals in the wild but nothing like this.. Moving just east of Madison lies the community of Lake Mills and Rock Lake. In lore, the creature is supposedly a gaunt, extremely tall apparition that had glowing eyes, long yellowed fangs, wicked claws, and a long tongue, often also depicted with antlers, and which was eternally en thrall to insatiable hunger, growing ever larger with each kill it made and yet never fully satiated, always skeletal and slight no matter how much it ate. - YouTube 0:00 / 20:27 WENDIGO Sighting Near Pikes Peak, Colorado? Subscribe Today! I recently received a distressed email from a man named David W. who, along with his wife, had an encounter with something they could not explain (maybe a wendigo?) Despite their gaunt physiques, Wendigo are described by some as giants, measuring at about 4.5 m (14.8 ft) in height. It is believed by native Americans that wendigos call out for help like a human in order to lure people toward it. Have you had a similar experience in the Two Rivers area? When lumberjacks gathered around the fire, they loved to tell tales of the creatures of the North Woods, and the most ferocious, they agreed, was the hodag. While not exactly dealing with cryptids, the Second Salem town of Whitewater is known for its stories of witches and spirits. What is going on behind these reports and others like them, and are they even truly encounters with the legendary Wendigo at all? The Giant Green Squirrel of Amble. 2. Within the region, Fiddler was nearly legendary as a powerful shaman and healer, attributed with vast supernatural abilities such as the power to shapeshift, conjure up animal spirits, chase away evil spirits, deflect spells, and many others, but he was most well known as a Wendigo hunter. However, Wendigo creature sightings are still reported, especially in northern Ontario, near the Cave of the Wendigo, and around Kenora, where traders have allegedly spotted it, trackers and trappers for decades. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Ive made a point to only walk my dog during the daylight during the summer months, and on the connecting street that is the main road of my town that is at least lit with streetlights in the winter when it gets dark before Im even home from work. The Cryptid Zoo: Windigo (or Wendigo) . I'm sure any of them would be happy to expla. These spooky tales passed down through generations of Whitewater residents and UW-Whitewater students continue to be a part of the towns unique culture. 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. Theres been a ghost reported along the old road in southwestern Wisconsin since the pioneer days of the early 1840s. They were hunting in Point Beach State Forest in Two Rivers, where they moved to only a few months prior, and were unfamiliar with the area. Yeah I ran out of those woods in about 10 seconds. According to the witness, they were very familiar with the sounds of the forest and this sounded off to them, as if several people were walking around the campsite trying not to be heard. Perhaps one of the most unique and famous beasts on this list is the Rhinelander Hodag. I noticed a little later that she was acting as if something was threatening her, so I looked up, and saw it. Normally Im the type of person that would go out and look for myself, maybe even going down by the pond to explore and find something, but this case shuts all of that down. These locals would encounter Rocky by their boats and along the shore where they would be traumatized once sighting the incognito beast hissing at them. 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. Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! And after a month, it felt like it had gone, and it was safe to go over there again alone. This creature is so famous among northern Wisconsinites that it even has its own monument and country music festival. And underneath that terrifying, flesh-eating demon, there might still be a human man who was once just a hungry hunter. In 1896, to draw people to the Oneida County Fair, Shepard said he would exhibit a live hodag. The curious thing about Rock Lake is that if you dive down in certain parts of the lake you can find small pyramid like structures. Could this be some sort of other creature like a Sasquatch, even a supernatural entity such as a Skinwalker? The Wendigo's sallow yellow and ash gray skin emits a sour odor of decay. Then you can read about the time it was reported that a 132-million-year-old Loch Ness Monster skeleton was found. As you can see, there are a large amount of sightings on the east . It has no lips, bares jagged teeth, and hisses with every breath. We sat there in silence for a few minutes when the woods erupted with noise. Its voice resembles the sounds of the wild - falling water, wind, the call of birds and beasts. Just about the only thing scarier might be what one would do if the starvation became too much to handle. He bet against the hotel owner and won the hotel. So I turned around and saw a large creature about 80 yards from me standing across the stream. In Native folklore, it was called N'ha-a . Neil Rosenstech. Food & Drink Secondary Editor: Andrs Martinez. Whatever they are, such accounts make the rounds from time to time, and add a layer to the already rich and spooky lore of the Wendigo. In the wilds and cold expanses of the North American continent, the Natives of the region had their own stories of sinister entities that stalked the night, and they too had those who would fight them. The local tension leading up to such accusations may even be comparable to the fear that preceded the Salem witch trials. 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. Sadly, the creature was soon to be revealed as a hoax by the man who claimed to discover it but the legend of the Hodag still carries on to this day. October 21, 2021 1:24 pm CDT. In recent years numerous wendigo sightings have been reported in Wisconsin. Though their legend has changed over the years, many of their main characteristics are fairly steady-and sightings of them continue to roll in . As the tale goes, the wendigo was once a lost hunter. Still, what really scares me the most from back then was when we had been leaving the site, I looked back from the car window and saw a figure standing at the tree line staring at me, it was lanky and looked starved to the point of having its skin wrapping tightly against its bones. Ive never encountered anything like this or have felt the feeling I felt when I was out there.. The elusive aberration is said to roam the area of Bray Road located just outside of the town of Elkhorn. 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. It felt like longer but it was only a few seconds before this creature jumped straight up in the air (and I mean straight up, not forward) and bounded to the back of the house in 3 large strides. At the turn of the 20th century, the Algonquian tribes blamed many unsolved disappearances of people on wendigo attacks. The Mysterious Men in Black and Their Equally Weird Cars, Rock Star Richey Manic and His Mysterious 1995 Disappearance: A Book Reviewed, Mexico's President Reveals Photo of Mythical Maya Elf, Mysterious Mermaid Mummy in Japanese Temple Has Finally Been Identified, Mysterious Flying Fanged Creature That Separates Into Two Parts Reported in the Philippines. Duke writes "Report details told by: Trapper: Howard B Leblank, a 54 year old trapper and hunting guide from Kenora Ontario. The most recent was in April 2013, when a retired police officer witnessed a bigfoot crossing a highway near Pembine. Hes hoping to find answers. Once theyre isolated in the desolate depths of the wilderness, he attacks them and then feasts on them. Other stories describe it more like a thin bipedal bear creature with a skeletal head and antlers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); To read this article, and access more real Wisconsin news, sign up for our free newsletter. The legend of the Wendigo stems from Native American folklore, primarily in Algonquian-speaking tribes located in south and southeastern Canada, the Great Lakes Region, and northeastern United States. It resembled somewhat of a dragon-like creature. Another rough translation of wendigo is the evil spirit that devours mankind. This translation is related to yet another version of the wendigo that has the power to curse humans by possessing them. It takes its place in the study of cryptozoology. 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. We Found Wisconsins Best Fish Fry. It's bones are visible through its sickly yellow skin, and its body is composed of ice and matted fur. Minnesota: Wendigo This is one of the oldest legendary monsters, dating back to the folklore of Native Americans, who hunted these 15-foot-tall shape-shifting creatures even into the early 20 th century. During a brutally cold winter, this mans intense hunger drove him to cannibalism. My dog, who is normally aware of every living creature from a mile away in a snow storm, is completely unaware of its presence. Different versions of the wendigo legend say different things about his speed and agility. This tale was told to Howard when he was a boy by his father a French Canadian fur trapper, from when he worked the area north east of Huntsville Ontario as a boy before Algonquin Park was a . 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. It has allegedly been seen eating dead animals alongside the road, most recently in 2020. Ken Virden is a member of the Discover Wisconsin team. There was no response. Pages 9-11, 16-17 There are many different stories associated with this mystic being. Does anyone else know about it? An illustration of the Wendigo, a fearsome creature from Native American lore. Its arms, legs, neck, fingers, everything. It all begin with Morris Pratt in 1889 where he built the Pratt Institute, which dealt with topics of spiritual studies long before the existence of UW-Whitewater. Ryan and I tried explaining everything to him but he just chalked it up to either a curious animal or some campers trying to mess with us. The intervention of a shaman was typically sought as a last resort, when a person was obviously in the final throes of fully turning, during which they would exhibit delirium, insanity, potent nightmares, the uncontrollable urge to run naked through the woods, and of course an irresistible need to eat human flesh. February 27, 2023. The closest I would akin it to would be a deer, but it was on its hind legs and had the body features of a stretched out human but with antlers or tall ears. The whistling stopped. They saw a deer there, standing sideways out in the open. Their origins also have some variations, but the main cause according to the majority of traditions, is that humans who were overcome by greed or hunger, or those who resorted to cannibalism to stay alive, were at risk of becoming Wendigos themselves. Native Americans would send out scouts and warriors onto the lake for hunting trips only to hear screams with other tribesmen telling how they saw the hunters dragged underneath into the brackish waters by octopus-like tentacles. (Twitter: @DiscoverWI), That is so cool I live in Wisconsin my hole life and I havent heard of some of those. Nothing. Many reports occurred during the late 1800s of fishermen who would have violent encounters with the beast. I want to try and get it again. Citation: The Driftless Reader, by Curt Meine and Keene Keeler, p. 80, my grand father always called it Tawacunchukdah translates roughly to spirt lake. The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated skin pulled tightly over its bones. Over and over again. According to the Native legend, any human who eats another human, for whatever reason, even starvation, is transformed into a wendigo. After feasting on another humans flesh, he transformed into a crazed man-beast, roaming the forest in search of more people to eat. If the form doesnt work, you want to send a video file, or multiple photos please send them to info@wisconsinfrights.com, I took this photo/videoI found this photo/video online, I give Wisconsin Frights permission to use this photo or video. Join MU Plus+ and get exclusive shows and extensions & much more! Join MU Plus+ and get exclusive shows and extensions & much more! Many Wendigo sightings have been reported over time, not only by Native Americans, but by white settlers as well. The Wendigo is a cannibalistic monster from the Algonquin myths of North America. Until speaking with a phrase that still haunts me today, before I had left early, that thing had left long, deep, scratch mark on the trail sign. It was the one that It was chased me on. Two consecutive notes with roughly a three to four second gap and then two more consecutive notes. The first thought that comes to mind is the classic image of the Wendigo. WENDIGO Sighting Near Pikes Peak, Colorado? But there is another aspect, according to which the Wendigo is something like . The evil being is associated with winter and starvation, and appears to feast on humans. The fear I felt was incredible. Wisconsin's 7 Weirdest Towns & Why They're Called That, Business Rocky of Rock Lake Lake Mills One of the most worrying stories traded among the Algonquian tribe is about a creature known as the wendigo. Grasping its victim, the Wendigo runs at such speed that the poor victim's eyes bleed and his feet burn. It is still terrifying to talk or think about. Sightings of the Ogopogo in BC's Lake Okanagan date back to the late 1800's. Up to 15m in length, it looks strikingly similar to cousin Nessie in Scotland's Loch Ness. Sightings are reported annually, and many locals believe in the creature, though some remain skeptical, of course. One of the guys walked around a bit and came back and said he didnt see anything. In some forms, the Wendigo is the size of a human, while in others, it can be fifteen-feet-tall. Wendigo in Wisconsin This is still hard for me to wrap my head around because it shook me to my core, but this story takes place just over a year ago in late November 2018. One of the most infamous cases is the story of Swift Runner, a Native American man who murdered and ate his whole family during the winter of 1879. And on the far side of the stream from my house there are large trees. I tend to walk my dog after dinner and before bed, and my town is pretty safe, so walking her in the dark never phased me. Sightings: date back to tribal indian days and now are seen by travelers, hikers and other people in the forests where it is seen. Despite the psychological explanation, reports of Wendigo sightings have continued into the 21st century, especially any time a particularly brutal winter rolls around. The human was transformed into a cannibalistic monster which roams the forests searching for prey. So I decided to head in. Amongst these ruins and the vegetation, one can supposedly discover Rocky, a large serpentine reptile. As soon as the light hit it launched backwards off of the tree. It's a bony, emaciated beast with desiccated gray skin and hollow, sunken eyes. The moment I saw it my body froze and I had that feeling that you only get when youre near immediate danger or evil. Modern-day scientists and hordes of curious onlookers have issued eyewitness reports from the Linville Gorge area near Morganton. They searched for a good, secluded area to set up camp for a planned two-night stay, got everything set up, and after a day of hiking and exploring the Jacks River the trip seemed to be off to a great start. This monster comes to us courtesy of the Algonquin-speaking people of the oft-froze . Wikimedia CommonsA Wendigo Manitou carving on Mount Trudee in Silver Bay, Minnesota. 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