He said he was listening for about a minute and thought he caught a glimpse of something very tall near the tree line. According to the book Rewriting Apocalypse in Canadian Fiction, wendigo stories were once viewed as an illustration of the violent and primitive nature of the very people telling those stories. But they also say people who have been abused or neglected may become the Wendigo. Theres been a ghost reported along the old road in southwestern Wisconsin since the pioneer days of the early 1840s. 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. Wikimedia CommonsLake Windigo, in the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota. Red question marks represent the broad location where the sightings occurred. It has allegedly been seen eating dead animals alongside the road, most recently in 2020. I went to that corner the last few days but always stopped because I just had a odd feeling about continuing, David said. Map of all currently-documented sightings. He and his wife watched it briefly, unable to understand what they were looking at. Most recently in 2019, mysterious howls in the Canadian wilderness led some to question whether they were caused by the infamous man-beast. But there are also more to know about. 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. Snapped my line like it was nothing a few years back. Each one containing its own mystery of what might be lurking out there in the unknown. The presence and overall weight of the feeling this whole encounter gave me still sticks with me as clearly as the night it happened; I can remember it all so vividly and still feel the weight. Although most of the stories of Wendigo encounters occurred far back into the19th and 20th centuries and beyond, there have been sporadic reports of what could be possible Wendigos up into more modern times. Now I know what your wondering, could I have been dehydrated or having hallucinations. Rather, one of his creepiest traits is his ability to mimic human voices. Today it encompasses parts of state Highway 55, Highway 151, state highways 68 and 33 and Highway 18. Required fields are marked *. I do remember antlers, and matted fur, but nothing gaunt or skeletal. It wasnt until about a month ago that I was watching a special on supernatural encounters that I heard about Wendigos. More recent sightings have been flooding in ever since 1987 when the song first aired on WTCM. RSS. And it was fast. Sightings are reported annually, and many locals believe in the creature, though some remain skeptical, of course. My town is small and everything is silent and dark by 9:00pm. We Found Wisconsins Best Fish Fry. BONUS: Whitewater, WI Travelers along this misty stretch of highway would report seeing lights and a strange lone figure patrolling the road. 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 creature has been referenced and sometimes even depicted in a variety of hit television shows, including Supernatural, Grimm, and Charmed. Susan Lampert Smith Since the wendigo is said to be a cold-weather creature, most sightings have been reported in Canada, as well as colder northern states in the U.S. like Minnesota. More sightings in the Bay followed in the 1930s, '60s, '70s and '80s. I Often Hear That: I'll Share Some With You, TikTok and Its Strange Proliferation of Mysterious Accounts of Skinwalkers, A 3,500-Year-Old Frozen Mummified Bear Found in Siberia. He bet against the hotel owner and won the hotel. If Bigfoot has been here all along, we would expect to meet him in old legends as well as in the latest sightings. In Native American folklore, the terrifying wendigo is often described as a gaunt and foul-smelling creature that roams the woods in search of human flesh to consume. This supernatural creature stands 15 feet tall, severely thin and gaunt, with glowing eyes, long yellow fangs, an overly long tongue, and matted hair. Education What is going on behind these reports and others like them, and are they even truly encounters with the legendary Wendigo at all? Anthropologists have found hodag tales as early as 1870, originating in lumber camps. Not just one tribe but many. Many Wendigo sightings have been reported over time, not only by Native Americans, but by white settlers as well. The Ridgeway Ghost story begins at Sampsons Saloon in Ridgeway, where a peddler is said to have stopped in for a drink and was never seen again. The part I never like to talk about. Devils Lake Monster Baraboo He looked shaken and kept looking through the peephole in my door and not saying anything. Perhaps this can be attributed to the notion that he is never satisfied with his cannibalistic urges. July 27, 2022 9:11 am CDT, Originally Published It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment. 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. Ever since that night Ive been thinking about it and running through all of the possibilities of what it could be, but always coming up with no explanation. If you are interested yourself then maybe you'll have to take a trip over to Bray Road at night and see for yourself. Other stories describe it more like a thin bipedal bear creature with a skeletal head and antlers. Hespends his recreational time with family and friends going camping, attending rock festivals, and running his own podcast Virden Interviews. Despite their gaunt physiques, Wendigo are described by some as giants, measuring at about 4.5 m (14.8 ft) in height. Wendigo Attack Report. Other stories describe it more like a thin bipedal bear creature with a skeletal head and antlers. Up until then this never would have been seen as totally strange by the Native people of the region, a necessary evil in their fight against sinister forces, but in the view of the Mounties and the white settlers they represented this was called murder. And after a month, it felt like it had gone, and it was safe to go over there again alone. Whether you believe the wendigo lurks in the woods at night or not, this is not just another boogeyman story meant to scare people for no reason. Somewhere in Montcalm County is the town of Amble, Michigan, population approx. But speed wouldnt be a necessary skill for a monster of this nature. I'd love to hear more about this encounter you had. He's written articles for MU and Daily Grail and has been a guest on Coast to Coast AM and Binnal of America. David estimated the creature to be eight to ten feet tall, with long, thin, gangly arms. 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 case of Wendigo psychosis spreading among the Algonquin peoples and the missionary travelers among them is a famously recorded example of appearances of Wendigos in the world. During an investigation by the Canadian Royal Mounted Police, a First Nations woman by the name of Wahsakapeequay turned up dead, strangled to death with a rope and the scene of the body displaying signs of a ritual. And there isnt a single tree small enough to remotely look like what I saw. The Beast of Bray Road, a hairy man wolf that walks erect, is rumored to have beenfirst spotted on Bray Road near Elkhorn in the 1930s. We turned around, my eyes glued to the trees, and when we got to the middle of the houses I could see two eyes watching me through the two houses. During a brutally cold winter, this mans intense hunger drove him to cannibalism. This has left me questioning what is those woods and was it a reality, but when my sister asked me why I was so shaken I told her what I experienced and her face went pale. and our Lake Winnebago Water Monster Lake Winnebago The Wendigo is a wicked spirit that haunts the wild areas of North America's Atlantic Coast and Great Lakes regions. I smelled the most horrible smell Ive ever smelled my life, like rot and mud and sulfur, David wrote. Biology, nature, and cryptozoology still remain Brent Swancers first intellectual loves. Many of us are packing up and heading into the great outdoors for a fun array of activities like swimming, biking, hiking, hammock napping, and scary campfire stories. Above: That dang Hodag. This was seen as a constant threat, and turning into a Wendigo or being possessed by one was seen by the Natives of these lands as a fate worse than death. Photo taken circa 2014. What lips it had were tattered and bloody Unclean and suffering from suppurations of the flesh, the Wendigo gave off a strange and eerie odor of decay and decomposition, of death and corruption. Popular Wendigo sightings . Many people paid to see the beast, which was displayed in a shadowy stall and emitted frightening noises. It's bones are visible through its sickly yellow skin, and its body is composed of ice and matted fur. When I shot, you could see that I shot low and I heard something like my arrow hitting something. Up until then, the Cree peoples had managed to largely live apart from civilization, more or less untouched by the coming of the white man and their outlandish ways. Im a very avid bow hunter and have spent most of my life out in the woods, he wrote. That night they got a fire going, had dinner, and sat chatting away until a sound caught their attention. It must have been GINORMOUS however given the scale to which I saw it. Yet, looking at some scattered accounts in modern times, it seems that people are still having harrowing encounters with alleged Wendigos, and here we will look at a selection of some of these. The 5 Hottest Majors at the University of Wisconsin Right Now, Our Wisconsin Susan Lampert Smith, Last Updated Whatever this person or thing was, it was about five feet up in a tree. The whistling stopped. 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. The house was along a creek, and the witness claims that one evening one of the cats, named Topaz, who usually followed him around on his walks around the property was with him, but this evening would prove to be stranger than most. We decided we better get out of there because it was starting to get dark and we were both pretty freaked out, David wrote. 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. The vast majority of supposed wendigo sightings happened between the 1800s and 1920s. 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. I was done. So this tall, lanky creature is standing there and I cant see its face but by its positioning I know it has noticed me, also. In fact, many anthropologists believe that the concept of a wendigo only developed after the Native people had contact with the Europeans. Stories, Sightings & Experiences ; Wendi-go in NE Pennsylvania? There was no response. It was first reported in 1893 to have 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. He uses this skill to lure people in and draw them away from civilization. Many of these reports were shockingly similar to the Swift Runner case. Ever take a good look at a sturgeon before? 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 live in an apartment complex that is on the end of a residential street, so most of the street is older houses. Ive lived in a without-a-doubt haunted house, frequently go on after-hours explorations of known haunted places, and have seen and experienced many paranormal events. People have reported seeing the beast scavenging along the roads in Walworth County and neighboring Jefferson and Racine counties. he said elders would go there to reflect on the lessons of their ancestors. September 21, 2022. 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? It escalated when they began to hear footsteps in the area, a terrible stench would sometimes waft through, and there was a constant, inescapable feeling of being watched. It's the hauntings of Sparta and if anyone is interested it's on my YouTube channel babebeachattire. Join MU Plus+ and get exclusive shows and extensions & much more! I'm compiling the location of all sightings onto a map. If you are interested yourself then maybe youll have to take a trip over to Bray Road at night and see for yourself. I looked at Ryan and told him to call the police. 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. Rocky is said to dwell amongst the deeper sections of the lake and reappear near the surface occasionally. 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. I live in a rural suburb in SE WI near a line of woods and ponds. Really black., Then it did something funny, almost like it got down on all fours, and I thought I saw what would be its head. I live in a rural suburb in SE WI near a line of woods and ponds. Wendigo View Website Favorite (3) 121 E Main St - Stoughton, WI 53589 Information: 608-205-2775 Tue-Thur 4-10:30pm, Fri & Sat 4pm-12:30am, Sunday Brunch 9am - 2pm (no reservations), closed Mondays. Everything about it was long. 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. At the turn of the 20th century, the Algonquian tribes blamed many unsolved disappearances of people on wendigo attacks. 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. I saw a grey hunched over humanoid in the woods near our elementary school. But Wisconsins most famous hodag was born in 1893 in Rhinelander. In some forms, the Wendigo is the size of a human, while in others, it can be fifteen-feet-tall. Newspapers as far away as Philadelphia reported on this amazing scientific discovery. They hurried back to their vehicle and went home, but that night still haunts David. View of the Grace Creek Overlook. 6. The description fit perfectly and made my blood run even colder. Then it took three large steps and disappeared into the underbrush. In recent years numerous wendigo sightings have been reported in Wisconsin. Just about the only thing scarier might be what one would do if the starvation became too much to handle. 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. They are humanoid creatures that look gaunt with pale or ash-gray skin pulled tightly over the bones. What Is The Wendigo? Primary Editor: Jia-Rui Cook. And underneath that terrifying, flesh-eating demon, there might still be a human man who was once just a hungry hunter. 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. 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. 5 Wisco Monsters to Look Out for This October. Duke writes "Report details told by: Trapper: Howard B Leblank, a 54 year old trapper and hunting guide from Kenora Ontario. Different versions of the wendigo legend say different things about his speed and agility. Wikimedia CommonsA Wendigo Manitou carving on Mount Trudee in Silver Bay, Minnesota. The lake winnebago water monster. I have never ever heard about the thunderbird prior to today and now my brain is racing a million miles per hour. 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. 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. WENDIGO Sighting Near Pikes Peak, Colorado? British Columbia: Ogopogo. 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. Indeed, one was seen as perfectly able to be changed into a Wendigo, in most cases if they resorted to eating the meat of another person, or through magic woven by another Wendigo, and humans were also at times said to be possessed by the creatures. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. Frighteningly enough, there were quite a few other stories about these spirits supposedly possessing people in communities stretching from northern Quebec to the Rockies. Room 18 of the St. James Hotel in Cimarron New Mexico is so haunted that the room is locked and guests are forbidden to enter, lest they upset the room's lingering disembodied guest, Thomas James (TJ) Wright. Some of the recent sightings come from Ontario. The name derives from the Ojibwa language for "Wiindigoo", originally used by the Algonquian Indians tribe of the northern forests, they believed that Wendigo were cannibalistic giants with supernatural powers, one of which was the ability to possess people and turn them into Wendigo. Then I kinda felt like someone was really looking at me. Woods County, WI Encounter Rock County, WI Encounter Burnette County, WI Encounter Burnette County, WI Encounter Burnette County, WI Encounter Price County, WI . Many believe the real "Beaman" sightings were of the offspring of this escaped gorilla, and haven't been able to catch it yet. It felt close enough to touch but we never saw a thing. Privacy Policy. Written By As you can see, there are a large amount of sightings on the east . As the tale goes, the wendigo was once a lost hunter. It was said that this spirit could possess a person who was overcome with selfishness or greed, leading them to acts of cannibalism. 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