Lake Erie Monster
Affectionately known as Bessie, the Lake Erie Monster’s first sightings in the 1800s and have only continued to grow since. The Lake Erie Monster, or, as she's better known, Bessie, haunts on the Ohio side of Lake Erie.
The American midwest's answer to Nessie, Bessie, was first seen in 1892. In July, a steamboard captain reported what he believed to be a wreck. As he was approaching, he discovered it wasn't a shipwreck but a "huge serpent about thirty feet or more in length." It was alive, and took off swiftly. The steamboat captain, Jenkins, noted that it seemed that its eyes were on fire.
Unlike the more docile Nessie, Jenkins believed that Bessie was following the boat threateningly and was fearful that she would attack the boat or try to sink it. After following for a few miles, Bessie slunk back into the waters and disappeared from sight.
Sightings would continue for years before really hitting their stride after the turn of the 20th century. One of the most infamous sightings happened in the 1980s. Friends Frank and Joe took off from the 55th Street marina in Cleveland shortly after dawn in Frank's twenty-foot fishing boat. Aboard the Cool Breeze was a cooler full of beer, sandwiches, and bait that they'd purchased from a nearby bait shop. Frank and Joe got about fifteen miles from shore and set their lines, ready for a relaxing day.
After finishing for hours (and finishing off a six-pack) they had a few good catches of perch and walleye. They were ready to pack up and head back to shore, where another six-pack and fried food awaited. But when they were hauling their lines in, they noticed the water under the Cool Breeze began to undulate. It started to shake the boat and the pair were worried one of Lake Erie's infamous storms was whipping up. But the sky and surf did not give up a storm. The shaking continued and soon Frank was in danger of going over board. Body hard against the railing, he stared down into the inexplicable water and saw a huge, black shape longer than the boat that was gliding sharply through the lake. Frank later said it looked like the "biggest alligator" he had ever seen.
But the creature wasn't done with the Cool Breeze. Instead of swimming on, like it had with Jenkin's steamboat, Bessie somehow clung onto the boat and began to severely shake it. The cooler went flying off the boat, dumping their hard work back into the water. Frank carefully made his way back to the wheel and turned on the engine. The sound of the engine may have scared the creature, or maybe it just wanted some lunch it didn't have to swim for. Either way, as soon as it turned over the creature swam off and Frank hightailed it back to shore.
“Frank radioed the Coast Guard.
“I just saw a creature that looked like a really long alligator,” he reported. “The damn thing grabbed my boat and tried to tip it over! I was shaking like a bell!”
“Sir, can you tell us what color it was, how long it was?” the officer on duty asked.
“It was black, like the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and it was longer than my boat, and my boat is twenty feet long.”
“Sir, it sounds as though you saw the Lake Erie Monster. If you give us your coordinates, we’ll send a cutter.”
Sightings continue to this day, so much so that the Lake Erie Monster has its own festial hosted at the Conneaut Arts Center.
Thanks to Someone from Instagram (I promise this is what they really wanted to be credited as) for this blogstonishing suggestion!
The image depicts Lake Erie from Lake Rd. 5-3-15. It was taken by Michael A. Orlando. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
