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Water Monster reports from the 1860s

42 cases, best-documented first. Page 1 of 1.

We map claims, not creatures. A case is what some source says someone saw or heard, with the link to that source. It is not proof that anything was there, and a retelling counts once, not as a second sighting.

  1. Water Monster · Bear Lake, Utah · 1868

    Bear Lake, Utah1 independent source

    [name], [name], [name], [name], and six women report seeing multiple large animals swimming southward at incredible speed.

  2. Water Monster · Mono Lake, California · 1867

    Mono Lake, California1 independent source

    Mr. [name] of Lake county reported seeing two monsters similar to the one described by Mr. [name] in Mono Lake.

  3. Water Monster · Mono Lake, California · 1868

    Mono Lake, California1 independent source

    Mr. [name] and accompanying men observed a huge monster in Mono Lake rising from the surface and moving gradually.

  4. Water Monster · New Orleans, Louisiana · 1866

    New Orleans, Louisiana1 independent source

    A sea serpent was reportedly seen in the Mississippi River near New Orleans.

  5. Water Monster · Inyo County, California · 1868

    Inyo County, California1 independent source

    Col. Stevens, superintendent of a mining company, saw the monster and described it as throwing water fifty feet high.

  6. Water Monster · Hyde Park, Illinois · 1867

    Hyde Park, Illinois1 independent source

    Fisherman Joseph Muhlke reports seeing a monster appear in Lake Michigan near Hyde Park while fishing.

  7. Water Monster · Middlesex County, Massachusetts · 1864

    Middlesex County, Massachusetts1 independent source

    Witness reports a great Lake serpent with a black liken buil dog and a fan tail was seen in the lake near Wester, Mass.

  8. Water Monster · Lake Michigan · 1867

    Lake Michigan1 independent source

    Witness reports that skippers and many other people saw a large sea serpent in Lake Michigan, described as being about a hundred feet long.

  9. Water Monster · Glynn County, Georgia · 1869

    Glynn County, Georgia1 independent source

    Captain Perry reports discovering a large dead sea monster floating off St. Simons and later sighting it again near Cumberland Sound.

  10. Water Monster · Inyo County, California · 1868

    Inyo County, California1 independent source

    Two young men riding horseback observed a huge animal swimming rapidly in Owens Lake, followed by another monster, describing them as 100 feet long and grayish.

  11. Water Monster · Bear Lake, Utah · 1869

    Bear Lake, Utah1 independent source

    Brigham Junior reports that a dozen credible witnesses have jointly and severally beheld a monstrous creature with a horse-like head dashing through Bear Lake.

  12. Water Monster · Lake Michigan · 1867

    Lake Michigan1 independent source

    Dwellers on Lake Michigan claim there is a monster in the lake, possibly a whale, sea serpent, mermaid, or beast, and an expedition is being contemplated.

  13. Water Monster · Boston Harbor, Massachusetts · 1863

    Boston Harbor, Massachusetts1 independent source

    Witness reports that a sea serpent was seen last week from the deck of a steamer heading up for Boston harbor.

  14. Water Monster · Lake Michigan · 1867

    Lake Michigan1 independent source

    A German fisherman and others report seeing a huge sea serpent in Lake Michigan near Chicago, Michigan City, Manitowoc, and Milwaukee.

  15. Water Monster · Delaware Bay, New Jersey · 1869

    Delaware Bay, New Jersey1 independent source

    Captain Allen reports seeing a large marine monster with scales and bright eyes accompanied by a smaller specimen while on the ship Scottish Bride.

  16. Water Monster · Lyon County, Nevada · 1868

    Lyon County, Nevada1 independent source

    The author reports that prospectors in the vicinity of Pyramid Lake have claimed to see monsters, though the author notes they themselves have only seen shadows on the water.

  17. Water Monster · Michigan City, Indiana · 1867

    Michigan City, Indiana1 independent source

    A justice near Michigan City claims to have seen the sea serpent blow and swears he saw it with his own eyes.

  18. Water Monster · Bear Lake, Utah · 1868

    Bear Lake, Utah1 independent source

    Witnesses [name] and [name] reported seeing a large aquatic creature in Bear Lake, prompting speculation about its nature.

  19. Water Monster · Rio de Janeiro, Região Sudeste · 1863

    Rio de Janeiro, Região Sudeste1 independent source

    An officer reports that a great sea serpent was caught and washed ashore in a sickly state.

  20. Water Monster · Newark Bay, New Jersey · 1869

    Newark Bay, New Jersey1 independent source

    Witness reports seeing a monster with a dog's head and black scaly back swimming in the bay before it disappeared.

  21. Water Monster · Boston Harbor, Massachusetts · 1863

    Boston Harbor, Massachusetts1 independent source

    Witness reports Mr. [name] and other passengers saw a sea serpent from the deck of the steamer General Berry.

  22. Water Monster · Milwaukee, Wisconsin · 1867

    Milwaukee, Wisconsin1 independent source

    A gentleman and two ladies in Milwaukee saw the sea serpent appear suddenly while sailing on the bay.

  23. Water Monster · City of Oswego, New York · 1867

    City of Oswego, New York1 independent source

    Witnesses report a sea serpent discovered in a lake near Oswego that held its head two feet out of the water and bellowed like a bull.

  24. Water Monster · Toulon, France métropolitaine · 1866

    Toulon, France métropolitaine1 independent source

    The Toulonnais reports the capture and caging of a thirteen-foot sea serpent in Lake Cepet near Toulon, which was displayed to crowds.

  25. Water Monster · Barnstable County, Massachusetts · 1860

    Barnstable County, Massachusetts1 independent source

    Witnesses report seeing a large, black, finless creature resembling a serpent moving slowly on the water surface off Cape Cod.

  26. Water Monster · Bear Lake, Utah · 1868

    Bear Lake, Utah1 independent source

    Witness reports that Indians claim a serpent-like monster with legs lives in Bear Lake and has carried away swimmers.

  27. Water Monster · Manitowoc, Wisconsin · 1867

    Manitowoc, Wisconsin1 independent source

    Witnesses report that two young ladies in Manitowoc saw a dark bluish creature fifty or sixty feet long off the mouth of the river.

  28. Water Monster · Oakland, California · 1861

    Oakland, California1 independent source

    Passengers on the Oakland ferry boat reported seeing an aquatic monster scudding through the water with a head like a shark and fins close to the gills, approximately fifteen or twenty feet in length.

  29. Water Monster · Nevada City, California · 1862

    Nevada City, California1 independent source

    Witnesses report a sea serpent appeared near the banks of a salt lake to investigate a slaughtered sheep before being frightened off by men.

  30. Water Monster · Nashville, Tennessee · 1868

    Nashville, Tennessee1 independent source

    Witness reports that a sea serpent seen in the Cumberland River gulped down an unfortunate man standing on the bank near an island.

  31. Water Monster · Lake Michigan · 1867

    Lake Michigan1 independent source

    A reporter retells a humorous story about Phelim and Tim encountering a large sea serpent while sailing in Lake Michigan.

  32. Water Monster · Yazoo City, Mississippi · 1860

    Yazoo City, Mississippi1 independent source

    Captain Taylor reports seeing an enormous serpent with a shaggy mane and horns attacking his ship's bowsprit before chasing a whale.

  33. Water Monster · Wilmington, Delaware · 1867

    Wilmington, Delaware1 independent source

    Witness reports a large sea serpent was captured by fishermen in the waters of Cape Cepet and displayed in Toulon.

  34. Water Monster · Nashville, Tennessee · 1860

    Nashville, Tennessee1 independent source

    Capt Taylor and the crew of the English vessel "British Banner" report an encounter with a sea serpent that attacked their vessel.

  35. Water Monster · Ottawa, Illinois · 1867

    Ottawa, Illinois1 independent source

    Mr. M. reports seeing a large aquatic creature with a ridged upper surface and tail that struck the water violently before sinking out of sight.

  36. Water Monster · Illinois · 1867

    Illinois1 independent source

    A fisherman reports seeing a large, dark, oval-shaped creature with a long neck, bony plates, and fins in Lake Michigan near Evanston.

  37. Water Monster · 1867

    location unknown1 independent source

    A poem describes a helmsman witnessing a massive black serpent with yellow eyes and multiple heads emerging from the ocean waves before vanishing northward.

  38. Water Monster · Ohio · 1866

    Ohio1 independent source

    Witnesses report a twenty-foot copper-colored serpent was seen in a bayou near Main Street and killed by citizens.

  39. Water Monster · New Jersey · 1869

    New Jersey1 independent source

    The author reports that a sea serpent has been seen on the New Jersey shore with a head as large as a flour barrel resembling that of a dog.

  40. Water Monster · Atlantic Ocean · 1869

    Atlantic Ocean1 independent source

    Captain Allen reports that his crew observed a large marine monster with scales and bright eyes while the ship was calm off Delaware Bay.

  41. Water Monster · Africa · 1866

    Africa1 independent source

    Witness reports that a large sea serpent pursued the French ship Le Coq for two days off the coast of Africa.

  42. Water Monster · New York · 1868

    New York1 independent source

    Witnesses report that multiple individuals and Indians have seen terrible monsters in Bear Lake, with some claiming two tribe members were carried off by them.