Other / Unknown reports from the 1860s
18 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.
Other / Unknown · Litchfield, Connecticut · 1867
A. Boardman reports seeing a large, shining black snake near an elm tree in Canaan, Connecticut, which he believes sucks milk from cows.
Other / Unknown · Durban, KwaZulu-Natal · 1860
The narrator reports seeing a gigantic snake coiled in his bedding that attacked him with its teeth and body weight.
Other / Unknown · Umbilo River, KwaZulu-Natal · 1860
A Khoikhoi person named Plache reported seeing a snake over thirty feet long crossing the Umbilo river and entering reeds near the narrator's hut.
Other / Unknown · South Canaan, Connecticut · 1867
Witness reports an enormous serpent in South Canaan, Connecticut, which is accused of frightening natives and sucking farmers' cows at night.
Other / Unknown · Macoupin County, Illinois · 1868
Witness reports a hideous monster was captured and killed by hunters in the Illinois bottom near Jerseyville.
Other / Unknown · Utah Lake, Utah · 1866
Witness reports that a white man and an Indian encountered a creature in the rushes of Utah Lake.
Other / Unknown · Cumberland County, Pennsylvania · 1867
Witness reports that a coach driver and two passengers encountered a large snake on the road near Centreville, which rose over a fence before fleeing.
Other / Unknown · Portsmouth, New Hampshire · 1863
A pilot boat brought a massive turtle weighing twelve hundred pounds to the wharf, which was caught ten miles from port and survived until Thursday morning.
Other / Unknown · Saco, Maine · 1863
Witness reports a large turtle weighing 1208 pounds was caught off Saco after a conflict, described as having a black back, spotted belly, and measuring seven feet long.
Other / Unknown · New Haven, Connecticut · 1868
Witness reports a strange animal attacked livestock in North Guilford and Durham, described as fourteen inches high and five feet long with dark brown shaggy hair.
Other / Unknown · Carter County, Tennessee · 1868
Witness reports a man named Bobik looked into a snake's den and was confronted by a pair of blazing eyes three feet from his face, causing him to flee and injure himself.
Other / Unknown · Big Black River, Mississippi · 1868
A correspondent references a previous report of a strange and powerful animal discovered in the Black River swamps of Mississippi.
Other / Unknown · Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania · 1868
Witness reports a mare in Lewis County gave birth to a colt with a face resembling human features.
Other / Unknown · Brookville, Indiana · 1867
Witness reports a strange animal with large upright ears and lightning speed has appeared on the McCarty farm to carry off ducks and chickens.
Other / Unknown · India · 1869
Witness reports a large elephant encountered a strange creature on railroad tracks near Mil J sapore, India, resulting in the death of the elephant and eleven cars.
Other / Unknown · Florida · 1863
A monster turtle was captured in Skipper Creek, Florida, weighing 780 pounds and measuring six feet from the tip of its tail.
Other / Unknown · California · 1865
Witness reports a strange animal resembling a kangaroo or baboon was caught on a peak in the Sierras with a voice like a human being.
Other / Unknown · Massachusetts · 1863
A monster turtle was captured off the Massachusetts coast, described as having a head a foot long and measuring seven feet from nose to tail.