During a brutally cold winter, this mans intense hunger drove him to cannibalism. Behind all of the houses on this side of the street is woods, and some of the trees wrap around between this house and the neighboring house coming back towards home. An animatronic depiction of a wendigo in a cage on display in Wendigo Woods in Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Some claim he is unusually fast and can endure walking for long periods of time, even in harsh winter conditions. One of Wisconsin's most famous cryptids (i.e., creatures whose existence is unproven) is a two-legged dog-like beast that's been spotted around Bray Road in rural Elkhorn. Eyewitness sketch of a mysterious creature that dashed in front of a moving car near Holy Hill. Privacy Policy. Map of all currently-documented sightings. And Im not really to athletic but Im not mega weak. 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. I used lighted nocks so you can see the trajectory of my arrow, David said. To truly understand these terrifying tales, one must first perhaps know what a Wendigo actually is traditionally said to be and represent. YouTubeAn illustration of the Wendigo, a fearsome creature from Native American lore. The Wendigo is a wicked spirit that haunts the wild areas of North America's Atlantic Coast and Great Lakes regions. This is one of the two most well-known creatures on our list. Originating from the myths and legends of the Native American Algonquian tribes based in the northern forests of Nova Scotia, the East Coast of Canada, and Great Lakes Region of Canada, the Wendigo truly holds a place amongst the most frightening creatures of Native lore, and with good reason. Few reports of the creature have surfaced since then. 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. My arrow was stuck basically vertical in the ground except for leaning the opposite way I shot, he wrote, which to me and my wife seemed impossible that my arrow could be the way it was in the ground.. Somewhere in Montcalm County is the town of Amble, Michigan, population approx. One description of the Wendigo was given by Native author and ethnographer Basil H. Johnston, who wrote of it: The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated skin pulled tightly over its bones. An oxen trip from Milwaukee to Galena, Illinois, took five days back then, and along the road, saloons and inns sprang up to feed and shelter the miners, and to separate them from their earnings. he said elders would go there to reflect on the lessons of their ancestors. Watch Discover Wisconsin TV Saturday mornings at 10 on Fox Sports Wisconsin. The vast majority of supposed wendigo sightings happened between the 1800s and 1920s. Each tribe typically had its own ceremonies, rituals, and talismans to ward off the creatures or stop a person from becoming one, but in most cases the final line of defense in fighting this supernatural threat was the tribes shamans. But when I looked onto the pathway the footprints were completely gone, and as I blinked we rounded the corner and it seemingly vanished into thin air. They slowly walked toward the tree where the creature had been standing, where they saw large impressions in the ground. Yes, the entire city of Whitewater is considered one whole hot spot for the paranormal and unusual. 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. While not exactly dealing with cryptids, the Second Salem town of Whitewater is known for its stories of witches and spirits. The Windigo carried a record of 26 wins and 18 [] Strong evidence shows these creatures no longer exist but fossil records say massive birds were likely residing in North America during the early periods of human history. It is among the most feared of all monsters in Amerindian lore. 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. But there are also more to know about. 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?) Then things got bizarre rather quickly, of which the witness says: I remember we both pulled out our flashlights and shown it in the direction we felt the sounds were coming from but that is what was so weird. 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. 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. Wikimedia CommonsA Wendigo Manitou carving on Mount Trudee in Silver Bay, Minnesota. They nevertheless stayed at the camp, as it was a trip they had been planning for months, and on the second to last day something very bizarre would unfold, of which the witness says: Although, these occurrences were a disturbance it did not deter us from staying for the final two days as we had been planing it for months, but one experience years ago on the day right before our departure, still haunts me to this day. One of the most famous cases of someone allegedly being possessed by a Wendigo comes from 1878, when in Saskatchewan, Canada, a Cree fur trapper by the name of Swift Runner claimed that he had been possessed by insidious dark forces and had become a Wendigo after killing and eating his family during a harsh winter without food. At that time, lead miners were pouring into the region following a trail that the Indians used to take from Central Wisconsin to the Mississippi River. 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. The thing is massive. I stood up shining my flashlight in all directions trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was screwing with us. Two consecutive notes with roughly a three to four second gap and then two more consecutive notes. They had just moved to Two Rivers a few months ago and werent familiar with the area. (Twitter: @DiscoverWI), That is so cool I live in Wisconsin my hole life and I havent heard of some of those. The lore of the Wendigo, which is often ominously translated as the evil spirit that devours mankind, varies slightly from tribe to tribe, but it is always seen as a malevolent creature with an intense, uncontrollable perpetual hunger for human flesh, and often said to possess the minds of others in order to drive them to cannibalism. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. last month in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. If you would really like to know what they are , go to a reservation and ask a Native American. The evil being is associated with winter and starvation, and appears to feast on humans. Until this. story: Source #1 gods-and-monsters, The Wendigo is a demonic spirit believed by Algonquin-based Native American tribes to possess humans and turn them into cannibals. Hello? he said quietly. Woods County, WI Encounter Rock County, WI Encounter Burnette County, WI Encounter Burnette County, WI Encounter Burnette County, WI Encounter Price County, WI . But ironically enough, these stories might actually represent the Indigenous peoples response to the horrific violence unleashed on them by non-Native people. 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. What lips it had were tattered and . Today it encompasses parts of state Highway 55, Highway 151, state highways 68 and 33 and Highway 18. This creature is so famous among northern Wisconsinites that it even has its own monument and country music festival. The Wendigo Haunts the North During times of Cold and Starvation A much older phantom of the North Woods is found in Wendigo, an evil supernatural creature that is part of Ojibwe lore. View of the Grace Creek Overlook. Just about the only thing scarier might be what one would do if the starvation became too much to handle. And it was fast. Ogopogo is said to be a long, serpentine, aquatic creature that dwells in Lake Okanagan in the south central interior of British Columbia, Canada. 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. 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. Blackwood's Wendigo is a mystical creature, representing the lure of the wilderness. 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. 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. They had just started hunting there a few days prior, and the odd feeling had been enough to convince David to turn back on previous excursions. The whistling came back. Rewriting Apocalypse adds that some modern-day confusion about the wendigo may have to do with certain terms getting lost in translation: One well-known mistake was traced to the compiler of a dictionary, who entered the information regarding the word Wendigo and substituted the word ghoul for the appropriate word fool because he thought the Native people meant ghoul.'. How could someone whistle this loudly without cracking while also running? In certain cultures wendigo are depicted as humanoid, but with pale skin like a corpse. Mostly described as a gaunt, almost skeletal monstrosity standing up to 15 feet high, with sharp claws, formidable fangs, skin tightly stretched over the bones, and with animalistic features. The Algonquian people say that during the turn of the 20th century, a large number of their people went missing. Frighteningly enough, there were quite a few other stories about these spirits supposedly possessing people in communities stretching from northern Quebec to the Rockies. Join MU Plus+ and get exclusive shows and extensions & much more! 5 Wisco Monsters to Look Out for This October. That feeling is undeniable once you are familiar with it. Such tales abounded, and the tribes who feared the Wendigo took all of this very seriously. 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. 4. Those who have seen the beast describe him as eating or hunting/scavenging. The whistling stopped. Sometimes these animals were disemboweled and their entrails found hanging from bushes or trees like macabre Christmas tree ornaments, and sometimes they were simply torn in half, with one of the halves missing. My town is small and everything is silent and dark by 9:00pm. The creature has . Newspapers as far away as Philadelphia reported on this amazing scientific discovery. They saw a deer there, standing sideways out in the open. Black Earth, Wisconsin: Trails Books, 1997. If you are interested yourself then maybe you'll have to take a trip over to Bray Road at night and see for yourself. 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. One of the guys walked around a bit and came back and said he didnt see anything. 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. So I start walking at first I was waking out of the woods like I was on someones yard and they had told me to get off, not a fast pace but moving with a purpose you know. They found it about 50 yards up, where the trail opened into a stand of tall pines. Citation: The Driftless Reader, by Curt Meine and Keene Keeler, p. 80, my grand father always called it Tawacunchukdah translates roughly to spirt lake. However, as Wright was about to enter his room for the . He uses this skill to lure people in and draw them away from civilization. The part I never like to talk about. These spooky tales passed down through generations of Whitewater residents and UW-Whitewater students continue to be a part of the towns unique culture. Subscribe Today! Species: Savage Beast, Evil Spirit, Shapeshifter Other Names: The word wendigo (pronounced wehn-dee-go) comes from the Native American Algonquian language, meaning "evil spirit that devours mankind". I also became increasingly paranoid that someone or something was out there with me. A perfect shot. Interestingly enough, there are even a couple of lakes today named after the beast, including a Lake Windigo in Minnesota and a Windigo Lake in Wisconsin. Hammerson Peters 88.3K subscribers Subscribe 4K 143K views 2 years ago Mateo's. Into the days of settlers there were many cases of even the white man coming across these abominations, and the creatures were often blamed for missing persons. Devils Lake is actually called Day-wa-kun-chunk (holy lake or Sacred Lake) by the Ho-Chunk. From a Sasquatch lurking in the woods of Northwest Louisiana, to a feral girl roaming Catahoula Parish, to aliens in Pascagoula, the Gulf Coast region has encountered its fair share of bizarre, and often inexplicable, monster sightings. Could this be some sort of other creature like a Sasquatch, even a supernatural entity such as a Skinwalker? From Texas we have a report from a witness who claims this happened out in the Texas Hill Country during the hot summer months. Wisconsin Wendigo Sightings Featured on In Search of Monsters The Wendigo as seen on Travel Channel series In Search of Monsters According to Native American legend, the wendigo is a horrifying, cannibalistic creature that dwells in the forests and waters of the Great Lakes region, hunting for its next human meal. Yeah I ran out of those woods in about 10 seconds. Meet The Cannibalistic Cryptid Of Your Nightmares. The whistling continued for what felt like forever but thinking it through was maybe five minutes when Ryan finally yelled out into the darkness. It seemed so big I felt it in the ground, David noted. In other stories, a Wendigo is a malevolent spirit that takes control of men's bodies, cursing them with an incurable need to consume human flesh. 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. ), Use the form below to submit photos and videos for use on the Wisconsin Frights website and social media. Then you can read about the time it was reported that a 132-million-year-old Loch Ness Monster skeleton was found. Once theyre isolated in the desolate depths of the wilderness, he attacks them and then feasts on them. Now I know what your wondering, could I have been dehydrated or having hallucinations. And on the far side of the stream from my house there are large trees. Many believe the real "Beaman" sightings were of the offspring of this escaped gorilla, and haven't been able to catch it yet. September 21, 2022. It is the most I have ever been scared and the most that adrenaline has ever flowed through me. In 2006, a large bearlike animal with canine characteristics dragged a dead deer from the back of a county contractor's pick up truck. It also has historical significance for many Indigenous communities. 19 Pablo Escobar Facts That Reveal The Outrageous Story Of The Fearsome 'El Padrino', This English Village Just Chose A New Mayor And He's A Pony Who Likes To Drink Guinness, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Stories, Sightings & Experiences ; Wendi-go in NE Pennsylvania? A much older phantom of the North Woods is found in Wendigo, an evil supernatural creature that is part of Ojibwe lore. Hespends his recreational time with family and friends going camping, attending rock festivals, and running his own podcast Virden Interviews. Some people who have claimed to encounter the beast say its a relative of Bigfoot. The wendigo, as described by the Chippewa and Ojibwe tribes, is a man who consumed the flesh of another human being. The Wisconsin Windigo continued their winning ways as they hosted Midwest Division rival Chippewa Steel for a two game series on February 24-25, at the historic Dome in Eagle River, WI. Other sightings have been reported northwest of Crivitz in a large expanse of wetlands and hardwood forest. Required fields are marked *. This supernatural creature stands 15 feet tall, severely thin and gaunt, with glowing eyes, long yellow fangs, an overly long tongue, and matted hair. These creatures have been mainstays of Native American lore for generations, their deeds well known in many of these tribal stories and legends. There was no response. And very large, dark eyes, oriented forward like a predators would be. It has no lips, bares jagged teeth, and hisses with every breath. They are variously described as having the ability to turn invisible, to read minds, or to mimic human voices in order to draw victims away to isolated areas, as well as shapeshifting powers and the ability to generate waves of profound fear. Im not sure what is was but my family suggests that it was my guardian angel saving me from a early death, But after that experience I have never been to the same campsite ever again, and didnt go camping for a few years after that. 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. Perhaps one of the most unique and famous beasts on this list is the Rhinelander Hodag. Wendigo is a Native American name for a Winter Cannibal Giant in northern North America. There are many local traditions of the Wendigo with slightly different details in its appearance and abilities depending on the region, but it is always said to be frightening, and there are also variations in their powers. He kept asking me what I saw but I couldnt answer. I live in a rural suburb in SE WI near a line of woods and ponds. According to the story, in 1881, Wright was playing poker at the St. James. Apparently local settlers went to the trappers home to corroborate the story and found a veritable charnel house of blood, strewn about body parts, and half-eaten corpses in such a jumbled morass of gore and effluence that it could not even be ascertained how many people had been killed. Canada's Loch Ness Monster, Ogopogo. It wasnt until about a month ago that I was watching a special on supernatural encounters that I heard about Wendigos. 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