The Allegheny River Monster

by Cole Herrold

The waters around Pittsburgh and West Virginia are a hotbed for reports of strange aquatic beasts. The Monongahela River is allegedly home to three different kinds of alleged cryptids. The most famous being Ogua, a giant reptilian creature that is often described as a kind of mosasaur or crocodilian creature. Monongy is another alleged creature said to exist in the depths of the Monongahela and is often described as a Gillman, but reports of this creature are possibly dubious. The Rivesville River Monster is another creature similar in description to the Ogua and was reported in the 80s in Rivesville, West Virginia. While a vast majority of the phenomenon is found in the Monongahela River, the river does connect to several other waterways, which also allegedly are home to aquatic anomalies. One such waterway is the Allegheny River.

It was on a warm Spring Day in March of 2008 when an unnamed witness was out near Loch 3 on the Allegheny River. The river was exceptionally high and dark with mud this day because recently there had been a very heavy storm filling the river to the point of almost flooding. The area around Loch 3 was a place where the witnessed had gone there many times in the past to fish and enjoy the churning brine of the river. Anyone who lives near a river knows that they are one of the major sources of recreational activities for the local populace. It was on this day that the witness returned to the area. The reasons in the original source are not specific, so it could have been to return to the glories of a simpler time with rod and reel in hand or to simply reflect upon those times and enjoy the natural scenery. While in ponderance of thought, however, he began to hear the sound of thrashing in the water. Scanning the horizon, he saw a great churning in the chocolate-colored murk, the rising of great wakes and bubbles and froth disturbing the natural flow of the river. The form was very near the shore in a patch of marsh where there were a great number of trees. The witness's eyes scanned the beast and noticed it was colossal. Its form was large and serpentine, with various shades of brown coloring on the top of the body. On the underbelly, the beast was a bright yellow, and the body splashed and churned like a great fish. The size he estimated to of been around 20ft long from what he could tell that was out of the water.

The man could hear noises and an increase of splashing as he continued to watch this bizarre behemoth and realized that this creature was further on land than he realized he looked, and there out on the shore was a large head about 4-5ft wide. Its head was like a great catfish but without the prominent whiskers. The creature had eyes on the side of its head, and from where he stood, he could see one huge yellow eye with a black pupil. The creature had a tremendous mouth, and that's when he noticed something bizarre about that, for the mouth seemed to move strangely, and as he peered at the gaping maw more, he noticed that something was squirming inside and trying to get out. From what he could tell, it was either a dog or a small deer, and it struggled in the vice-like grip of the monster’s mouth. The creatures continued this dance of death until, with one final crunch, the underwater assailant crushed its jaws down on the animal and proceeded to drag it under the water, leaving not even a trail of blood in its wake. The entire fight lasted only ten to fifteen seconds. The witness stared in disbelief and continued to look into the murky deep and realized if he were only here a few moments early, chances were he would have been supper for some super-sized submerged creature.

Now, as stated earlier, the waterways around Pittsburgh are chock full of alleged cryptids. The Allegheny River is not unique when it comes to unknown creatures. In a previous article, I described an account of a winged serpent that was seen swimming in the waters of the murky brine. Yet this creature appears to be something altogether different. The way it's described is something like a conglomeration between a snake and a catfish. Now there are catfish that live in almost every river and lake in Pa. They are extremely common. There are two species that live in Pa, the Channel Catfish, and Flathead Catfish, but both species are extremely small compared to the giant monstrosity reported in 2008. Even if hypothetically, this was a case of a giant catfish which are and have been reported in Pennsylvania, there is one thing that the witness did really express that points to something else entirely, and that is the creatures lack of whiskers which is a feature both native species have in abundance. Another feature that is lacking if this is a fish is the dorsal fin, as with the twenty feet of the creature seen, not a single fin is seen.

While the chances of this creature being a fish are slim even though the skin of it and head shape is similar to a catfish, the chances of this creature being a reptile are even less likely since the creature is not described aside from its overall shape as such. Now the eyewitness's sketch does seem to indicate some kind of scales but this seems in direct opposition to the catfish-like skin which he reported in his testimony which is more fleshy in appearance. So possibly what looks to be scales could be mud grime or even water and the way it's drawn gives it the appearance of something reptilian but going off the testimony this creature does not seem to be a reptile. 

Now there is another possibility that this creature could be an amphibian which to me seems to be the more plausible, especially when looking at how the creature's appearance was. Salamanders of enormous size are something we do know exists. The Chinese Giant Salamander has been alleged to reach lengths of almost six feet, but that is almost 1/4^th of the size of the bizarre beast reported in the Allegheny River. Now in the Trinity Alps of California, there are reports of giant salamanders that allegedly reach a length of almost 9ft, but if this is the same species, it seems unlikely as well as this is almost half the size of the creature seen in the Allegheny River, and there's a chance this creature could be even larger. If this is the case and this is a giant salamander, it tips the scale to be the largest amphibian ever.

The Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias Davidianus)

Pennsylvania is home to the largest amphibians in North America, which is the Hellbender. These slippery suckers can reach a length of a little over 2ft and interestingly do have some features similar to the Allegheny River beast but just on a minuscule scale. Could it be that as time went on, Hellbenders could actually grow to the absurd lengths described in this case? I doubt it, but it is something that maybe through a mutation it could happen.

Could the Allegheny River Monster be a giant Hellbender (Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis)?

While this case is just one of the many cases of unknown aquatic beasts, it like most of them is left unexplained. A case like this also raises up an issue that has been brought up many times. Are there more stories? While I'm sure there are more unreported cases from people who have seen something strange swimming in the Allegheny River, I have to wonder about the cases that will never be reported not out of some fear of ridicule or simply as a way of dealing with the horrors they witnessed but by the terrifying concept of those who got a little too close. The river is a major source of recreation and there are constantly accidents that occur, unfortunately resulting in the occasional drowning or missing person, but what if there was something else causing these incidents, something very large and very hungry.

Quick Facts:

Species/Potential Species: Fish, Reptile, Amphibian
Location: Loch 3, Allegheny River, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Sighted: March 2008

Works Cited:
Astonishing Encounters: Pennsylvania’s Unknown Creatures- Casebook Three by Stan Gordon