The Kettle Creek Monster and the Susquehanna Mystery Thing: The Susquehanna River Monsters
By Cole Herrold
Waterways have always been areas of high
strangeness and places of mystery. Rumors of lake serpents or river monsters
have encapsulated the mindsets of communities that choose to call the shores
home. There are several famous examples from Champ of Lake Champlain or Chessie
of the Chesapeake Bay, yet typically, when one thinks of Pennsylvania and
Fortean studies, creatures of this type typically do not come to mind. As a
researcher, I’ve found that PA has tons of alleged lake and river monsters,
some I’ve covered previously from Raystown Ray to the Allegheny River Monster, and
then there's the rivers and lakes that PA shares with other states that have
reports of creatures such as the Monongahela River which hosts three different
cryptids and Lake Erie which is home to Bessie. Yet there's one river that cuts
through almost all of the state and has several monster legends, all of which
have seemingly gone unnoticed by most researchers, that being the Susquehanna
River.
I live along the Susquehanna River's bank,
and I have always heard the same stories of giant catfish that are in every
body of water, but years later, I found out seemingly that the water is teeming
with several possible cryptids that have been reported throughout time. The
Armless Horror of the Susquehanna, an armless aquatic humanoid that was seen
shambling in the waters near Cly and Goldsboro, is one such entity that was
reported in 1905, but eight years earlier, a totally different type of creature
was reported in Clinton County and was seen both in the River itself and the
adjoining Kettle Creek where it got the names, the West Branch Dugong, the
Kettle Creek Monster and the Susquehanna Seal.
Native Americans in the area of the Susquehanna River,
particularly near the Kettle Creek area for generations, had tales of some
bizarre creature said to swim in the river, but as with most native accounts,
settlers did not take them seriously. As towns and communities began to be
built along the river, however, people would report seeing a bizarre figure
swimming in the river and habitually knocking over lumber barges, rafts, and
boats. On February 27, 1897, the first documented reports of the creature were
published in the Daily Democrat; the writer, a man by the name of
"John of York" wrote, “A marine animal or sea monster is said to have
inhabited the dead water… making his home down in its depths among the big,
black rocks.” And would go on in several articles to discuss the various reports
and theories revolving around the alleged creature.
Those living around the river or fishing would frequently hear the sounds of slapping water and bizarre noises, which would be described as “strange sounds that emanate from the deep, dark water like the groaning of some expiring giant, then like the struggling and snorting of some big hippopotamus.” And” Those who have crossed the animal’s path heard its terrible roar, his disturbing the waters and lashing them into a foam." Those who would take rafts out onto the river would constantly report having them be capsized by the colossal creature, and several others would report seeing the creature frolic through the rushing water. Descriptions of the creature were never clear aside that it was a dark form, with most terminology used as a sea monster or marine animal or as one quote in the original article states, “He was not the form or image of anything else on earth,” however, eventually one witness would get a good enough look at the creature and describe it something like a cross between a hippopotamus and a dinosaur with a size like that of an ox or a hippo.
In 1889 a huge flood hit, and many felt
that the creature had finally managed to make its way back to the ocean;
meanwhile, others knew better as rafts and boats were still being bumped and
turned over all the way into the 1900s. Sightings and rumors of the creature
persisted for some time, and even I had heard tales told by many fishermen of
seeing incredibly large creatures dwelling in the river, yet most felt it could
be a giant catfish. Then in July of 2009, an official report came to light in the
Daily Item. The Daily Item is a local newspaper that is run in the city I
live in, and in the July 30th edition, there was a report published
by the Great Outdoors section of the paper writer and local fishing guide Ken
Maurer, who when asked if there was anything mysterious that he heard of or new
that occurred in the river. Ken would describe a bizarre creature that he had
seen on several occasions stating, "At first I thought it was a deer or beaver,
but nothing was sticking out above the water. It came to within fifty yards of
me, then sank under the surface. As it swam, it pushed a hump of water and a
“V” that made a wake. It did this for several hundred yards. It was much, much
larger than any fish I’ve ever seen, such as a large carp or a fifty-inch
musky. Either the navy is testing a small submarine, or we have our own Loch
Ness Monster. I saw it several times and it always sank out of sight before it
got close enough to see clearly, almost as if it knew I was there”.
A couple weeks after the publication of
this account, a larger article came out on August 16, 2009, entitled “Mystery
of the ‘thing’ deepens” Ken would return to write about the bizarre beast said
to exist in the Susquehanna. In it, he would elaborate on his own encounter as
well as how a friend and unnamed acquaintance had seen the creature in the dark
waters of the river. Ken stated that he first found out about the creature in
2001 when a good friend of his told him about a bizarre creature he saw
swimming in the river that he proceeded to describe as a small submarine that
was about to surface. He at the time thought his friend was either making it up
or mistaken until the two decided to go out fishing on the river one evening
and as the two waited for something to bite their lines, the two saw the
mysterious object seemingly rise up out of the water. Ken tried to rationalize
what kind of creature this could be, but he could tell that it was not a mammal
as its head never rose above the surface and that it was big enough with its
wake to create waves that splashed along the shoreline as the creature moved.
When the creature got bout 50 yards away, it submerged from sight. Over the
next two years, Ken would report seeing the creature several times, and it
always managed to disappear before he could get a clear look as to what the
creature could be. Years later, in 2009, an acquaintance of his, after reading
the original reported encounter in the July 30th edition, came to
him and told him that he too had seen the strange creature, but this time a
couple miles downstream from where he typically saw the creature. The two
discussed their sightings and came up with very different possibilities as to
the identity of the animal; his acquaintance felt that based on the size, it
had to be a mammal, possibly a seal or otter, but Ken, even after comparing his
encounter with his acquaintance still felt it must be some sort of fish and
thought that maybe it was some sort of colossal carp. Ken feels that this
creature is extremely rare as sightings are practically nonexistent and only
seem to be reported by fishermen and people who are constantly on the river; in
fact, he hadn't seen for years since his string of sightings; however, he was
made aware in the summer of 2008 of a man who encountered a similar creature in
the same general area.
As with most cryptid sightings, there is
often a stigma that comes with reporting an encounter, and Ken was no stranger
to that. At the beginning of the follow-up article, he mentioned how he received
some backlash with his sightings as many had come to question his mental state,
eyesight, and whether what he had seen was a figment of his imagination. Yet I
think it's very important and applaudable that he did, so this is a creature
that needs to be investigated further. Also, the fact that Ken is as close to
an expert as one can find when it comes to the species that are supposed to be
in the area and that he could point out that clearly, this does not belong is
extremely important and adds more credibility to his claims than a lot of the
other kinds of cryptid sightings that are out there where the animal is not
completely visible.
Aside from Ken Maurer, who reinvigorated
tales of a strange creature in the Susquehanna and called the creature he saw
the Susquehanna Mystery Thing, Paranormal Researcher Lou Bernard is another
person for who we have to thank for keeping this creature alive as he has in
recent years written several articles, done several Susquehanna River
investigations looking for the creature, and discussed the creature in great
lengths at several presentations at nature parks near Kettle Creek and
libraries. He has as recently as July 2021 looked for the creature and has managed
to bring this creature to the attention of the people, specifically around
Clinton County. Now it is important to note that the Kettle Creek Monster and
the Susquehanna Mystery Thing are often never connected. I have a strong
suspicion that they very well might be the same creature as the descriptions
seem to be very similar to a mammal or fish-like creature that is rarely seen
and seemingly large in size. If this is the case, I think that the creature
should, for the sake of simplicity and completeness, be called the Susquehanna
River Monster or Monsters.
This case obviously means a lot to me
because of the fact that this is the closest I'll come to live on the shores of
Lake Champlain or Loch Ness or Lake Iliamna, and these types of cryptids have
always been a favorite of mine. Yet while I'm only a stone's throw away from
the Susquehanna, I have never seen anything too incredibly bizarre aside from
some of the people that decide to engage in aquatic recreation. With this
creature, if it exists, there are several possibilities as to what it could and
couldn't be some extremely plausible others not so yet the most peculiar thing
about this is that how did this creature manage to make its way into the river.
One idea as to how the creature managed to get into the river, which appeared
in the Daily Democrat, was that during a heavy flood, the creature
managed to swim up from the ocean or a nearby bay like the Chesapeake and followed
several other fish species which it used as food. Eventually, the creature made
its way to where the Kettle Creek area was and, finding an adequate supply of
food, decided to reside there and proceeded to get stuck firmly in that
location once the waters receded. One idea that "John of York"
hypothesized was that the creature became too large from the abundance of food
that it, even with the smaller waterways, could not return back to the ocean.
Scientists during the time the creature
was initially sighted had several ideas of what the creature could be; some
from a more skeptical standpoint felt that the creature was a sea lion based on
the roaring sound the creature supposedly made. Others suggested perhaps it was
a whale or a shark and another group suggested that perhaps it was a
prehistoric reptile that made its way from the ocean. A prominent theory at the
time was that underneath the river were a series of tunnels that led to the
ocean; it is believed that these tunnels and caverns were easy enough to
maneuver through and that they perhaps were the key as to how the creature got
there. "John of York" would mention these caverns as well as a
possible shelter for the creature to escape bad weather and, of course, people.
However, no real expedition or investigation was conducted as "John"
states, “with some arguing for and some against his existence. No one seems
willing to investigate for himself, as the water is said to be of great depth,
so that it would be accompanied with great danger, for the dugong is said to be
a man eater.”
These theories are similar to theories
that are connected with other river monsters and lake monsters. Nessie and
Champ are believed to of traveled into Loch Ness and Lake Champlain through
underwater caverns, and the St. Johns River Monsters (see entry) also were
believed to of come into the St. Johns from the sea. I personally think there
may be something to this with some accounts, but I am not sure when it comes to
the creatures reported in the Susquehanna.
While the possibilities as to how this
creature or creatures made their way into the Susquehanna are numerous, so too
are the possible identities. Early scientists, as previously stated, suggested
everything from a marine reptile like a plesiosaur or mosasaur to a mammal like
a whale or a seal, and Ken Maurer had felt that what might be there in the
river is some form of colossal carp or other fantastic fish. All of these
possibilities are the same that show up time and time again in almost every
lake or river cryptid encounter. I think it's safe to rule out a marine reptile
as if the creature was a reptile; there would be reports of it coming up to
breathe air more often, which we really don’t have.
A hypothesis I came across regarding this
creature is that perhaps it is a relic member or descendent of Hynerpeton.
Hynerpeton is an amphibian species that lived in the rivers and ponds of
Pennsylvania in the Late Devonian period. The creature was estimated to grow to
about 2.3 ft long; however, the fossil found was an incomplete skeleton much
like Gigantopithecus, so there's a lot of speculation as to how this
creature was, so there's a chance that the fossil collected could be from a
juvenile or that the creature could be even larger than what has been estimated.
I find this hypothesis interesting for several reasons amphibians actually have
the incredible ability to breathe through their skin and can hold their breath
for incredibly long periods of time, usually between 4-7 hours; this could help
a large creature evade being seen, and if this creature is more aquatic than
land oriented it could have capabilities that could put to shame all those of
currently studied amphibians.
The fish hypothesis is interesting when
one looks at the description of the creature, which is often described as
submarine-like. I instantly compare it in my head to the Lake Iliamna monsters,
which are often described as being large aluminum-colored submarine-like
creatures which most liken to a large fish. Similar submarine-like descriptions
have been used to describe the Loch Ness Monster, which some researchers feel
might be a giant variety of eel. As mentioned earlier, there are countless
stories in the Susquehanna of colossal catfish that possibly might be actually
close-up encounters with the creature everyone else refers to as a mystery
thing or monster.
Another possibility that I think is less
likely since there should be more land sightings or loud noises associated with
modern sightings is that it could be a seal or otter. Seals and otters are
highly intelligent and could be capable of reacting more quickly to humans than
other creatures to evade them. However, if a creature like a seal or an otter
was in the river, it would be extremely noticeable, and that there would be places
where it would come ashore, so I truly think that this is not what the creature
(s) is.
A final possibility I feel I must include
simply because of how ingrained it is in Pennsylvania Cryptozoology is that it
could be a giant snake. Giant Snakes are insanely common in Pennsylvania,
almost as common as Bigfoot, Thunderbirds, or Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania
reports. There's the infamous Broad Top Serpent, a 30-40ft black snake as big
as a stovepipe that makes its home on Broad Top Mountain a similar secretive
serpent known as the Devil's Den Serpent is reported in Gettysburg and is only
slightly smaller. In the lake Wolf Pond, a lake monster that I covered a long
time ago (see entry) was described as being a colossal snake black or dark in
color with peculiar rings along its back, and much like the Kettle Creek
Monster, it had a penchant for knocking over and capsizing boats. I also
entertained this notion with Raystown Ray since many of the sightings and
descriptions are very similar to a colossal snake. Perhaps that is what this
creature could be since snakes do tend to swim and spend a lot of their time in
the water. The only problem with this, especially with Ken's sightings and
research, is that the creature seemingly moves more like a submarine than a
serpentine form implying more bulk and appendages to move its form, so chances
are this creature is not a super snake.
The mystery of the Susquehanna River
Monsters to me is extremely interesting, mainly since this is a subject I can
investigate practically on my own front yard. I have no clear definitive
answers to what these creatures might be even though there are several things I
feel we can rule out, and I'm flabbergasted that there has not been more
research done or at least written about on the subject aside from a few
articles in the Daily Item and several online sites. This is perhaps one
of the least talked about river monsters that I’ve found, and so I feel that
further inquiries need to be made to get more information on this beast as
clearly others had to of seen it. This creature, while not perhaps as memorable
as Pinky from St. Johns River or the White River Monster, does hold a special
and important place in the halls of Pennsylvania Forteana and so deserves to
have its time to shine and will definitely be a creature I have to investigate
personally very soon.
Quick Facts:
Species/Potential Species: Mammal,
Reptile, Fish
Location: Kettle Creek, Susquehanna River,
Lock Haven, Clinton County, and Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
Sighted: Native accounts -Modern Times
Works Cited:
Bernard, Lou “Deep thoughts about the
Susquehanna Seal”. The Express. December 30, 2017. https://www.lockhaven.com/news/community/2017/12/deep-thoughts-about-the-susquehanna-seal/.
Accessed November 20, 2021.
Bernard, Lou “The discovery of the
Susquehanna Seal” The Express. August 14, 2021. https://www.lockhaven.com/news/health-and-home/2021/08/the-discovery-of-the-susquehanna-seal/.
Accessed November 20, 2021.
Bernard, Lou “Seal of Approval: The
Monster of the Susquehanna” PA Wilds. May 6, 2019. https://pawilds.com/monster-of-the-susquehanna/.
Accessed November 20, 2021.
Tabitca “Kettle Creek Monster ?” Cryptozoo-oscity.
June 24, 2020. http://cryptozoo-oscity.blogspot.com/2020/06/kettle-creek-monster.html.
Accessed November 20, 2021.
Daily Democrat (Clinton County,
Pennsylvania) February 27, 1897
Daily Item (Sunbury,
Pennsylvania) July 30, 2009
Daily Item (Sunbury,
Pennsylvania) August 16, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment