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Monday, November 22, 2021

The Kettle Creek Monster and the Susquehanna Mystery Thing: The Susquehanna River Monsters

 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 

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