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| Huron, OH, USA (Huron, Ohio)
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| Information |
National Live Capture and Control Center for the Lake Erie Monster
After a flurry of sightings of a "monster" occupying Lake Erie in the late 1980s/early 1990s, this Ohio town of less than 8,000 citizens came up with a few unique marketing tools to capitalize on the flurry of excitement. In 1990, the town's government passed a resolution that proclaimed Huron to be the "National Live Capture and Control Center for the Lake Erie Monster." To bolster the reports, a local zoologist produced a seven-page report that theorized Lake Erie could be hiding up to 125 monsters that ranged around 35-feet long, weighed two tons, and could swim up to 220 miles per hour. To further the cause, the city filed a request with the town of Iverness in Scotland, on the banks of Loch Ness and home to the Loch Ness Monster (or Nessie), to be an official sister city to Huron. In addition, they put in a request to the state of Ohio to issue a "monster-hunting" permit to the city.
Reward for Capture
The owner of the Huron Lagoons Marina, Tom Solberg, worked with other local business owners to come up with $102,700 of cash and prizes (with over half being cash) for anyone that could capture the creature alive. In order to qualify for the reward, the monster had to be at least 30-feet long, weigh at least a half a ton (1,000 pounds), and be an unidentified aquatic species. A containment pen with a sign boasting "Future home of the Lake Erie Monster" was donated to hold Bessie (or South Bay Bessie/South Bass Bessie/Lake Erie Larry - as the creature has been dubbed) should anyone actually capture it. A retired Ohio State University zoologist was also recruited to act as the official judge for anything that was brought in.
Bessie Sculpture
Local resident Thomas A. Schofield joined in on the fun in 1994 when he constructed a 35-foot plastic and plywood sculpture of the Lake Erie Monster, complete with four humps, spiked tail, and red fluorescent eyes. His creation was placed in a marshy area just west of the Huron River and in plain view of passing motorists on SR-2. It was secured with a 300-foot leash and stabilized by underwater outriggers. It became something of a local favorite and remained there until shortly after Schofield's death when the sculpture disappeared in 2004. Schofield's sons, Dale and Gerard, decided to build a new sculpture and released it on June 2005 for Father's Day as a tribute to their father. This time, the sculpture was created with Styrofoam and plywood and was 27-feet long, four-feet high, and even had glow-in-the-dark eyes. To keep the creation company, a 13-foot "baby monster" was also created. Both were hitched with 50-feet of rope and built from supplies that were donated by local businesses.
Huron Today
Despite a spattering of sightings in the early 1990s, no monster was ever captured. The Scottish town of Iverness rejected Huron's request to become a sister-city and the State of Ohio also turned down their request to issue a "monster-hunting" permit. The reward was supplemented from an insurance policy by Lloyd's of London that cost the business owners $5,000 a year, so it was ultimately dropped when the reward went unclaimed. Furthermore, the 2005 sculpture from the Schofields is reportedly now damaged and it is unclear if there are plans to repair it. However, the man who organized the reward, Tom Solberg, told a reporter from the Beacon Journal in 2002 that the holding pen is still there and waiting and that he figured the town would still be able to negotiate a six-figure reward if anyone captures a 30-foot, 1,000 pound monster from Lake Erie. |
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| Related Sites |
Monster Tracker
Site dedicated to cryptozoology with a special emphasis on "Bessie," the lake monster believed to inhabit in Lake Erie in North America. |
Wikipedia: Bessie (Lake Monster)
Wikipedia's entry on Bessie or the Lake Erie Monster believed to inhabit the waters of Lake Erie in North America. |
Ohio Water Cryptids
A page dedicated to reports of a Lake Monster inhabiting Lake Erie, who is commonly known as Bessie. |
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| See Also on TheCabinet.com |
| Blog: A Tribute to the Lake Erie Monster (06/19/09) |
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| Available from Amazon.com |
Lock Ness Monster, the Lake Erie Monster, And Champ of Lake Champlain (Graphic Mysteries) |
Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World's Most Elusive Creatures |
Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep |
Monster Spotter's Guide to North America |
Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth |
Weird Ohio (Weird) |
Oddball Ohio: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball series) |
Weird U.S.: Your Travel Guide to America's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Weird) |
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