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The Devils Lake 'Monster' just wouldn't die
Eyewitnesses and newspapers kept reviving the claim, with reports of an 80-foot tail, whirlpools and seasonal sightings near the lake.
- Reports of a "monster serpent" in Devils Lake, North Dakota, began with the Feb. 6, 1886, edition of the Devils Lake Inter-Ocean, launching decades of repeated sightings across the brackish expanse covering about 130 square miles.
- Sightings frequently occurred near the Chautauqua grounds, a summer educational assembly, peaking in July 1914 and 1915, while the New York Sun provided a "major dose of attention" in its Oct. 21, 1894, edition.
- In July 1908, the Grand Forks Herald detailed a "fearful beast" hurling itself from the water offshore with "sharp horns," while other witnesses described an 80-foot tail and "enormous black scales."
- Spirit Lake Tribe historian Louis Garcia explained that while French explorers named the lake "Lac du Diable" after misinterpreting water spirits, the Dakota tradition describes it as "Mni Wakan," or "Sacred Water."
- These accounts became so predictable that the Grand Forks Herald joked, "Devils Lake without a sea serpent wouldn't be of much account," while the Valley City Times Record noted the creature "tends strictly to his own business.
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21 Articles
21 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources21
Leaning Left0Leaning Right9Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center, 50% Right
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center, 50% of the sources lean Right
50% Right
C 50%
R 50%
Factuality
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