|
|
|
This site is best viewed at 800 x 600 or better and you need to enable active scripting.
|
Lake Champlain is a large lake that defines much of the border between the State of Vermont and the State of New York. The first written reports of the monster were made by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain (after which the lake is named) in 1609. Champlain wrote that he observed a twenty foot snake-like creature, with the head of a horse, in the water. Champlain was famous in his time as "The Father of New France", which referred to the then French-controlled territories in what is now North America. Lake Champlain is also famous for being the setting of the first naval battle between the British Navy and America's first Navy, led by the then-hero General Benedict Arnold. The natives to the area tell stories of a giant serpent in the water. Like the Loch Ness monster, Champ has been seen on land, but it's more common to see the creature in the lake. The usual sighting is of humps, like Nessie, and a long serpentine neck with a horse like head. Reports have been made of animals being up to 15m long. There have been videos, photos and numerous eye witness reports of large animals in the lake.
This is the best photo taken of Champ so far. It was by Sandra Mansi in the late 70's using a Kodak Instamatic. The picture is of a long necked creature emerging from the water, with the opposite shore in the back ground. While the photo appears to be authentic the negative has been lost limiting the amount of analysis that can be done. There have been occasional sightings of two or more animals together, including a juvenile. Two women who were wading alongside the shore in the lake and a small 'Champ' swam between them. Their descriptions and drawings appear to be of a pleisosaur like animal, and not a snake like primitive whale. This sighting suggest an active breeding colony in the lake. No scientific investigation of the sightings has ever been done, despite all the publicity about the monster. One town along the lake, Port Henry, has taken steps to protect the creature, should it exist, with an ordinance.
Those who believe that the creature is a prehistoric remnant fall into two camps: Champ is a plesiosaur, like Nessie, or a surviving species of extinct fossil whale, such as a zeugledon (below, right) or a mosasaur (shown at the top of this page). Though both sides have cogent arguments, most tend towards the plesiosaur theory, as Champ — or at least that part of his body that is most often seen breaking the surface — is often described as being serpentlike in appearance, with a horselike head and brown or gray skin like that of an eel. Though we are unsure of the color and texture of plesiosaur skin, we do know from their fossil remnants that they also had long, snakelike necks surmounted by small, horselike heads, a structure that closely matches most of the descriptions of Champ.Sightings of Champ are both fairly numerous and relatively old. Here is a fairly comprehensive listing from the first recorded sighting to the present day: According to Loren Coleman in his seminal work on American cryptozoology, Mysterious America, the first recorded possible sighting of Champ was made in 1609 by Samuel de Champlain (q.v.) who spotted what he referred to as "a serpentine creature about 20 feet long, as thick as a barrel, and with a horse-like head."6 However, based upon Champlain's journal the creature described by Champlain was probably a sturgeon
Despite the fact that Champlain observed unusually large wildlife in the area as early as 1609, sightings of a "monster" did not start appearing until the early 1800s, when settlers began to move to the Lake Champlain area. The first known official report appeared in the Plattsburg Republican on July 24, 1819, it described settlers being startled by a mysterious creature that stuck its head above the surface of the water of Bulwagga Bay, near what is now called Port Henry Between 1870 and 1900, the monster was sighted at least twenty different times, by witnesses of good character and social standing. Nineteenth-century accounts of the monster were so vivid that P.T. Barnum was compelled to post a $50,000 reward for the monster's carcass."8 The year 1873 saw direct contact between Champ and some of the settlers, when the monster began stealing livestock from local farmers right off of the shores of the lake near Dresden, New York. One report even has Champ being fired upon by the crew of a steamship. Blackman explains,In 1873, Champ clashed with settlers when it began stealing livestock from the shores of Lake Champlain near Dresden, New York. Enraged farmers searching for the monster allegedly discovered the creature lurking in a cave on the edge of the lake, but its glowing green eyes and guttural growls frightened the hunters away. Champ was later fired on by the crew of a steamship, and the beast, bleeding from superficial wounds, sank beneath the water. The brush with humanity evidently concerned Champ so greatly that the creature retired to the depths of the lake for several years.9 August 30 of this year saw another prominent sighting of Champ, this time by the passengers of a yacht by the name of Rob Roy. The crew of six saw an unusual creature shatter the glassy smooth surface of the lake, and watched amazed as it quickly swam past, the head occasionally breaking the water. 1878 was to prove to be the first in a prominent series of encounters.10 On November 5 of this year, three students saw Champ swim — with 15 feet of his body above water On July 9 1887 Champ resurfaced and literally charged a beach near East Charlotte, Vermont, forcing terrorized picnickers to flee. The creature swerved shortly before running aground, On August 4, 1892, the American Canoe Association's annual outing, at Willsborough, New York, ended suddenly when the monster surfaced near their gathering and the canoeists scattered in panic."13 "The monster was finally observed in full glory when, in 1915, the beast found itself stranded in the shallows near the entrance of Bulwagga Bay."14 "According to the New York Times, several observers saw the monster stranded in the shallows at the entrance of Bulwagga Bay. The animal, said to be 40 feet long, lashed the waters in an attempt to escape its fate. Soon it released itself, swam for the Vermont side, and finally sank 'submarine fashion, leaving a wake which was well defined on the glassy surface of the lake' ."15In August 1930, a Mr. and Mrs. Langlois were fishing in their motorboat off of Rouses Point, New York. The creature headed straight for them, and the Langlois has to veer to avoid being hit, striking the creature with an oar as it passed.16 In 1945 Champ interrupts a bridge-opening ceremony, stunning all aboard the S.S. Ticonderoga. As Coleman explains, "One Winooski, Vermont woman aboard the S.S. Ticonderoga described how she and other passengers witnessing a bridge dedication saw the beast raise its head from the nearby water."17
On July 5, 1977 a young
woman named Sandra Mansi took a photographof Champ. She was with her husband-to-be, and two children
on the Vermont side of Lake Champlain, north of
St. Albans. The group decided to get a closer look at the lake and cut
across a farm field.... As she sat there, watching her children play in the
water, Mansi noticed an object near the middle of the lake. At first, she
took it to be a large fish, then the hand of a diver surfacing, but
eventually she realized it was the grayish-brown head and long snakelike
neck of a creature breaking the lake's surface. The thing's head seemed to
be twisting around, scanning the countryside. Though frightened, she rushed
to get her camera from her car, and snapped one shot of the beast. Once the
photograph was taken, she grabbed the children and fled the scene.18
|
Possible Champ sighting, in Button Bay, taken by Dennis Jay Hall of ChampQuest in 1994. Image from Cryptozoology.com, © 1994 Dennis Jay Hall. |
The famous 1977 photo of Champ, taken on the Vermont side of Lake Champlain, north of St. Albans. Image © Sandra Mansi. |
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
Champ Quest
Cryptozoology.com:
The Denizen of Lake Champlain
The
Cryptozoo Seamonster Aquarium: Champ
Parascope.com:
Champ of Lake Champlain
The
UnMuseum — Champ of Lake Champlain
TrueAuthority.com:
Champ of Lake Champlain
Cosmiverse:
"Champ spotted: presence deep, dark secret"
Lenkaland.com:
Champ, The Lake Champlain Monster
Ufo
X Files: Lake Champlain Mystery
Wikipedia:
Lake Champlain Monster
America's Historic Lakes: Samuel de Champlain: Samuel de Champlain's Journal
America's
Historic Lakes: Lake Champlain and Lake George History Timeline
Sea
Serpents and Lake Monsters: Legends and Myths, or Reality?
British
Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club: The Lake Champlain Monster
Mist
Web Design: The Legendary Champ
U-Haul:
Champ - Lake Champlain's Mystery
About.com:
Paranormal Phenomena: Lake Monsters
Rense.com:
'Champ' Sighted On Lake Champlain 16 Times In 2000 - Mystery Remains
Enchanted
Learning: Plesiosaurs
Champ Quest 2000: The Ultimate Search Field Guide & Almanac for Lake Champlain
Dennis Jay Hall
Lake Champlain is home to a breeding colony of Loch Ness type animals. Within
you will find the best search dates for the Summer of 2000. This field guide is
a must for anyone with an interest in Cryptozoology, it goes way beyond any book
in print when it comes to hard evidence and facts. Thirty years spent searching
for and finding these ancient reptiles has made Dennis Hall the world's #1
authority on the animals that have chosen Lake Champlain as their home. This
book is for kids and adults of all ages. With close to fifty photographs, maps,
and illustrations this book is hard to close once opened. It includes a monthly
calendar of best search dates for finding the elusive creatures we fondly call
"Champ" (May through November 2000), recent sightings, historical sightings, new
evidence, and chapters on zebra mussels & blue-green algae. Dennis has included
many photos, stills from his 1985 video of Champ, maps, & sonar evidence. It's
really great reading with lots of graphics. (Review by Amazon.com)
Click
here to buy this book.
Champlain
Monster
Jeff Danziger
Rating:
For the younger reader. Jeff Danziger creates a fantastic adventure of brother,
sister, and old fisherman friend in search of the great monster of Lake
Champlain. They dig up clues and finally plan the expedition to end the mystery
surrounding this mythical being suppossedly living under the waves. The book is
both humorous and light in style, presents creative characterizations, and is
appropriately accompanied by charming illustrations--an exciting thriller
cleverly presented in this fictitious tale! (Review by Amazon.com)
Click
here to buy this book.
The
Book of Sea Monsters
Bob Eggleston and Nigel Suckling
Rating:
For millennia, humankind has been fascinated by the awesome power of the sea and
the creatures sheltered by its depths. In the past, ocean crossings toward new
horizons were not just challenges of the physical elements, but defiances of the
perils which the human imagination projects onto the unknown. Now, in The
Book of Sea Monsters, these mythical creatures of the deep are vividly
brought to life by award-winning artist Bob Eggleton. Exploring the myth,
legend, scientific documentation and fiction inspired by the creatures like the
serpent of Midgard, the biblical Leviathan, the Kraken and the infamous monster
of Loch Ness, The Book of Sea Monsters will thrill and fascinate all
lovers of mythology, legend and the many secrets of the sea. (From the back
cover)
Click
here to buy this book.
Mysterious
America: The Revised Edition
Loren Coleman
Rating:
Loren Coleman's highly-praised, 1983 classic work, Mysterious America, has been
thoroughly updated for this revised edition. This new edition contains an
invaluable, never-before-published index; two completely new chapters, "Giant
Catfish" and "Minnesota Iceman"; a new list, "The American Lion," with 141
entries; several extensively rewritten chapters, "A Case Study: The Dover
Demon," "The Teleporting Animals and Magnolia," "The Phantom Panthers," "Maned
Mystery Cats," "Mystery Kangaroos and Devil Monkeys," "Eastern Bigfoot: Momo and
Marked Hominids"; and new material and updates to several chapters, "Devil Names
and Fortean Places," "Alligators in the Sewers," "Giant Snakes," "Lake
Monsters," "Champ," "The Jersey Devil," "The Phantom Clown." (Review by
Amazon.com)
Click
here to buy this book.
Atlas
of the Mysterious in North America
Rosemary Ellen Guiley
Rating:
This atlas locates and gives brief descriptions of the most intriguing places in
the United States and Canada. Burial mounds, sacred places, ghost lights,
haunted spots and even the locations of cryptozoological sightings are covered.
Find out if your state is home to a mystery, or peruse the atlas to get ideas
about where to go for your next vacation. (Review by Amazon.com)
Click
here to buy this book.
The
Field Guide to North American Monsters
W. Haden Blackman
Rating:
Gleaned from Native American legends, American folklore, and modern sightings,
this is the first-ever collection cataloging the vast expanse of bizarre
creatures inhabiting North America. Laid out like a field guide to birds or
mammals, the book helps the reader become familiar with each monster through
photos (when available), drawings, and each creature's vital statistics:
distinguishing features, range and habitat, diet, the source reporting the
monster, and a rating of the likelihood of spotting each creature in the wild.
(Review by Amazon.com)
Click
here to buy this book.
Monster Wrecks of Loch Ness and Lake Champlain
Joseph W. Zarzynski
Click
here to buy this book.
Cruising
America's Waterways - Lake Champlain and the Champlain Canal
Cruise the historic Champlain Canal and explore Lake Champlain, the "Sixth Great
Lake," with the crew of Cruising America's Waterways. Starting in Albany, New
York, we travel north to Rouse's Point and the Canadian border. Along the way we
tour Vermont's famed Shelburne Museum; visit the Saratoga Battlefield and Fort
Ticonderoga; explore Burlington's exciting waterfront; keep an eye out for the
legendary sea monster, Champ, while charter fishing; and much more. (Review by
Amazon.com)
Click
here to buy this video.
-----------------------------------------
Cryptozoology
A to Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other
Authentic Mysteries of Nature
Loren Coleman, Jerome Clark
Rating:
The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, the Abominable Snowman -- these are the names of
the elusive beasts that have caught the eye and captured the imaginations of
people around the world for centuries. Recently, tales of these "monsters" have
been corroborated by an increase in sightings, and out of these legends a new
science has been born: cryptozoology -- the study of hidden animals.
Cryptozoology A to Z, the first encyclopedia of its kind, contains nearly two
hundred entries, including cryptids (the name given to these unusual beasts),
new animal finds, and the explorers and scientists who search for them. Loren
Coleman, one of the world's leading cryptozoologists, teams up with Jerome
Clark, editor and author of several encyclopedias, to provide these definitive
descriptions and many never-before-published drawings and photographs from
eyewitnesses' detailed accounts. Full of insights into the methods of these
scientists, exciting tales of discovery, and the history and evolution of this
field, Cryptozoology A to Z is the most complete reference ever of the newest
zoological science. (Review by Amazon.com)
Click
here to buy this book.
