Bessie (lake monster)

Infobox Paranormalcreatures
Creature_Name = Bessie


Image_Caption =
Grouping = Local legend
Sub_Grouping = lake monster
AKA =
Country = United States
Region = Lake Erie
Habitat = Water
First_Reported = 1817
Last_Sighted =
Status = Local Legend

Bessie is a name given to a lake monster in Lake Erie. By the locals, it is also called "South Bay Bessie". The first recorded "sighting" of Bessie occurred in 1817 and more sightings have occurred intermittently and in greater frequency in the last three decades. Bessie is reported to be snake-like and 9-12 meters (30-40 ft) long, with a grayish color.

The creature was purportedly blamed for an attack in 1992 that killed three people. The survivors of the attack said the creature's head is as large as a car. Unfortunately, this is a perpetuated myth since the source of the story is in fact "The Weekly World News" [http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/System/6591/page12.html] .Fact|date=February 2007 There is a reward for humane capture of a living Bessie, and sightings of the creature still occur.

The existence of Bessie has been rejected as a probability by the majority of mainstream scientists.

A tribute of sorts to Bessie is Lemmy (Lake Erie Monster), a wood and plastic sculpture of a serpentine creature placed in the Huron River just north of Ohio Route 2 near Huron from around 1994 until 2004, and then from 2005. The sculpture is now broken, and it is unknown on whether it will be fixed. [ [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/plaindealer/access/854895111.html?FMT=ABS The Cleveland Plain Dealer Archive Search ] ] [ [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/plaindealer/access/858643331.html?FMT=ABS The Cleveland Plain Dealer Archive Search ] ]

The minor-league hockey team Lake Erie Monsters, AHL affiliate to the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, was named after Bessie.

Flint Michigan pop punk band South Bay Bessie is named after the creature.

References

External links

* [http://www.monstertracker.com/index.cfm Monster Tracker]
* [http://www.thecabinet.com/darkdestinations/location.php?sub_id=dark_destinations&letter=l&location_id=lake_erie Dark Destinations - Lake Erie]