August 10th: Lake Champlain Sea Serpent Seen
Posted by: Loren Coleman on August 10th, 2006
This is the Champ painting that began showing up on the sides of U-Haul vans in 1999.
August 10th…
Vermont Get Into Line
Its Sea Serpent Story, Though a Little Late, Is All Right.
The Lake Champlain sea serpent has been seen. And by an entirely credible and trustworthy witness, whose name, were we permitted to give it, would carry conviction to the most incredulous of doubting Thomases.
The monster was seen, slowly swimming southward, about midway of the channel between the Vermont shore and Split Rock. The lake at this place is only about a mile wide. Here, too, it reaches its greatest depth about five hundred feet. The monster’s distance from the observer was only about half a mile, and consequently a comparatively good view of it was obtained.
The serpent’s head appeared to be rather broad and flat — something the shape of one’s hand as laid flat on a table. The water washed over its neck, which it was therefore impossible to make out. The body, as far as visible, had the shape of a low arch. Part of the tail could not be descried, but the tip — broad and flat — protruded from the water at right angles to the body.
The length of the strange visitor was about 35 feet.
Suddenly it sank and the waters around seethed and bubbled as when a large and heavy body sinks beneath the waves. A moment later a large house boat appeared in sight, and the supposition is that its coming frightened the monster and it sought the depths of the lake.
This story is literally true in every word.
The Lake Champlain sea serpent is not a myth, but a reality. — Burlington Daily News [Burlington, Vermont].
For those that saw through the use of the turn-of-the-century label "Sea Serpent," yes, this is a case from the 19th century. Thanks to Jerome Clark for finding this archival gem, which indeed is from the Brooklyn Eagle of August 10, 1899.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
So this story is over 100 years old? Who was the eyewitness? I will alway remember that the explorer that the St. Lawrence river is named after had champ swim right past while he was canoeing parts of Lake champlain. There is no reason that some of these water dinos did survive whatever it was that killed off the dinos. After all, if the waters of some of the deepest lakes froze all the way to the bottom, there wouldn’t be any fish as well.
Did anyone see the footage shown on ABC news this past February? It was taken by two fishermen (credible sources we’re told) last summer using a digital camera. A retired FBI analyst reported the footage seemed authentic. Most of the footage was various ripples and wakes, which could be anything really. But at one point they filmed something long and slender under the water near their boat that looked pretty convincing to me. Of course there is always the possibility it was a hoax, albeit a well-done one. I was just wondering if anyone else had seen the footage and what they thought of it?
kamoeba,
This was discussed here on Cryptomundo last February when the footage was shown on ABC’s Good Morning America. Also shown were screen captures of the footage.
See:
What Was In The ABC Champ Video?
I’m apprehensive of that footage… It could be something, though what I am unsure.
Having relatives near Lake Champlain, I’ve been by it often and seen nothing.
Of all crypto – related things this as I have stated in the past I am the most skeptical of. Lake monsters I still say to have a viable breeding population to have never found something 30 – 40 feet or longer washed up on shore after dying. If it is lives by breathing air should be 1,000,000’s of more sightings and daily. In an early post someone told me that they never will find a body washed up on shore because other things in the lake will eat it. But come on look how big the ocean is and still fish and even whales wash up on some shores. And then a lake Monster in the 30-80ft range dies in a lake and is TOTALLY eaten w/o a trace. Rubbish.
It may only be my ignorance of which I agree never seen one myself, but just do not see it as possible as say BF who has the entire forests and jungles and everything else to hide from us. But a Lake is not as huge as BF living quaters. I want to think they exist, but I need more proof never seen a video of a lake monster as good as the P/G film of BF.
And yes I think that film is the real deal.
I saw the footage, and was disapointed they showed only a part of the footage. What I saw appeared to me to be a body under the boat with something moving independently of, yet attached to the body.
I find the head and tail tip descriptions in the old story interesting
Things wash up on the ocean shore because tides and currents pull or push them. Lakes have a significantly lower current and thus things that die in them tend to sink straight to the bottom more rather than wash up on shore. That’s why lakes many times have a thick layer of ‘slime’ at the bottom… that’s from all the dead things that have sank there and decomposed.
>>I will alway remember that the explorer that the St. Lawrence river is named after had champ swim right past while he was canoeing parts of Lake champlain.
It ia amazing how many lakes around the world have reports of similar creatures. I have relatives in Southern Quebec who have seen lake monsters in Lake Basketong (approx. 90 miles north of Ottawa) and other smaller lakes nearby. My relatives are native Indians who are familiar with legends of “serpents” going back generations. Most of the sightings were of a long snake like animal with a “horse” shaped head. A cousin of mine interestingly had a sighting of something blowing a spray of water several feet in the air much like a whale spouting.
Caves are hidden in many lakes so these Lake Dinos could be hiding and lurking around below. Yes i saw the footage ive looked it several times, it seems the head and slender neck might have been attached to a bigger body. It could an enormous eel maybe but if there is poof which there may be there could be some truth to Lake Dinos. At 35 ft long thats one big unkown animal. It also could be a Mosaurus, one my favorite dinosaurs, but its just my opinion just hoping. It would be exciting
People are always complaining about the lack of sightings, but if you stop to think that a lake like champlain is roughly 100 miles long and up to 12 miles wide in places with a surface area of some 400+ miles…that’s a lot of area to cover and whatever may live in there has access to all of that. In addition, you are assuming that every square foot of water is covered by observers which it is not, nor could it be…even at prime tourist season.
As for breeding populations…sizes of 35 ft may be extremely old critters, and average size may be much smaller…and it also depends on life span…and it also depends on exactly what sort of critter we are talking about–reptile, mammal, etc…sorry, twblack, I am not hacking on you, but raising the issue that until we find out what sort of creature it is (and oh yes, I am in support of such critters), we do not know anything about the physiology or biology of the thing…people often want quick, neat answers without ever looking to deeply, and to make statements about breeding populations and remains without knowing the nature of the critter is, no one can say without a doubt that it is not possible…for if nature and evolution have taught us nothing else, it is that nature is capable of amazing and seemingly impossible things.
crypto-randz:
ENOUGH ALREADY! Mosasaurs are not dinosaurs! No dinosaur was EVER fully aquatic, except penguins and hesperornis, which are BIRDS anyway. I’m not even saying plesio this time, but a descendant of Tacochelys, the american version of Tanystropheus.