May 11, 2013

Update: The Van Meter Visitor

In the original post about The Van Meter Visitor, I mentioned that from the desription, it sounded similar to the Jersey Devil.

A sketch of the bizarre creature that terrorized Van Meter in 1903 based on eyewitness accounts

For several nights in 1903, the small town of Van Meter, Iowa was terrorized by a giant bat-like creature that emerged from an old abandoned mine.

The identity of this mysterious monster has never been discovered, but over 100 years later a new book is retelling the amazing tale and hoping to shed some light on what happened all those years ago.

The legend dates back to the fall of 1903, when several of Van Meter’s most well respected citizens reported a half human, half animal with enormous, smooth bat wings flying about.

The creature is described as moving at speeds the townsfolk had never witnessed before, plus it let off a powerful stench and shot a blinding light from its horned head.Mail Online

Boy, the description sure sounds like the Jersey Devil to me…

Cryptomundian sasquatch commented:

Hey, you know there are reports from some pterodactyl reports that they glow in the dark-like phosphorescent minerals on their skin or something…sasquatch

I looked up the original article on the Des Moines Register and look at the sketch that accompanied this article!

A sketch, by Kevin Lee Nelson, based on century-old descriptions of the Van Meter Visitor. / Special to the Register

As well as this one:

Looks like sasquatch might be on to something here…

Filed under Avian Mysteries, Bigfoot Report, Cryptozoology, Evidence, Eyewitness Accounts, Folklore, Footprint Evidence, Giant Cryptid Reptiles, Jersey Devil, Living Dinosaurs, Living Fossils, Pop Culture, Winged Weirdies