Most eye witnesses tend to disagree over what type of creature they've seen. A few of the reported accounts say the beast is the legendary BIGFOOT a hairy missing link ape-man mainly seen in the North Western United States.
However several accounts of the Lake Weatherford beast would cast doubts on it being a BIGFOOT. For one thing the Lake Weatherford monster is mainly said to walk on all fours. A few people have even said that this creature is mainly hairless, and resembles a giant armadillo.
But the most popular accounts report the beast as being a huge BULL with red glowing eyes and in at least two known cases, flames emitting from his nostrils.
Unlike some similar legendary creatures such as the LOCH NESS MONSTER and the YETI there are no huge scientific research projects trying to prove or disprove the existence of the Lake Weatherford Monster. As of now it remains a local legend, a monster that brings more laughs than fear.
Sightings of the Weatherford Monster originated with the Indians who roamed the area which now makes up the community of Parker County. Their legend told of a fire breathing bull that terrorized villages and killed several warriors until one young brave managed to stop the beast by piercing his heart with an arrow.
During the early summer of 1953 Texas was facing a terrible drought. The mayor of Weatherford, Jim Wright ( a man who would later become Speaker of the House in the United States Congress ) helped to negotiate the purchase of a small lake which was owned by the Texas and Pacific Railroad. This lake was located in the northwest quadrant of Weatherford. The plan was to expand this small lake and turn it into a permanent water supply for the community.
After the area was cleared of underbrush, reported sightings of the monster started to increase. However a number of early accounts seem to be related to heavy alcohol use ( at least that's how certain officials explained the events ). No real investigations were launched to explore these early claims.
In the early 1970s a couple of local monster hunters provided the world with a plaster cast of what they claimed to be the tracks of the Lake Weatherford Monster. The odd thing about these footprints proved to be the lack of a front right side track, leading many of those associated with the hunt to refer to the monster as "South Paw" and "Lefty". These men claimed that the monster's front paw must have been torn from its arm, leaving only a stump which it probably dragged along on the ground as it travelled.
As for the plaster cast of the remaining limbs, they were reported to resemble a giant crocodile's feet. Needless to say, crocodiles are very rare in this part of the world. The plaster cast of these tracks were immediately met with cynical criticism and denounced as a hoax.
However without this incident the monster would have never received its nickname "South Paw".
A handful of the eye witnesses ridicule the people who are determined to explain the monster as a physical animal. This group of individuals truly believe that the monster is some type of supernatural phantom. A GHOST which has come to warn the world about its destructive path. They claim to have seen the shadowy shape of the mythical BULL which the Indians had spoken of. The principle cause being championed by this apparition is to return the balance of humanity back to the truth of nature.
Reports of a phantom beast continued to increase. But it wasn't until January 16, 2000 that the local news media decided to admit that something strange might exist, when The Weatherford Democrat ran a small article on page 6A of their Sunday Edition detailing the reports flooding in about the Lake Weatherford Monster. This article alone seems to give the local myth of the devil-water-cow a new amount of respect.
Cryptozoology is the study of hidden animals. These are mysterious creatures whose existence maybe questioned by some people in the scientific community. Often times these animals are put into the category of myth and legend. With only a few scattered sightings and a couple of blurry photographs to serve as evidence, the Lake Weatherford Monster would be considered a hidden animal..
Lake Monster of Weatherford, Texas
No comments:
Post a Comment