The Dewey Lake Monster, also known as the Sister Lakes Sasquatch,[1] in Michigan folklore, is purported to be an ape-like creature, similar to descriptions of Bigfoot, that was allegedly sighted in the summer of 1964 near Dewey Lake and Sister Lakes in Dowagiac.

Description

The creature was described as covered in hair, approximately 10 feet (3 m) tall, 500 pounds (230 kilograms), and had glowing eyes.[2]

History

In June of 1964, the story gained national attention after local residents reported seeing a large, hairy creature with glowing eyes. Police searched the area of the alleged sightings and found nothing. Nevertheless, the reports caused curious thrill-seekers and monster-hunters to besiege the community that summer. Local entrepreneurs capitalized on the event by selling "monster getaway gas", "monster burgers" and "monster hunting kits" — with a net, flashlight, squirt gun, a mallet and a stake.[3][4] Newspapers in Chicago dubbed Sister Lakes "Monster Town USA" and played up the backwardness of the small town's residents.[5]

Several zoologists suggested that people may have misidentified a bear or gorilla. Cass County Sheriff Robert Dool and conservation officer William Rowe dismissed speculations of a monster.[4] Within a week, the hysteria diminished, and the South Bend Tribune reported that "nobody seems frightened anymore".[6]

In a 1983 retrospective, the South Bend Tribune suggested that the monster was imagined by intoxicated strawberry pickers.[7] Steve Arseneau of the Dowagiac Area History Museum said, "I view it more as a rural legend. Perhaps some people saw something, and their imaginations got the better of them".[3]

  • In 2016, the annual Dewey Lake Boat Parade celebrated the Dewey Lake Monster legend.[8]
  • Local brewery Sister Lakes Brewing named a beer after the Dewey Lake Monster.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "The legend of Dowagiac's Dewey Lake Monster". k1025.com. WKFR-FM. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  2. ↑ Robinson, John (18 June 2018). "Michigan Legend: The Dewey Lake Monster". 99wfmk.com. WFMK. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 Kuharic, Joe (February 23, 2017). "It came from Dewey Lake". Leader Publications. Doawgiac Daily News. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Dewey Lake 'Monster Is Nonexistent'". The South Bend Tribune. June 12, 1964. p. 21. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "The Sister Lakes Monster Sightings". July 29, 2017.
  6. ↑ Gard, Ray (June 14, 1964). "'Hairy Monster' Scare Lessens". South Bend Tribune. p. 21. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "Action Line". South Bend Tribune. August 18, 1983. p. 2. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  8. ↑ "Dewey Lake boat parade celebrates the Dewey Lake Monster". wwmt.com. WWMT TV. 2 July 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "Dewey Lake Monster - Sister Lakes Brewing". Beeradvocate.com. Beer Advocate. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
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