It goes without saying that North America’s Great Lakes are five of the most awe-inspiring bodies of water on the planet. Believed to have started forming near the end of the last glacial period which took place roughly 14,000+ years ago, the lakes were the result of alternating periods of glacier advancement and retreat. During these thousands of years of constant glacier movement as well as tectonic plate shifts (which also created the Midcontinent Rift), deep depressions known as basins were carved into the solid ground and ultimately ended up covering an expanse of over 750 miles from west to east. When the earth began to warm and the once prominent glaciers began to melt, the five major basins they had created slowly started to fill with a combined volume of over 6 quadrillion U.S gallons of meltwater. And yes, you read that correctly, we said quadrillion. That is a number which contains fifteen zeros and when written out looks like this: 6,000,000,000,000,000.

Now, while the above number may be staggering to try and wrap your head around (just imagine 6 quadrillion gallons of milk jugs stacked up…), what is even wilder to think about is how long it is believed to have taken the Great Lakes to fill up with their typical water levels. Scientists who study the lakes and have poured over the historical data believe they have a general idea of when each lake reached its peak. It is estimated that both Lake Erie and Lake Huron filled first, with Erie filling around 10,000 years ago and Huron filling about 7,000. The remaining three and the biggest, Ontario, Michigan, and Superior, are all believed to have filled roughly around 3,000 years ago. And while those numbers seem high, the Great Lakes are still considered young with an estimated age of only 10,000 years old. Isn’t history fun!

Near the end of their formation and not long before they settled into the final shapes of which we know them today, the five lakes began drawing large groups of early man to their young shores. Archeologists within the Great Lakes Region, as well as other groups of scientists and historians, are pretty confident that these early humans, who ventured across the Bering Land Bridge prior to the melting of glaciers around 11,000+yrs ago, went on to plant deep roots around the lakes and were the precursors to many of the widely known Native American tribes which were once present throughout the region. In addition to this, there is also some evidence to suggest that deep within a few of the Great Lakes (Huron in particular), there are sites which indicate the presence of an unknown group of people who once flourished within the region before disappearing. But that is a mystery for another time.

As these groups settled and further formed into more structured tribes with regional specific languages, customs, and beliefs, their relationships with the Great Lakes only grew stronger. These bodies of water became the heart and soul of the area and provided everything one could need to live a comfortable and connected life. But, as we’ve learned through the various myths and legends told by Indigenous tribes of the area, one’s relationship with the water was something that should not only be respected but also feared. And there was nothing more feared within the water, than the Great Horned Serpent.

Legends involving the Great Horned Serpent vary from tribe to tribe, but when all is said and done, they are pretty much all describing roughly the same thing. A creature said to somewhat resemble a huge dragon or snake, covered in large scales, with prominent horns and long teeth. While these beasts could occasionally be found on land, they were most often found lurking within the dark water of both lakes and rivers. They were oftentimes viewed as being supernatural in nature with an ability to control the weather, shapeshift, turn invisible, and bestow magical abilities on those lucky enough to defeat them in battle. Their horns and scales were believed to possess great power and were widely sought after by those brave enough to go looking for the beast. While Great Horned Serpent’s could be found within almost any body of water, the most powerful ones were believed to call the Great Lakes home. And that is where the next part of our story begins.

The Great Lakes have had a long storied history involving their monstrous residents since the time humans first started painting on cliffsides and telling each other stories. As mentioned above, Native American legends and myths talk about Great Horned Serpents lurking beneath the surface of the lakes, looking for a quick meal to pluck from the shore and devour back in their underwater caves. But along with these serpents, the lakes are also said to be home to Underground Panthers (Maeci-Pesew), Thunderbirds, The Great Fish (Mashe-Namak), and even The Little People (Memegwesi). With so many legends of creatures said to be lurking within these lakes, it’s easy to get lost in the clutter sometimes. This is especially true when you start bringing the monster stories which originated with the European settlers into the mix as well.

When settlers from Europe started showing up within the Great Lakes region in the late 1600s early 1700s, it wasn’t long before stories of monstrous beasts started creeping through the surrounding colonies and settlements. While many of these stories have been lost to history, quite a few held on and have even adapted and evolved to fit into modern times. A few examples of these enduring beasts include Bessie of Lake Erie, Gaasyendietha of Lake Ontario, the Lake Huron Giant Snake, and not one but two creatures in Lake Superior, the well known Pressie and the lesser-known Cave Monster. But with all these monsters floating around in four out of the five Great Lakes, it is odd that there are no modern legends and stories associated with Lake Michigan, the second largest of the five. Searches made online as well deep dives into past and present books will turn up pretty much no stories that speak directly of a monster in Lake Michigan. But as we’ve learned many times before, when it comes to lake monsters, sometimes you have to go deep to find even the tiniest bit of evidence. And lucky for you, that’s exactly what we did.

On August 3, 1867, a newspaper by the name of The Daily Ohio Statesman reprinted a story from Milwaukee, WI which spoke of two men having encounters with what could only be described as a giant whale within the lake. The first man, a Captain McBride, spoke of how while crossing the lake in the early morning, he caught sight of a giant fish that resembled a whale. He claimed the beast made significant noise and even blew water into the air with a puff from what he assumed was a blowhole. When he made his way towards the creature, it blew once more and then sunk below the surface. The second man, a tugboat captain named Consaul, claimed that in the early hours of the day, he had seen a giant fish that resembled a whale situated near the mouth of one of the rivers that drained into the lake. He stated that the monstrous fish moved slowly along the confluence and appeared to devour whatever objects it encountered. As he steered his boat in the direction of the fish, the unknown creature let out a low sounding moan, blew a blast of water into the air, and sunk down beneath the surface. Captain Consaul sailed around the area in hopes of seeing the creature surface, but it stayed out of sight for the remainder of his time on the lake.

Additional “evidence” within this article for the existence of a creature in Lake Michigan points to the discovery of large fish washed up on the banks of the lake which appeared to have been bitten in half by a large unknown creature. It was assumed that the culprit was somehow part of the shark family due to the appearance of the bite marks as well as the size of the fish made into a meal. It ends with stating that those who have seen the beast describe it as being well over sixteen feet long with a large head and capacious jaws. It made sure to point out that it was bigger than any sturgeon which had ever been seen and appeared fully capable of destroying a boat with ease.

Thirteen days later on August 16, 1867, The Manitowoc Pilot shared an article from The Chicago Tribune in which they speak about a sighting that took place on the 5th. The story starts with the statement, “That Lake Michigan is inhabited by a vast monster, part fish and part serpent, no longer admits of doubt.” The article goes on to speak about a sighting made by a man named Jos. Muhlke while out in the vicinity of Hyde Park, Chicago. Mr. Muhlke claimed that the monster was witnessed about a mile and a half from shore and that it appeared roughly five times the length of his own boat (around forty feet). It was bluish-black in color and got lighter near the head and tail, almost appearing to turn grayish-white. The head was triangular in shape and looked like that of a seal in appearance. It possessed two large eyes, was as thick as a barrel and it moved through the water like a snake. While on the surface the witness claimed he was able to see its back which appeared to look rough and plated like that of a sturgeon.

The monster then makes its third appearance in print almost two weeks later on August 29, 1867, when it appeared in The Elk Advocate from Pennsylvania. The East Coast paper spoke of how city dwellers in both Milwaukee and Chicago have been agitated by the appearance of a strange creature within Lake Michigan. The monster, which was now being described as being anywhere from twenty to fifty feet long, was said to have started making regular appearances to those working on ships within the lake. The majority of sightings described in the article were made by crews of both the tugboat Crawford and the propeller ship Sky Lark. Both crews described seeing a creature that was serpentine in appearance and looked as thick as a barrel. The creature would keep mostly to itself on the surface, thrashing the water into a foam with its tail, but would duck quickly under the surface every time a vessel would approach it. The article ends with a statement on how it will only be a matter of time before a search vessel goes out and attempts to capture the monster for museum display.

Now, as you can clearly see from above, August was a particularly busy time for the newly discovered monster of Lake Michigan. It was sighted in both Milwaukee and Chicago on multiple occasions and except for the first report, it stayed mostly consistent throughout the witness descriptions. The only thing that appeared to change though with each telling, was the size of the creature kept getting larger and larger. But this, as we all know, is a staple in nearly every fish story on record, so it only makes sense that this issue would more than likely affect a lake monster as well.

Apparently wanting to get a record number of newspaper mentions under its belt in the year 1867, the monster of the lake had one more “appearance” stored up its sleeve for that year. Only this time though, it wouldn’t be a retelling of a sighting or close encounter, no. This time would be special as it made its first appearance in a long versed poem written by one Shep. P. Smith of Wisconsin. The poem, which appeared in The Manitowoc Pilot on September 13, 1867, was titled “What Is It? The Sea Serpent On A Rampage”, and thanks to the wonders of the modern digital age, it can be read in its entirety through the online archives of the Library of Congress. Thanks, internet!

After making its appearance through poetic verse, the monster of Lake Michigan seems to have taken some much needed time off. It disappeared within the lake and wasn’t seen again until nearly 18 years later when it suddenly showed up and presented itself to some summer bathers within the lake. A brief mention of the sighting shows up in The Portland Daily Press on July 24, 1885, and goes on to say that “A water monster is reported to have been disporting himself in the waters of Lake Michigan. According to the description and manner of appearing in public it must have been our esteemed and venerable friend the sea serpent. He has also been reported on the Atlantic coast, making his annual appearance along with the summer visitors. But this did not prevent him from being at the same time in Lake Michigan. No well regulated sea serpent ever lacks the ability to appear in at least four different places at the same time.”

As you can probably tell from above with that last report, a slight shift in believability has started to appear within reports on the Lake Michigan Monster. Prior to 1885, stories involving the beast were shared with much more sincerity and well-crafted credibility. But as you will see with the next wave of sightings, this believability will be tested as the stories themselves started to grow larger than the supposed monster.

In July of 1897, multiple papers began to share a story about a sighting made by a man named Joe Downey which took place roughly thirty-three miles north of Chicago. The witness, a Commissioner of Public Works and well-known contractor within the city at the time, was said to be on one of the beaches along the lake with his family around dusk when suddenly two men in bathing suits came running towards them shouting about a commotion in the lake. Downey, thinking it might be a ship involved in some sort of emergency, ran with the two men to the spot where the incident was said to be taking place. Once there, Downey claims he saw a huge “something” gliding through the water over two hundred feet away. The size was estimated as being well over thirty feet long, from what he could see, and it carried a large black neck and head out of the water for the entire time. Also seen were large fins protruding from its back that easily stood over four feet tall and somewhat resembled picket fence posts. The unknown thing was said to have been diving under the surface and then reappearing several feet away, almost as if it were either chasing something or playing in the water.

Mr. Downey and the two unnamed swimmers claimed to have watched the creature somewhere between twenty minutes to half an hour before they finally lost sight of it in the darkness of the approaching night. During this time, Mr. Downey stated that the creature made waves approach the shore that were over 18in high, and that schools of large fish approached the water’s edge as if frightened and trying to desperately escape a monster. Also noted was that on the day prior to the sighting of the unknown creature, the carcass of a large mastiff was just lying out on the beach exposed for all to see, but on the day in which the sighting took place, something large apparently crawled out of the lake (judging by the marks in the sand) and dragged the dead dog back into the water. It was said that no trace of the body was ever found and that from the marks discovered it was clear that no cows had gotten onto the beach and took the carcass. And no, that last part was not a typo. It was made sure that everyone knew cows had not taken the dead mastiff. Cows.

After the Downey sighting stories involving the monster in Lake Michigan spread more quickly through word of mouth than they did through the papers. Stories about the beast that once demanded multiple paragraphs soon became nothing more than little blurbs. On July 7, 1904, The Bridgeton Pioneer wrote on page 4, “It is reported that Lake Michigan has a sea serpent twenty feet long, green in color with yellow stripes. Amount and character of beverage necessary to produce the reptile not stated.” On August 20, 1908, the Daily Arizona Silver Belt wrote on page 2 that, “Four women of unimpeachable veracity say they saw a sea serpent in Lake Michigan recently. Somebody must have been spiking their ice cream sodas!” And on July 9, 1911, breaking from the new normal, The Salt Lake Tribune shared a story that was composed of more than three paragraphs, although from the way it was written, one could tell that it was presented as nothing more than a humor piece.

Stated as taking place in Chicago on July 5th, the article from 1911 focuses on a man referred to as “Colonel” Axel Green, a well-known squatter and fisherman from the city. It was told that on the evening of July 4th, Independence Day, Green climbed aboard a boat and made his way out onto the lake along with many others in order to find some relief from the sweltering July heat. Apparently finding some escape, the boat dropped anchor and the group spent the night on the open water. The next morning, Green was the first to wake and when he stood up to stretch and rub the sleep out of his eyes, he spotted something strange moving through he water roughly a mile away from the boat. Assuming he was still asleep, Green rubbed his eyes once more, albeit much harder this second time around. But even after his vision came back into focus, the strange thing in the water was still there, and it was clear to see that it had the shape of a massive serpent.

Realizing that others needed to see what he was seeing, “Colonel” Green made quick work of waking the other sleeping passengers on board. When all were woken, Green pointed their gaze in the direction of the lake serpent and they too were able to witness the incredible sight. After some time, the creature in the lake submerged and the boat returned to shore. Green related that the monster was easily 100 feet long and that the other passengers would corroborate what he had stated, which they did, although none were willing to provide their names. But Green didn’t stop at just the basic retelling, he went on to state that he had been a sailor for many years prior to coming to Chicago. And in that time he professed to having been shanghaied at least once, having been a prolific and well-known whaler, and was self-proclaimed witness to many sea serpents. But even though he claimed to have seen his fair share of monsters, he had never seen anything quite like the monster of Lake Michigan.

Not long after “Colonel” Green’s sighting, the beast in the lake started making full-frontal appearances less and less. But that didn’t mean it disappeared entirely, as some believe it simply moved more towards Milwaukee. In his 1942 pamphlet regarding “Sea Serpents” in Wisconsin, Charles E. Brown, former curator of the Museum of the State Historical Society and member of the Wisconsin Archaeological Society, recounted an incident that took place sometime in the early 1900s, although the exact date is unknown. The writeup goes on to claim how a group of fishermen working off the shore of Jones Island all caught sight of a large creature moving through the water of the lake. Its large head was held high above the water on a thick neck and its overall appearance was described as “ferocious-looking”. Not even a week later, some young men who were sailing in the area of Milwaukee Bay spotted what they thought was a large barrel floating not far from their boat. As they brought their vessel closer, they realized that what they originally thought was a barrel was actually the wide flat head of a large serpent-like animal. Before they could even react, the head sank down and disappeared into the murky water. The young men quickly returned to shore after witnessing the event.

The third and final sighting which Brown describes was said to have taken place within the Milwaukee River below the Michigan Street bridge. Early one morning, a man who was walking the bridge was said to have caught sight of a large body moving through the water and passing under the bridge. The body was described as appearing thick overall and grayish-green in color but quickly submerged before any additional features could be witnessed. Perplexed by what he had seen, the man spoke with the bridge warden and was told that what he more than likely saw was a log or some free-floating timber. Accepting the answer as a good possibility, the man proceeded on and continued over the bridge. But just a little further down where the river dumps into the lake, the creature was spotted moving slowly through the mouth and out towards the vast openness of the lake in which to disappear.

After the Milwaukee sightings, reports of the monster became much less frequent. They had actually become so rare that when someone did claim to have seen it, reporters gave more attention to what kind of beverage the witness had in their possession rather than details of the monster itself. Because of this, witnesses became much more reluctant to share any sort of sighting, and before long, nearly all knowledge of a Lake Michigan monster had faded into obscurity. To show just how little attention was given to the strange creature once thought to be dwelling in the lake, the last article which we at The PBI were able to trace was written on September 1, 1934, roughly 23 years after the verified Axel Green sighting.

The story, which appeared in The Bismarck Tribune out of North Dakota, featured on its front page the following story. “Famous ‘Sea Serpent’ Again Seen in Lake: Chicago, Sept. 1. Fact or fancy- that famous “sea serpent” has bobbed up in Lake Michigan. ‘We were about four miles off shore,’ said Capt. G.E. Stufflebeam of the S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, Friday night, ‘when Donald Steele, the lookout saw it.’ ‘I ordered two floodlights thrown on the creature, and there he was wriggling and twisting around and going faster than the ship. We kept it in sight for five minutes. The passengers on deck cried out, ‘what is it,’ but I didn’t know nor did H.J. Cook, former steamship line official who was with me. ‘It flipped its tail and the creature - about 60 feet long - started toward Benton Harbor, Mich.’ That’s Captain Stufflebeam’s story and he said he’ll stick to it.”

And just like that, the monster of Lake Michigan was gone. A once-prominent fixture in newspaper monster lore, the creature said to have had a majority of the Midwest on edge was now thought no more frightening than an actually verified Great Lake’s “monster”, the sturgeon. Believed to have been created solely as a means to generate newspaper sales, the beast in the lake no longer swam front and center in the minds of those who chose to swim in Lake Michigan. Residents looking for a joyful summer escape could once again partake in the fun both on the beach and in the water whenever they felt necessary. A terrible monster was no longer legit a concern. At least, that’s how things went until the summer of 1955, when a new monster moved into the lake and brought with it all 350 of its razor-sharp teeth.

According to The Shark Research Institute, a non-profit organization which strives to not only protect sharks in the wild but also educate people on the importance of sharks in the world, they have within their Global Shark Attack Files (a collection of every documented shark attack in recent history) an incident which is thought to have taken place in Lake Michigan, sometime in 1955. The victim, who is listed as a boy named George Lawson, is reported to have been bitten on the leg and that the culprit was most likely a bull shark. The incident is officially labeled as “Questionable” and no more details are provided except a source, “F. Dennis P 52”. So of course, we need to look into it.

The story of the Lake Michigan shark attack is one of those stories where few people have ever heard of it, but the ones who have will swear up and down that it really happened and that they somehow know a person who knows a person who is related to a person who can verify it. It is a true “modern” legend that has operated exactly as it should; it spreads like wildfire at random intervals and is unable to be sourced by those who are telling it. It has performed this way since 1975 and shows zero signs of stopping any time soon.

Now, if something seems odd about the above paragraph, particularly the two dates mentioned, we want to say congratulations on paying attention. It does seem quite strange that a story involving a shark attack which is believed to have taken place in 1955 has only been spreading around since 1975. And while we can agree that it does seem odd upon first reading, we can assure you that it will all make sense once we give the explanation. You see, in 1975, a book entitled, “Man-Eating Sharks: A Terrifying Compilation of Shark-Attacks, Shark-Facts, and Shark-Legend!” was published as a means to ride the coattails of the hugely successful release of Steven Spielberg’s, Jaws. With the world in a legitimate shark frenzy at the time, four men jumped at the chance to get a book into the market and start cashing in. And it just so happened that one of the men, specifically the one whose name was going on the cover of the book, had the honor of being named Felix Dennis. The very same F. Dennis referred to within the Global Shark Attack File.

As it turns out, Mr. Dennis was actually a pretty well-known magazine publisher in the UK at the time. He was responsible for founding and publishing more than 50 widely known magazines including Maxim, Men’s Fitness, PC World, and The Week. Along with being a publisher, he was also known as a poet, performer, philanthropist and of course, eccentric. So when Jaws hit the market and thrust the world into shark mania, he knew he wanted in. Dennis hired a man by the name of Christopher Rowley to compile everything he could in relation to sharks for the upcoming book. But because of the deadline in which Dennis put on the project, Rowley was only given roughly five weeks to complete the entire task which included research, fact-checking, sourcing, and writing. As a result, more than a few stories within the book appear to have been either entirely fabricated or merged together from multiple sources to create a more enticing and dramatic story than their source material.

Even though the 1955 shark attack story has never been verified as actually happening, it has also never been proven to be a hoax. It is one of those stories where it skirts both the believable and unbelievable in such a way that proving it false wouldn’t stop it from spreading, and proving it true would only add to its legend. Either way, you are able to believe what you will about it, and the only way you can do that is to read the story. So as a means to show what all the fuss is about, here is the 1955 Lake Michigan shark attack story which appears in the 1975 book, “Man-Eating Sharks: A Terrifying Compilation of Shark-Attacks, Shark-Facts, and Shark-Legend!”, published by Felix Dennis.

“One of the most astonishing shark attacks on record took place in 1955 when George Lawson, a Chicago boy, was attacked while taking a swim in Lake Michigan! Rescuer John Adler, who hauled the boy minus most of his right leg, into a boat, said ‘I just couldn’t believe it, but I had to believe what I saw happening right before my eyes!’ When doctors found the dreadful injuries on Lawson, they had no hesitation in proclaiming that it was indeed a shark bite. Others who had witnessed the attack saw the fish heading away back into the deep parts of the lake, its passage marked by…. a tell tale dorsal fin. What kind of shark would travel the thousands of miles necessary through fresh water rivers and lakes to get to Lake Michigan? Well there is one species well known for its aggressiveness and also for its liking of fresh and brackish waters, the infamous Carcharhinus Leucas, (now often called Carcharhinus Springer).”

Alright, regardless of if the story featured in the book is true or not, could there actually be any truth to the overall theme? Could it be possible for a shark to not only make it into Lake Michigan but also somehow find a way to survive and thrive? While it is well known that bull sharks do occasionally make it up the Mississippi River and have even been found in states such as Missouri and Illinois, there is zero evidence that a large and aggressive bull shark around 6ft, the kind that would have been responsible in the George Lawson story, has ever made it past all the river gates and harbor locks into Lake Michigan. But just because a large shark has never made it into the lake, does that mean the little ones can’t get in either? Well, to possibly answer that question, let’s take a look at a newspaper article from Sheboygan, WI published all the way back in 1969.

According to The Sheboygan Press, sometime during the last week of April 1969, two men from Milwaukee ventured onto Lake Michigan in order to catch Coho salmon, but what they ended up bringing back to shore was anything but. The article states that while out in their boat around two miles from shore, Gil Scharnek and Cal Lukasavitz caught sight of something odd floating on the surface of the lake. The object, which had a large seagull sitting upon it, was first assumed to be a strange-looking sturgeon, but as the men got closer and the seagull flew away, they could see that their original assumption was wrong. There, floating in front of them, was the 10lb body of a 2ft 5in shark. Knowing that what they had just come upon was extremely rare and probably the first of its kind, the two men pulled the shark into the boat and headed back to shore.

After setting foot on dry land once again, the pair headed over to the Milwaukee Public Museum in order to speak with an expert and have their find verified. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for museum ecologist Gerald Ludwig to verify that the men did indeed possess an actual shark, but what none of the museum staff could figure out though was how exactly it got into Lake Michigan and how long it had been there. It was first assumed that perhaps the shark was unknowingly brought in via a container ship and tossed into the lake upon discovery, but there was no way to verify this theory. Another thought was that the shark was at one point somebody's pet and as it outgrew its aquarium home, it was haphazardly tossed into the lake rather than removed correctly. Again though, this was a theory that was unable to be verified and at the end of the day, the shark remained a total mystery.

As is to be expected, it didn’t take long for word to spread about the discovery of a shark near Milwaukee. The fish had quickly become one of the major topics of conversation at the time and since it had no solid theories or answers to help explain it, it created a blanket of both curiosity and fear within the area. If one shark was found in the lake, could more be in there as well? Was the water no longer safe? Had the sharks taken over?! Thankfully, before this fear could truly take over the city, a lawyer and his client came forward and provided answers for a city in desperate need of some.

Crammed into his lawyer’s office in downtown Milwaukee in front of various reporters and media personalities, a 39yr old man by the name of William Bathke regretfully told everyone that he was responsible for the mystery shark in the lake. What had started as a harmless prank escalated quickly out of control and Bathke felt he needed to clear the air before fear had gotten the best of everyone in the city. When asked to explain how everything had gotten to this point, the regretful man began to tell a story that started out in the most Wisconsin way possible, with a group of friends drunk in a bar.

Bathke, a local tavern owner in the city, spoke of how on April 25th, a week prior to the discovery of the shark by Scharnek and Lukasavitz, he and his friends were gathered in his bar when the topic of pulling a prank worthy of media attention was brought up. Not entirely sure of what they should do, Bathke mentioned that he had the body of a shark in his freezer which he had captured in Cape Coral, Florida back in 1966. The shark carcass had just been chilling in there for over three years because he wasn’t sure what to do with it, and now seemed like as perfect a time as ever to finally use it. The group of men, now more than a few cans into their master plan, all agreed that a shark would be a great animal in which to represent the city of Milwaukee and with the help of a few more drinks, they all decided to take the body and toss it into the water near Bradford Beach.

Under the cover of darkness, the men snuck the body of the shark out of the bar and brought it to the empty beach. After making sure they were completely alone, the group tossed the dead fish into the dark water and watched as it started to slowly drift out into the lake. Believing they were the greatest pranksters of all time, the men stood beneath the moonlight laughing and congratulating themselves on how truly epic their joke clearly was. And when the shark had eventually disappeared from view, the group made their way back to the Bathke’s tavern in order to celebrate with more drinks.

About a week later, the body of the shark was discovered and as you already know, the city went absolutely nuts. Witnessing the prank through sober eyes, Bathke realized that the joke wasn’t as funny as he or his friends originally thought and was worried that the panic they had brought on might end up hurting someone. So to prevent that from happening, Bathke contacted his lawyer in order to help make things right. Local law enforcement listened to the man’s story and after doing some research into state laws, they determined that what the men did was not a crime in any way and accepted the sincere apology. Not long after that, the fear subsided and life in the city went back to normal. Sharks were no longer an issue for the fine people of Milwaukee, Wisconsin or the swimmers of Lake Michigan.

So, as you can see from above, Lake Michigan has had a long and storied history with all sorts of different aquatic monsters from years gone by. And believe it or not, stories and legends similar to those of a hundred years ago are still being created and spread around today in modern times, albeit with a much more technological spin. In 2014, a Chicago man took a photo of what he believes may be a shark swimming around in the lake, and in 2017, a woman in Milwaukee took a video of the same thing. While both sightings were unable to be confirmed as an actual shark, that didn’t stop monster madness from sweeping the area for a few days. And modern shark sightings aren’t the only beasts people are still reporting in the lake, sightings of giant serpents in Lake Michigan have started to make a resurgence as well.

On June 13th, 2019, a video was captured which showed an unknown something moving through the water next to the Charlevoix South Pier Lighthouse in Michigan during a powerful storm. After being uploaded online, hundreds of theories came in stating that the thing could either be a giant eel, a lake serpent, a large rubber mat, a piece of silt fencing, discarded flexible piping, or even a gigantic sturgeon. Crowds were equally divided on the identity of the object and currently, at this time, no official answer has ever been given as to what was caught on video during the storm. But when it truly comes down to it, do we really even want an answer?

Mysteries such as these are some of the most fun and enduring puzzles we as people can come across in our daily lives. Yeah, there probably isn’t a giant monster lurking out in the depths of Lake Michigan and summer recreationists don’t really have to worry about a man-eating shark cruising around the lake looking for the next George Lawson. But just because they don’t really exist beneath the dark water of the lake doesn’t mean they aren’t fun to talk about. Stories and monsters such as these give people something to bond over, something to laugh over, and something to fear together. And honestly, if you ask us, just being able to say that a monster lives within one of the greatest lakes on earth just makes that lake even greater.

So whether it be serpent, shark, or sturgeon, stone-cold fact or homespun fiction, we raise our glasses and shout with conviction, long live the forgotten monster of Lake Michigan!

-The Pine Barrens Institute

Image Credit: The Wisconsin Historical Society

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