Historic Cryptid Headline: June 7, 1900 - A Hodag

The Bemidji Pioneer

June 7, 1900

“A Hodag.”

A Fierce Animal Discovered In Beltrami County

Wellington Schroeder returned yesterday from the northern part of the county with a story that beats sea-serpents all to smash. He personally met a wild beast which the settlers call a “hodag.” This is an animal which is nearly extinct, and the only one of its kind known to be in captivity is at Rhinelander, Wis. The hodag is a meat eater, and subsists on moose and kindred game which it rushes upon and rips with its horns. It has four of these, one on the snout and three upon its back. It has a tough hide covered with brownish hair. Wellington met this creature Sunday in the woods near the mouth of Black Duck river, 30 miles beyond Tenstrike. Wellington had no weapon larger than a knife, and if he had had a cannon he would not have dared to use it, he says. He made for a large tree, and found it to his satisfaction that the hodag wore feet too large for scaling purposes. The man sat on a branch and studied natural history and the animal sawed the tree and studied the man for over half an hour, than vanished. It is said that this brute is the terror of the neighborhood and has killed a number of cattle for the lumbermen. If any circus wants him, Mr. Schroeder will give up his claim by right of discovery.

N.B. It may be well to add that he is not a drinking man.

“Historic Cryptid Headlines” showcases actual articles involving cryptids that were published within United States newspapers back in the 1800’s-1900’s. The articles posted here are written exactly as they appeared during their original publishing date.

-The Pine Barrens Institute

---