In Search of the Hodag June 11, 2015
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern , trackback
The Hodag is one of the most interesting mythical creatures from the great American wilderness. It is associated above all with Wisconsin and particularly with a hoax that dates to 1893 when newspapers reported the capture of a Hodag, apparently a small horned lizard. Full points to those who organized this brilliant photograph above, surely the best every cryptozoological snap? Beach assumed that the Hodag was the creation of the 1893 joker: after all, even the name sounds a bit tinny and invented. And, what about this glorious tongue-in-cheek description from 1910?
Size, about that of a rhinoceros and somewhat resembling that animal in general makeup. The creature is slow in motion, deliberate, and, unlike the rhinoceros, very intelligent. Its hairless body is mottled, striped, and checked in a striking manner, suggestive of the origin of the patterns upon Mackinaw clothing, now used in the lumber woods. On the hodag’s nose, instead of a horn there is a large spade-shaped bony growth, with peculiar phalanges, extending up in front of the eye, so that he can see only straight up. This probably accounts for the deliberate disposition of the animal, which wanders through the spruce woods looking for suitable food. About the only living creature which the hodag can catch is the porcupine; indeed, it would appear that the porcupine is its natural food. Upon sighting one rolled up in the branches of a spruce the hodag begins to blink his eyes, lick his chops, and spade around the tree, cutting all the roots until the tree begins to totter. He then backs off, and with a rush rams his shovel nose under the roots and over goes the tree, knocking the breath out of the porcupine in its fall. The hodag then straddles the fallen tree, follows it out to the top, where the huge pointed hoofs of its front feet crush the helpless porcupine, and then deliberately swallows him head first. Cox, Fearsome Creatures, 27
But, then, Beach ran into this note and began to wonder whether the Hodag wasn’t folklore rather than humour.
There is a portable detached steam saw mill on the west side of section eleven, on the Little Cedar, erected in June, 1869, by McClure & Kidder. This mill cuts 10,000 feet of lumber, or 15,000 shingles per day. It will be better known as the ‘Hodag’ mill. This name was given it, from the fact that an unknown and mysterious animal was heard, seen, and even fired at, in the woods near here, some years ago, and as no other name could be found for it, it was called ‘Hodag,’ and when the mill was built, this was the name given to it by the people of Burchville. History and Directory of Kent County Michigan, 28 (1870)
This sounds a bit like the way ‘boggart’ was given to haunted buildings and spots in northern England and Beach has found a Hodag Creek in Washington (state) [mistake actually in Montana! see below] and a Hodag Lake in Minnesota. Hoax or tradition: drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com And can anyone get back beyond 1870?
30 June 2015: Chris S writes ‘On my first read of your post, I thought “Huh, it’s an extant uintatherium.” Thing is, unitatherium is herbivorous and wouldn’t be caught dead eating a porcupine. Second time around, the possibility of this beast being a gag sunk in, reminding me of an article I wrote for Week In Weird last year regarding another North American monster. .
A NORTH AMERICAN MONSTER. — In a file of the “New York Mercury,” published in 1761, we find the following advertisement of a monster, the like of which we have never heard or read of. It beast all modern monstrosities, animal or human. The advertisement reads as follows:
“Whereas a surprising Monster was caught in the woods of Canada, near the River St. Lawrence, and has with great difficulty been tamed, and brought to the House of James Elliott at Corlaer’s Hook. This is to inform the Public, that it will be exhibited at the said house till the curious are satisfied. “This Monster is larger than an elephant, of a very uncommon shape, having three heads, eight legs, three fundaments. It is of various colors, very beautiful, and makes a noise like the conjunction of two or three voices. It is held unlawful to kill it, and is said to live to a great age. The Canadians could not give it a name, till a very old Indian said he remembered to have seen one when he was aboy, and his father called it a Gormagent.” A subsequent adverisement states that this monster was removed to Jamaica, L.I. for exhibition at “Mr. Coom’s.”
30 June 2015: Ruththeunstoppablycurious writes in with a correction, ‘I read your article about Searching for the Hodag, a familiar name as I had run across it before (yes, I do read a lot of strange things) and had heard about it as connected with the East coast of the US. The part that really caught me was the mention of a Hodag Creek in Washington state, on the opposite coast! As I live in that state I checked with some of the government agencies here and there is no creek by that name, at least officially, their words. Gotta ask where you got the info as the only thing I could turn up in the search engone was your article. All the mention I remember seeing previously was associated with the East coast, and in a very specific area. It’s not really a well known name so I don’t see it’s use here in the sense Boggart is used in England. I have heard the term Boogeyman used more here, but maybe that’s just the part of the country I’m originally from?’
Ruth is right, Hodag Creek is in Montana
25/ Feb /2016. Ruththeunstoppablycurious has come up with a new Hodag reference from Arizona (source)
Ever since I saw the red part of your paper several Sunday’s ago, I have been looking out for that Hodag you said was around here. And yesterday night I seen him. We went out to a small knoll near my place, my boy and me, and watched just we done several times to see if the animal would come. About nine-thirty my son said, Dad, there is something sniffing down there and when I looked, there was the Hodag! He was just as plain. We snuck down on him with a shotgun, but he heared us coming and went off around the hill so fast I thought I must a been mistaken and didn’t see him at all. But Bub said he seen him, so I am sure I did.
Of course we did not see him very good. It was plenty light enough, but we was above him and could only see he was about as big as a yearling calf and tawny color. We could see the short legs of him on the upside and the big ones when he run. He had paws like a mountain lion, but looked more like a almighty big wolf. We are going to get some neighbors that live about six miles over the hills and try and get that critter next Wednesday night.
Yours truly,
WM. KITCHIN.
Sycamore Creek Ranch, Jan. 30th 1913.
Thanks Ruth!
