Lake Leelanau Monster

by American Monsters

This strange and brilliantly camouflaged creature is allegedly responsible for scaring one teenage angler nearly to death and has got to be one of the flat out weirdest lake cryptids ever chronicled.

Sometimes known as “Carp Lake,” Lake Leelanau — which, translated from the local Ojibwa language, means “delight of life” — actually consists of two adjacent lakes, which are located in of Leelanau County, Michigan. The north lake has a reported depth of over 120-feet, while the southern lake only goes down to about 62-feet, nevertheless both lakes are the alleged habitat of a bizarre North American LAKE MONSTER, that the locals have (unimaginatively perhaps) dubbed “Leelanau.”

While the lakes themselves may be relatively nondescript, the creature that supposedly dwells beneath their muddy depths is anything but. Said to have a long, stump-like neck, an equally long tail and two abnormally large eyes, there are but a handful details from which to paint a picture of this beast. Still, in this case, the lack of particulars can be almost as telling as a plethora of adjectives.

Most notable is the fact that the animal has never been associated with the prototypical plesiosaur-like beasts or any of the other oft reported FORMERLY EXTINCT creatures that are normally reputed to live in large, freshwater bodies.

This indicates that — unlike the vast majority of Lake Monster reports — this animal may belong to an UNCLASSIFIED species or genus of “monster.”

According to local legend, the beast first appeared after the Lake Leelanau dam was built in the late 1800′s. The dam, which was designed to provide power to the Leland Sawmill, effectively sealed off the Lake’s largest outlet, and — according to various sources – also managed to seal in the monster in along with it.

After the dam was erected, the water level of the lake rose between 10 and 12-feet, flooding a large portion of land and creating a marsh-like environment around the lake. This is where the creature was said to thrive.

While there are purportedly scores of reports of this nefarious beast, the most detailed account of an encounter with this critter comes to us all the way from 1910. In the summer of that year, a teenager — who hailed from a local family of “prominence” — named William Gauthier was perch fishing from his row boat in the shallow reeds along the shores of what was then called “Carp Lake.”

Finding that his luck was threadbare, young Gauthier decided to row out a little further, toward a section of the lake where he had never fished before.

Passing several dead cedar trees, which were jutting haphazardly out of the water, the adolescent fisherman decided to moor his boat against one of the stumps and continue fishing.

Gauthier chose a tree, which he described as being approximately 5-feet tall and 6-inches wide, and pulled to a stop next to it. Little did he know that he was seconds away from the shock of his young life.

As soon as Gauthier’s rope touched the branch, two huge eyes suddenly popped open at face-level with the horrified youth. The angler was frozen in terror, and after staring into this bizarre creature’s eyes for a few seconds — which no doubt felt like an eternity to Gauthier — the animal abruptly dove beneath his row boat.

Gauthier claimed that animal’s length was so impressive that he could see the submerged head of the beast appear on the far side of the boat while its tail still remained aloft.

One of the many things that we here at American Monsters find so intriguing about this account is the fact that Gauthier was able to paddle up right next to the beast without igniting an immediate reaction. Could it be that the creature was relying on its distinctive camouflage to keep it concealed; playing possum waiting for the boat to leave? Was it simply sleeping or — more ominously perhaps — laying in wait for its unsuspecting prey?

Also worthy of note is the fact that the juvenile witness did not recognize the stump for what it was until its eyes opened.

This would seem to indicate that, much like Phasmatodea — stick bugs — the animal in question had developed an incredible epidermal disguise, which allowed it to blend seamlessly into the vast morass of its stump-studded environment.

When presented with this hypothetical evidence one can’t help but to wonder how many times individuals who believe that they are merely staring at half-submerged trees are actually — albeit unwittingly — having an encounter with a genuine cryptid?

Gauthier’s great-grandson would attest that his great-grandfather had been thoroughly terrified by his unusual encounter. He further confided that the event had shaken him so badly that he avoided fishing on Lake Leelanau for many, many years.

Other folks around the turn of the century claimed to have had equally disturbing encounters with this creature, but most were reticent to come forward for fear of what they believed would be inevitable ridicule.

It has been many years since the last reported sighting of Leelanau; this fact has — unfortunately — forced many investigators to conclude that whatever may have been trapped in Lake Leelanau at the end of the 19th century has long since expired.

Of course, one never knows how many times an unwary boater might have slowly rowed next to a rotting stump… never realizing that they were slipping past a living, breathing AQUATIC ENIGMA.

Integrity, Rationalizations and Little House on the Prarie

I am certain that many of those who argue for sustainable living have a rose-colored view of how such a community might look. It's almost like nostalgia for a time period that existed onscreen during Little House on the Prarie episodes and The Waltons re-runs. I do think that Michael Landon glossed over many of the harder aspects of frontier living in his version of Walnut Grove. Scarlet fever, forced migration of Native Americans, and infant deaths are just a few of the things he missed. I'm sure there were more important things to deal with than that old biddy, Mrs. Oleson and her hen-pecked husband, Nels.

I do have a longing for a time when people kept their word. They didn't need contracts, or lawyers, to keep them on the straight and narrow. There was this idea of integrity--or honor, if you will. People didn't rationalize their wrongdoings. I love that moment in The Big Chill, when Jeff Goldblum says, "Don't underestimate rationalizations. Just show me one person who can get through the day without a great, big, juicy one." Man, we all do it! We all have reasons why we can't be the best possible people---people of integrity and honor.

"It's my upbringing."
"It's my situation."
"He can afford it."
"I'm too busy."
"I didn't mean to."
"I've got problems."

It's an insidious road to hell. Rationalization Road. It's paved with illusions about why you just can't keep your promises even though you meant to and you are still a good person even though your actions aren't good.......What would Jesus do?

Imagine a community of the past where if you showed yourself to be a person without integrity there was no place for you within the community. The traveling flim-flam man had to travel because those who lived in the community would exact justice if they had to do so. People had "hand shake" deals. Imagine a place where the community cared if you had personal integrity. Imagine a place where you cared if you had personal integrity.

Cherry Harvest beginning this week in Leelanau

By Bill O'Brien

WILLIAMSBURG -- Mother Nature doesn't check the local events calendar as she ripens northern Michigan's cherry crop, and this year things are a bit behind schedule.

The National Cherry Festival kicked off this weekend, but most northern Michigan growers are still waiting to pick their first cherries of the season. A cool and sometimes wet spring delayed the sweet cherry harvest, and pushed the start of the larger tart cherry season to at least mid-July.

"I would say we're about a week behind what we'd normally see," said Dennis Hoxsie, a sweet and tart cherry grower whose family farm market is a seasonal mainstay along M-72 in Acme Township.

Hoxsie hopes to start picking his early sweets over the weekend. Even with the tardy crop he said there will be local cherries available for the weeklong celebration of the region's signature fruit.

"We'll have fresh fruit for the Cherry Festival," he said.

In the meantime, cherries for the event are coming from the Oceana County cherry belt near Hart and Pentwater, festival spokeswoman Susan Wilcox Olson said, until local growers start to bring in their fruit.

"We're relying on Michigan cherries first, while the fruit from the three- to five-county area fills in," she said. "They're usually pretty good about getting (the cherries) in here as soon as they get them off the trees."

The sweet cherry harvest in Leelanau County should start by the end of this week, said Al Steimel, general manager of Leelanau Fruit along M-22 near Suttons Bay.

"It's not quite ready yet," Steimel said last week.

It's shaping up as a so-so season for area cherry growers. The projected tart cherry crop for northwest Michigan totals 75 million pounds, down more than 40 percent from last year's robust harvest and expected to be the lowest yield in six years. The statewide crop is forecast at 135 million pounds, down 30 percent from last year.

The smaller sweet cherry crop fared better, estimated at 25,000 tons statewide, down about 8 percent from last year.

Some farms were hurt by widespread frost this spring, while others were pelted by hail in recent thunderstorms that rumbled across the region. Hoxsie said the yield from his orchards is decent, but some of the fruit is scarred from the spring frost and hail damage.

"The quantity seems to be pretty good," he said. "In terms of quality, we've had a couple different challenges this year."

Sustainable Food and Farming Systems Directory of Michigan

This directory is designed to help identify and promote information sharing among Michigan organizations,institutions, and individuals involved in sustainable food and farming systems.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD NEIGHBOR AND NEIGHBORHOOD

- by E.A. Zimmerman

Neighbors can make life terrific or terrible. They can make you want to move or stay put. They can be a source of happiness or stress.


A classic example of neighborhood strive is the notorious feud that raged between the Hatfield and McCoy families of West Virginia and Kentucky. Animosity between the two clans apparently started over a question of livestock ownership. Flaring tempers and bitter feelings were further fueled by insults, politics, an illicit affair and moonshine. The conflict culminated in fire and bloodshed.

Here in Woodstock we are blessed with some truly wonderful neighbors. It’s nice to live next to people we can trust with a spare key. When I am out of town, I can count on them to watch the cat or take Doug to the hospital the next time he injures himself. That got us thinking about what makes a good neighbor and a nice neighborhood.

Here is the Top Ten list we came up with, in no particular order.

Good neighbors:

1.Care for their property. This makes the neighborhood a pleasant place to come home to, while helping maintain or improve property values. The house next door does not have to be a palace, but it sure is nice when it’s reasonably neat and clean. Good neighbors don’t allow their yard to grow into an eyesore or safety hazard, with junk lying about or garbage that attracts rats.

2.Are Friendly. They smile and wave when they see you. They welcome new neighbors, maybe with a plate of cookies or a recommendation on a good place to grocery shop. They offer kids candy on Halloween. Maybe they host a block party.

3.Respect the privacy of others and don’t trespass. They extend friendship, while recognizing that some may accept it, and some may not. The fact is that some folks like to keep to themselves, and that is their right. Unless there is mutual agreement, they don’t go over on their neighbor’s property without an invitation. They don’t engage in “light trespass” either, by leaving a bright light on all night outside your bedroom window.

4.Are Helpful. If someone has a new baby or a death in the family, or a vehicle is stuck in the mud, they lend a helping hand. They are also willing to lend a cup of sugar or a tool you need for a special project. (Of course it’s also important for the recipient to promptly return all loaned items in good repair.)

5.Watch out for each other. They are aware, without spying. If they notice suspicious activity or something amiss, they call or check it out.

6.Keep the peace. Noise can be incredibly irritating. Common complaints include loud music, blaring TVs, revving up a chainsaw or motorcycle early on a Sunday morning, driving an ATV in circles for hours on end, and dogs that bark incessantly.

7.Give you a heads up if they are going to make an unavoidable racket (e.g. during construction), and try to limit the impact. If they are planning to make a change that could affect you (like planting trees that could obscure your view) they talk with you about it first, offering the possibility of agreeing to a compromise.

8.Don’t drive too fast, endangering the lives of children and pets.

9.Manage themselves, and their own children and pets. They don’t engage in wild parties that extend into the wee hours, or screaming fights. Their children are well behaved. Their animals stay in their own yard.

10.Volunteer when they can. This can range from periodically picking up litter to getting involved in local organizations that help improve the quality of life in the community.

The bottom line is probably that a good neighbor considers the impacts of their actions on their neighbors’ well-being and rights. While it is something to strive for, I can’t claim that we have always been perfect neighbors. However, we certainly don’t take neighbors that are good for granted.