From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bessie is a name given to an alleged lake monster in Lake Erie,^[1] also known as "South Bay Bessie" by locals.^{[citation needed]} The first recorded sighting of Bessie occurred in 1817,^[1] and more sightings have occurred intermittently and in greater frequency in the last three decades.^[1] Bessie is reported to be snake-like and 9–12 m (30–40 ft) long, at least a foot in diameter, with a grayish color.^[1]

A reward of $100,000 has been offered by Huron Lagoons Marina for the capture of Bessie, dead or alive.^[2][3]

It has been reported that the Lake Erie Monster is nothing more than a school of young catfish.^{[citation needed]} This is consistent with the patterns of schooling fish in the lake.^{[citation needed]}

In popular culture

• A tribute to Bessie is Lemmy (Lake Erie Monster), a wood and plastic sculpture of a serpentine creature that was placed in the Huron River just north of Ohio Route 2 near Huron from approximately 1994 until 2004, and again from 2005. The sculpture is now broken, and it is unknown whether it will be fixed.^[4][5]
• The minor-league hockey team Lake Erie Monsters, AHL affiliate to the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, was named after Bessie.^[6]
• There is a band named "South Bay Bessie" as a tribute to the beast.^[7]

References

• A Monster in Lake Erie, Ron Schaffner, Creature Chronicles #14; Oct. 1991

External links

• Dark Destinations - Lake Erie