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It's ironic that today is the day I finish writing about Whitey considering it is Halloween and 'investigations' will be going on across the country. When I first became interested in the paranormal, people who studied it or even remotely believed there were things science couldn't yet explain were considered freaks or lunatics. Now, not only do most people believe in hauntings, additional human abilities, and the possibility of previously unknown creatures, it is considered lunacy not to believe in these things. So much has changed in 20 years.
Though many of these changes have been positive for the paranormal field, some have not been. As interest has grown, the appeal of entering this field has also grown. Scam artists are a regularity now when before the only people who were in the field were mostly legitimate investigators. Novices and hobbyists abound in this field as well. Some see hauntings as way to profit financially from other's fear and curiosity.
This being said, please remember that a true paranormal professional will not charge you for their services. Now is the time when science and the unknown are beginning to meet and as a rule of thumb investigation teams that are legitimately approaching this field from a scientific standpoint are doing so to reap the rewards of knowledge ... not money. Too often people who are unnerved by personal paranormal experiences are taken advantage of by unscrupulous people who do not care about helping. Don't let this happen to you.
If you are dealing with an investigative team, ask for references. Ask how long the team as a whole has been investigating and ask how long each member has been in the field. Ask as many questions as you can. Be sure the investigative team uses hard scientific methods and not just esoteric feelings. How can a person truly investigate the unknown using the unknown? Even if that is possible, how would you know their 'findings' are legitimate?
Tonight people across the country will gather on 'ghost walks' or 'haunted hikes'. Though personal experiences will be prolific tonight of all nights, always remember that the unknown paranormal is unknown because it does not perform on command.
Friday, October 31, 2008
White River Monster -- the tracks
Those strange three-toed tracks in Newport have not been explained yet. Mysteriously, from February to October in 1948 identical tracks were found on the beach in Clearwater, Florida. Witnesses reported seeing a very large animal on the beach. Upon inspection, tracks were found in the sand that were approximately 14 inches long and 8 inches wide. Weight estimations for the creature were made based on the track depth that said the creature weighed approximately 3 tons (Stefko, 2005).
Cryptozoologist Ivan Sanderson was called to investigate the reports of this unknown animal. Sanderson discovered during his investigation that many other witnesses had seen an unknown creature but had not came forward yet. Fishermen and locals saw something that stood between 15 and 20 feet tall waddling around the beaches on two legs. Four different pilots independently reported seeing a strange animal splashing around the banks of the Suwannee River that looked similar to a giant penguin.
Thinking he was dealing with a blatant hoax, Sanderson called in professionals to find out if building a machine that could duplicate the tracks would be possible. His findings were that not only would it be too expensive to build the needed machine, the machine would be too big to go where the tracks went.
Florida is not the only place these strange three-toed tracks have shown up either. On the banks of the Monongahela River in Pennsylvania in 1966 tracks that were approximately 14x8 inches were discovered for several months. Reports of a very large animal in the river also accompanied the reports of the tracks.
Stefko, J. (2005). Arkansas White River Monster – Serpent or Penguin? Retrieved October 26, 2008, from http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/paranormal_realm/117738/2
Cryptozoologist Ivan Sanderson was called to investigate the reports of this unknown animal. Sanderson discovered during his investigation that many other witnesses had seen an unknown creature but had not came forward yet. Fishermen and locals saw something that stood between 15 and 20 feet tall waddling around the beaches on two legs. Four different pilots independently reported seeing a strange animal splashing around the banks of the Suwannee River that looked similar to a giant penguin.
Thinking he was dealing with a blatant hoax, Sanderson called in professionals to find out if building a machine that could duplicate the tracks would be possible. His findings were that not only would it be too expensive to build the needed machine, the machine would be too big to go where the tracks went.
Florida is not the only place these strange three-toed tracks have shown up either. On the banks of the Monongahela River in Pennsylvania in 1966 tracks that were approximately 14x8 inches were discovered for several months. Reports of a very large animal in the river also accompanied the reports of the tracks.
Stefko, J. (2005). Arkansas White River Monster – Serpent or Penguin? Retrieved October 26, 2008, from http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/paranormal_realm/117738/2
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
White River Monster -- Possible Explanations
The most popular explanation for what people have seen in the White River has to be the lost elephant seal theory. Elephant seals do create the strange sounds attributed to Whitey, a blend between a moo and a neigh. They do have grey skin, are large, and would likely startle someone from Arkansas since they are not native to the area.
As with all theories, there are holes. For an elephant seal to reach the White River, it would first have to swim from California, down the western seaboard to the Panama Canal, up the eastern seaboard to the mouth of the Mississippi River, and finally down the White River. Considering an elephant seal’s expected lifespan is only 15 years, this would indeed be quite an achievement. Then again, an elephant seal’s life span is about 15 years, but sightings of Whitey have been reported for over 100 years. That would mean that multiple elephant seals would have gotten lost, taken the same route, and ended up in the same place. The odds of this happening are just too remote to seriously be entertained as a reasonable explanation. Not to mention the strange tracks.
Another explanation for Whitey is a sunken boat. With this theory, a sunken boat traps decomposition gases as they rise from the bottom of the river. As the boat fills with the gases, it surfaces. Upon surfacing, the boat becomes top heavy which allows the gas to escape. This then causes the boat to again sink to the bottom to start the cycle over again.
This would explain the bubbles and the predictable surfacing pattern Bateman noticed. However there are holes with this theory as well. Witnesses have reported seeing the creature moving both up and down river while submerged and on the surface. Also, Brown did not find a sunken boat in the eddy when he was searching for the creature in 1937. As an experienced deep sea Naval diver, one would assume that Brown would have made mention of a submerged vessel, but he did not.
And again there are those strange tracks …
Check back soon for "White River Monster -- The tracks"
As with all theories, there are holes. For an elephant seal to reach the White River, it would first have to swim from California, down the western seaboard to the Panama Canal, up the eastern seaboard to the mouth of the Mississippi River, and finally down the White River. Considering an elephant seal’s expected lifespan is only 15 years, this would indeed be quite an achievement. Then again, an elephant seal’s life span is about 15 years, but sightings of Whitey have been reported for over 100 years. That would mean that multiple elephant seals would have gotten lost, taken the same route, and ended up in the same place. The odds of this happening are just too remote to seriously be entertained as a reasonable explanation. Not to mention the strange tracks.
Another explanation for Whitey is a sunken boat. With this theory, a sunken boat traps decomposition gases as they rise from the bottom of the river. As the boat fills with the gases, it surfaces. Upon surfacing, the boat becomes top heavy which allows the gas to escape. This then causes the boat to again sink to the bottom to start the cycle over again.
This would explain the bubbles and the predictable surfacing pattern Bateman noticed. However there are holes with this theory as well. Witnesses have reported seeing the creature moving both up and down river while submerged and on the surface. Also, Brown did not find a sunken boat in the eddy when he was searching for the creature in 1937. As an experienced deep sea Naval diver, one would assume that Brown would have made mention of a submerged vessel, but he did not.
And again there are those strange tracks …
Check back soon for "White River Monster -- The tracks"
Monday, October 27, 2008
White River Monster -- witness facts
This is where it gets tricky to decide what is fact and what is fiction. So first let’s consider if there possibly is something in the White River that is beyond the scope of the norm. Personally, I feel that there are enough eye witnesses spanning over a large period of time to say that there likely is something beyond the norm going on in the area. By just accepting the dated reports, there have been sightings of an unknown creature in the same area for over 100 years. This is disregarding the fact that the Natives from the area have legends that even they are not sure are exactly how old.
So, if something is beyond the norm, what does it look like? This is more difficult to determine. We all know if ten people see the same thing, there will be ten different stories on what happened. The only way to find the closest to what actually happened is by comparing stories, finding similarities, discarding differences, and finding a relative middle ground between the different stories.
In regards to Whitey, the Quapaw, Bateman, Reid, Denks, unnamed witnesses, and Cloyce’s Polaroid agree. The creature is large, likely in the neighborhood of between 12-30 feet long and approximately 5 feet wide. The creature has grey smooth skin, breathes air, and frightens fish. Though a couple witnesses said it has a horn, most do not mention the horn so we must discount it.
Look for "White River Monster -- Possible Explanations" soon
So, if something is beyond the norm, what does it look like? This is more difficult to determine. We all know if ten people see the same thing, there will be ten different stories on what happened. The only way to find the closest to what actually happened is by comparing stories, finding similarities, discarding differences, and finding a relative middle ground between the different stories.
In regards to Whitey, the Quapaw, Bateman, Reid, Denks, unnamed witnesses, and Cloyce’s Polaroid agree. The creature is large, likely in the neighborhood of between 12-30 feet long and approximately 5 feet wide. The creature has grey smooth skin, breathes air, and frightens fish. Though a couple witnesses said it has a horn, most do not mention the horn so we must discount it.
Look for "White River Monster -- Possible Explanations" soon
Sunday, October 26, 2008
White River Monster -- the history
While Nessie is the most famous water cryptid, my home state of Arkansas is home to arguably one of the best known water cryptids in the US. Documented sightings of the White River Monster, or Whitey as it has came be known as by the locals, have been occurring in for almost 100 years. What is Whitey and what are some theories suggested to explain it? With sightings over such a long period of time, distinguishing fact from fiction is difficult.
While reports of Whitey begin in the 1890s by Americans, sightings of Whitey predate even those. Exactly when the earliest sighting of Whitey occurred is difficult to pinpoint, but the Quapaw tribe that lived in the area before the white settlers have told stories of a creature in the White River that would tip canoes over (The White River Monster, 2008). The description of this animal in the legends was a snake-like animal with grey skin that was wider than a grown man and as long as a tree.
In the 1890s, several people reported watching a large creature swimming in the White River in the area that is now near Newport, Arkansas. One witness was visiting the area from New York and carried his story back with him to the paper. His description of what he saw that day is the first first-person account of what the alleged creature looks like that we have today.
The witness said that as he was fishing in the river, the surface came to life with fish jumping. He saw a large shadow in the river that began to rise from the depths. When the creature broke the water, it had grey wrinkled skin and sounded a bit like a cow in distress. The witness said the creature stayed on the surface for a few moments during which time the man saw it had a bony back and was approximately the size of a railroad car. This description is very near to one given in the legends of the Quapaw.
While there were several sightings reported from 1890 to 1900, this was the only report that I could find a copy of the original article for. For my purposes, I can only accept this report as valid and with the description being remarkably similar to the legend’s this adds credence to this man’s account.
The next documented report of a sighting of Whitey I could find was not until 1930s in what is quite possibly the most famous string of Whitey sightings to date. Beginning in 1931, sightings of Whitey again began. Records show over 17 reports of an excessively large animal being seen in the vicinity of Newport while even more reports of mysterious tracks were made.
In 1937, Bramblett Bateman, a farmer that owned land near the White River, was told by a tenant farmer that there was a creature in the eddy of the river. The tenant went on to say that fishing in the area had been poor for days and felt this creature was the cause of it. Bateman thinking the tenant was crazy went to the river himself and saw the creature. Though Bateman never saw the creature fully surfaced, his description was an animal that was approximately 5 feet wide and at least 12 feet long (Kystek, 2000).
Among those Bateman notified of the creature were DN Graves of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and county deputy ZB Reid. Reid is another witness. His description of what he saw was “a lot of foam and bubbles coming up in a circle about 30 feet in diameter” and when the creature surfaced it looked like a “large sturgeon or catfish” (Kystek, 2000).
For days Bateman watched the creature in the eddy and began to see a pattern. Every afternoon the creature would surface for up to 15 minutes. During the period of time Bateman watched the creature in the eddy, preparations were made for a professional diver to investigate the creature.
Charles Brown was a former Navy deep sea diver with many years experience. He agreed to dive near the creature from July 22 until July 25 to try to determine exactly what the creature was. Time magazine ran the story of Whitey and Brown’s escapades in August 1937 (Time, 1937). Brown never did see the creature due to poor visibility and faulty gear. Eventually the creature moved from the eddy.
Again, years went by with only a few reported sightings of the creature.
In 1971 witnesses saw a large creature playing in the water. Four witnesses signed affidavits on what they saw. Though comparisons varied, every witness agreed that the creature was the approximate width of a boxcar and the length of three or four pickup trucks. All agreed the animal had smooth grey skin, but looked as if it was peeling in spots and all agreed that animal made strange noises like a cow mooing and a horse neighing.
Also in 1971, Earnst Denks reported seeing the creature. His report contains some similarities to previous reports, but has one key difference. Denks reported that he watched the creature for several minutes. The creature was long, grey, smooth skinned, and bony backed, but also added the creature had a pointed horn protruding from its head (Johnson, 1997).
1971 also stands as the year that the most famous and only picture of what is allegedly Whitey was taken. In July, Cloyce Warren and two friends were fishing on the river when a column of water erupted near their boat. They then saw a creature swim away. All witnesses agreed the creature stretched at least 20 feet and had a spiny backbone. Though the original Polaroid has been lost, the Newport Daily Independent still has the original story that ran with this picture. (Johnson, 1997).
Around this time, many people had reported seeing large tracks of an unknown animal on the banks of the river. Often these tracks were found on Towhead Island. Plaster castings of these tracks still exist today. The tracks were approximately 14 inches long and 8 inches wide and created by a large three-toed animal (Galiano, 2008). The brush in the areas the tracks were found was also reportedly disturbed as if a very large animal had been through the area.
In 1973, the Arkansas State Legislature passed and created the White River Monster Refuge. The refuge contains land and river adjacent to the Jacksonport State Park on the White River.
The spurt of sightings in the early 1970s have been the most recent documented sightings of the White River Monster. Recently, reports have been coming in from the Newport area that Whitey has returned and interestingly enough more of the same tracks are being found on the banks of the river in the area.
Look for "White River Monster -- Witness Facts" coming soon.
Galiona, A. (2008). The Ghosts of Arkansas. Retrieved October 26, 2008, from http://littlerock.about.com/cs/urbanlegends/a/aaghosts.htm
Johnson, RT. (1997). Monster Story Number Three. Retrieved October 26, 2008, from http://users.aristotle.net/~russjohn/monsters/ms3.html
Kystek, L. (2000). The Misplaced Monster of the White River. Retrieved October 26, 2008, from http://www.unmuseum.org/whiteriv.html
Time. (1937). Newport’s Monster. Retrieved October 26, 2008, from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,770733,00.html
While reports of Whitey begin in the 1890s by Americans, sightings of Whitey predate even those. Exactly when the earliest sighting of Whitey occurred is difficult to pinpoint, but the Quapaw tribe that lived in the area before the white settlers have told stories of a creature in the White River that would tip canoes over (The White River Monster, 2008). The description of this animal in the legends was a snake-like animal with grey skin that was wider than a grown man and as long as a tree.
In the 1890s, several people reported watching a large creature swimming in the White River in the area that is now near Newport, Arkansas. One witness was visiting the area from New York and carried his story back with him to the paper. His description of what he saw that day is the first first-person account of what the alleged creature looks like that we have today.
The witness said that as he was fishing in the river, the surface came to life with fish jumping. He saw a large shadow in the river that began to rise from the depths. When the creature broke the water, it had grey wrinkled skin and sounded a bit like a cow in distress. The witness said the creature stayed on the surface for a few moments during which time the man saw it had a bony back and was approximately the size of a railroad car. This description is very near to one given in the legends of the Quapaw.
While there were several sightings reported from 1890 to 1900, this was the only report that I could find a copy of the original article for. For my purposes, I can only accept this report as valid and with the description being remarkably similar to the legend’s this adds credence to this man’s account.
The next documented report of a sighting of Whitey I could find was not until 1930s in what is quite possibly the most famous string of Whitey sightings to date. Beginning in 1931, sightings of Whitey again began. Records show over 17 reports of an excessively large animal being seen in the vicinity of Newport while even more reports of mysterious tracks were made.
In 1937, Bramblett Bateman, a farmer that owned land near the White River, was told by a tenant farmer that there was a creature in the eddy of the river. The tenant went on to say that fishing in the area had been poor for days and felt this creature was the cause of it. Bateman thinking the tenant was crazy went to the river himself and saw the creature. Though Bateman never saw the creature fully surfaced, his description was an animal that was approximately 5 feet wide and at least 12 feet long (Kystek, 2000).
Among those Bateman notified of the creature were DN Graves of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and county deputy ZB Reid. Reid is another witness. His description of what he saw was “a lot of foam and bubbles coming up in a circle about 30 feet in diameter” and when the creature surfaced it looked like a “large sturgeon or catfish” (Kystek, 2000).
For days Bateman watched the creature in the eddy and began to see a pattern. Every afternoon the creature would surface for up to 15 minutes. During the period of time Bateman watched the creature in the eddy, preparations were made for a professional diver to investigate the creature.
Charles Brown was a former Navy deep sea diver with many years experience. He agreed to dive near the creature from July 22 until July 25 to try to determine exactly what the creature was. Time magazine ran the story of Whitey and Brown’s escapades in August 1937 (Time, 1937). Brown never did see the creature due to poor visibility and faulty gear. Eventually the creature moved from the eddy.
Again, years went by with only a few reported sightings of the creature.
In 1971 witnesses saw a large creature playing in the water. Four witnesses signed affidavits on what they saw. Though comparisons varied, every witness agreed that the creature was the approximate width of a boxcar and the length of three or four pickup trucks. All agreed the animal had smooth grey skin, but looked as if it was peeling in spots and all agreed that animal made strange noises like a cow mooing and a horse neighing.
Also in 1971, Earnst Denks reported seeing the creature. His report contains some similarities to previous reports, but has one key difference. Denks reported that he watched the creature for several minutes. The creature was long, grey, smooth skinned, and bony backed, but also added the creature had a pointed horn protruding from its head (Johnson, 1997).
1971 also stands as the year that the most famous and only picture of what is allegedly Whitey was taken. In July, Cloyce Warren and two friends were fishing on the river when a column of water erupted near their boat. They then saw a creature swim away. All witnesses agreed the creature stretched at least 20 feet and had a spiny backbone. Though the original Polaroid has been lost, the Newport Daily Independent still has the original story that ran with this picture. (Johnson, 1997).
Around this time, many people had reported seeing large tracks of an unknown animal on the banks of the river. Often these tracks were found on Towhead Island. Plaster castings of these tracks still exist today. The tracks were approximately 14 inches long and 8 inches wide and created by a large three-toed animal (Galiano, 2008). The brush in the areas the tracks were found was also reportedly disturbed as if a very large animal had been through the area.
In 1973, the Arkansas State Legislature passed and created the White River Monster Refuge. The refuge contains land and river adjacent to the Jacksonport State Park on the White River.
The spurt of sightings in the early 1970s have been the most recent documented sightings of the White River Monster. Recently, reports have been coming in from the Newport area that Whitey has returned and interestingly enough more of the same tracks are being found on the banks of the river in the area.
Look for "White River Monster -- Witness Facts" coming soon.
Galiona, A. (2008). The Ghosts of Arkansas. Retrieved October 26, 2008, from http://littlerock.about.com/cs/urbanlegends/a/aaghosts.htm
Johnson, RT. (1997). Monster Story Number Three. Retrieved October 26, 2008, from http://users.aristotle.net/~russjohn/monsters/ms3.html
Kystek, L. (2000). The Misplaced Monster of the White River. Retrieved October 26, 2008, from http://www.unmuseum.org/whiteriv.html
Time. (1937). Newport’s Monster. Retrieved October 26, 2008, from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,770733,00.html
Get to know the author
I recently turned 29 and live in central Arkansas currently. I've lived many places, but few have been as beautiful as Arkansas. I am married to a wonderful man who also is intrigued by the paranormal. I also have a son that I adore even though at times he makes me wonder if I was ever that hard to handle for my parents.
I became interested in the paranormal when I was quite young, but I didn't know that was what it was called then. At the time, I knew there was something beyond what most people believed because of personal experiences. I have always been the person who researches something if she doesn't know much about it and my approach to the paranormal was and is no different. Though there were not many books out back then that approached the subject from a scientific stance, I still devoured the information esoteric books contained.
My grandfather was a very religious man even though his religion was not the typical religion. He had been raised on a reservation by very traditional parents, but had been sent away to a government boarding school when he was young. For those of you that do not know much about the federal schooling practices for Native Americans, it really was overly harsh and aimed directly at obliterating the Native's traditional cultures. Though my grandfather was a Christian, he rarely went to church. His beliefs were a blend of traditional Native and Christian European.
His approach to religion greatly influenced me. I believe in God, yes. But, I also believe that there are powers/deities/personalities. To put it more scientifically, nature is based on duality. When there's positive, there's negative. Most people have never seen an atom, but we all believe they're real right?
Do I believe in the paranormal? Yes and no. I believe that we do not know everything, and I do believe that people experience something that we as a civilization still cannot properly explain. The "paranormal". I do believe eventually we as a civilization will be able to understand and explain these things though. It will just take a lot of hard work and thinking beyond the box we currently have built.
I know this blog will not be the defining moment when the paranormal simply becomes normal. Nor do I think the paranormal will be even remotely understood in my lifetime. This blog is simply the result of me being asked by others who are interested in the field what is the truth as far as I can discover regarding certain well known unexplained situations.
I became interested in the paranormal when I was quite young, but I didn't know that was what it was called then. At the time, I knew there was something beyond what most people believed because of personal experiences. I have always been the person who researches something if she doesn't know much about it and my approach to the paranormal was and is no different. Though there were not many books out back then that approached the subject from a scientific stance, I still devoured the information esoteric books contained.
My grandfather was a very religious man even though his religion was not the typical religion. He had been raised on a reservation by very traditional parents, but had been sent away to a government boarding school when he was young. For those of you that do not know much about the federal schooling practices for Native Americans, it really was overly harsh and aimed directly at obliterating the Native's traditional cultures. Though my grandfather was a Christian, he rarely went to church. His beliefs were a blend of traditional Native and Christian European.
His approach to religion greatly influenced me. I believe in God, yes. But, I also believe that there are powers/deities/personalities. To put it more scientifically, nature is based on duality. When there's positive, there's negative. Most people have never seen an atom, but we all believe they're real right?
Do I believe in the paranormal? Yes and no. I believe that we do not know everything, and I do believe that people experience something that we as a civilization still cannot properly explain. The "paranormal". I do believe eventually we as a civilization will be able to understand and explain these things though. It will just take a lot of hard work and thinking beyond the box we currently have built.
I know this blog will not be the defining moment when the paranormal simply becomes normal. Nor do I think the paranormal will be even remotely understood in my lifetime. This blog is simply the result of me being asked by others who are interested in the field what is the truth as far as I can discover regarding certain well known unexplained situations.
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