Midwest Cryptid Creatures You Won’t Believe

In the forests of northern Michigan, locals say a strange creature haunts the shadows. It is known as the Michigan Dogman. It’s a tall, hairy beast with the body of a man and the head of a dog. Witnesses mention it stands around seven feet tall, walks on two legs, and has glowing blue or amber eyes that shine through the trees at night.

One of the most famous encounters was in Wexford County in 1887, when two lumberjacks said they saw a creature that looked half-human and half-wolf staring at them from the close to the edge of the forest. They ran away terrified but the creature followed them for several minutes. However, it quickly disappeared into the forest. Stories such as this one spread quickly throutout the state leading to people all over Michigan saying they had seen or heard the Dogman too.

A popular piece of evidence came from a man named Steve Cook, who worked at a Michigan radio station in the late 1980s. He made a song called “The Legend of Dogman” as an April Fool’s joke about the Dogman, but after it aired mutliple listeners called in claiming they had real encounters with the creature. Some people even sent in recordings of the howls they believed came from the Midwest cryptid itself.

In the farmlands near Elkhorn, Wisconsin, locals tell stories of a terrifying creature known as the Beast of Bray Road. It’s said to be a large, wolf-like animal that walks on two legs and has glowing red eyes. Some describe it as part man, part wolf, and taller than any normal person.

The first reported sightings of the Beast of Bray Road happened in 1936, when a night watchman saw a strange creature digging near an old burial mound in Jefferson, Wisconsin. Later, in the 1980s, several witnesses claimed the beast scratched their cars and even chased one woman after she stopped to check what she had hit. Some people have also seen a large, wolf-like animal running through cornfields during the day, sometimes chasing deer.

Some people believe that the beast is actually some type of wolf or even a large dog, like a Great Pyrenees or Newfoundland. Others think that it could also be a bear suffering from mange.

Along the Little Miami River near Loveland, Ohio, people claim to have seen strange, frog-like creatures walking on two legs. Known as the Loveland Frogmen, they are said to be around four feet tall with rough, leathery skin and wide, frog-like faces. Some stories even say they carry strange tools that glow or give off sparks.

One of the most famous encounters happened in 1972, when a police officer named Ray Shockey reported seeing a large frog-like creature jump over a guardrail and run into the river. A few weeks later, another officer claimed to see the same thing in the same area. These reports put the Loveland Frogmen on the Midwest cryptid map.

Over the years, people have found odd tracks near the river and reported glowing eyes at night, but no real proof has ever been found. Some say it’s just a lizard or some other misidentified animal, but it still draws curious cryptid hunters to this area.

In the small town of Churubusco, Indiana, people tell stories about a giant snapping turtle said to live in Fulk Lake. Locals call it the Beast of Busco, or “Oscar,” after the farmer who first claimed to see it. The creature is described as a massive turtle, about the size of a car. It has a spiked, large shell and eyes that peek just above the water.

The most famous sighting occurred in 1949, when farmer Gale Harris claimed to have seen the huge turtle in his lake. His word spread fast, and soon after, crowds of people came to watch the water, hoping to catch a glimpse. Harris even drained part of the lake and used traps to try to catch it, but the beast was never found.

High above the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois, there’s a painting on a cliff that tells a terrifying story. It shows the Piasa Bird, a monster said to have the face of a man, the body of a dragon, the wings of a bird, and the tail of a serpent. According to legend, it once flew over the river, snatching people and animals from the bluffs below.

The first written record of the Piasa Bird came from Father Jacques Marquette in 1673, who described seeing the image painted on the rocks by Native Americans. Local tribes said the creature had terrorized their ancestors until a brave warrior shot it down with poisoned arrows.