Lake Worth monster
Encyclopedia
The Lake Worth Monster is a North American cryptid
reported to live in Lake Worth, Texas
.
in Texas. Jim Marrs, a reporter, wrote an article about it in the newspaper, which made the front page. The headline read: "Fishy Man-Goat Terrifies Couples Parked at Lake Worth." The couples that reported the sightings described it as a half-man, half-goat, with fur and scales.
A man named John Reichart soon after reported the creature landed on his car after jumping out of a tree. An 18-inch scar on the side of his car was shown by Reichart as proof. The police at this point decided to investigate. Up until then, they had laughed at any reports they received, thinking it was a hoax.
The following night, reports came in of the creature hurling a tire from a bluff at overlooking bystanders. In 2009, a man known as "Vinzens" admitted to reporters that he had been involved in this incident. According to him the tire flew into the air only because it hit a bump after he and his accomplices (who were unnamed) rolled it.
The most well-known photograph (and perhaps the only one) of the creature belongs to a woman named Sallie Ann Clarke, who received the photo from Allen Plaster, who took the picture in October 1969 near Greer Island.
aired a lengthy report about the Lake Worth Monster. Reporter Richard Ray interviewed locals including reporter Jim Marrs and purported eye witness Sallie Ann Clarke. Clarke's testimony was compelling but the report also stated that some high school students had admitted to authorities that they had pulled a prank on locals by wearing a gorilla costume and parading around the lake.
Cryptid
In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely. Famous examples include the Yeti in the Himalayas and the Loch Ness Monster in...
reported to live in Lake Worth, Texas
Lake Worth (Texas)
Lake Worth is located on the West Fork of the Trinity River. It is entirely inside the Fort Worth, Texas city limits.Lake Worth is a reservoir in Texas. It was built in 1914 as a reservoir and for recreation. The lake is controlled by the City of Fort Worth Lake Worth Management Office. The lake...
.
History
Numerous sightings in July 1969 led to the belief of a half-man, half-goat creature living in Lake WorthLake Worth
Lake Worth is the name of several places in the United States:*Lake Worth, Florida, a city*Lake Worth Lagoon, a lagoon in Florida*Lake Worth, Texas, a town in Texas*Lake Worth , a lake in Texas...
in Texas. Jim Marrs, a reporter, wrote an article about it in the newspaper, which made the front page. The headline read: "Fishy Man-Goat Terrifies Couples Parked at Lake Worth." The couples that reported the sightings described it as a half-man, half-goat, with fur and scales.
A man named John Reichart soon after reported the creature landed on his car after jumping out of a tree. An 18-inch scar on the side of his car was shown by Reichart as proof. The police at this point decided to investigate. Up until then, they had laughed at any reports they received, thinking it was a hoax.
The following night, reports came in of the creature hurling a tire from a bluff at overlooking bystanders. In 2009, a man known as "Vinzens" admitted to reporters that he had been involved in this incident. According to him the tire flew into the air only because it hit a bump after he and his accomplices (who were unnamed) rolled it.
The most well-known photograph (and perhaps the only one) of the creature belongs to a woman named Sallie Ann Clarke, who received the photo from Allen Plaster, who took the picture in October 1969 near Greer Island.
KDFW TV Report
In November 1999, television station KDFWKDFW
KDFW, virtual channel 4 , is the Fox owned-and-operated television station in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex designated market area....
aired a lengthy report about the Lake Worth Monster. Reporter Richard Ray interviewed locals including reporter Jim Marrs and purported eye witness Sallie Ann Clarke. Clarke's testimony was compelling but the report also stated that some high school students had admitted to authorities that they had pulled a prank on locals by wearing a gorilla costume and parading around the lake.
Cultural references
- Local author and investigator Sallie Ann Clarke wrote a self-published, semi-fictional book, entitled The Lake Worth Monster, about the creature. It was published in 1969. Clarke claimed to have spotted the creature several times after writing the book, and that what she saw wasn't a "goatman" as some described, but a bipedal, ape-like creature. Clarke died in November 2009.
- In the Joe R. LansdaleJoe R. LansdaleJoe R. Lansdale is an American author and martial-arts expert. He has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense...
mystery novel The Bottoms young Harry Collins discovers a mutilated black woman's body hidden deep in the woods followed by more murders. He suspects the murders have been done by the Goat Man, and local legend of the creature says the creature resides in the local bottoms of East Texas.
- The Lake Worth Monster appears in The Secret SaturdaysThe Secret SaturdaysThe Secret Saturdays is an American animated television series created by Canadian cartoonist Jay Stephens for Cartoon Network. It debuted on October 3, 2008, in the United States...
episode "Ghost in the Machine," but its voice actor was uncredited. It was among the Cryptids that the Saturdays encountered in Honey Island Swamp. After it threatened Dr. Lee and his fellow scientists to restore Zak, Fiskerton, and Komodo back to normal, it gave a message from Basil Lancaster to Solomon "Doc" Saturday.
- The Lake Worth Monster is profiled in a segment of the documentary Southern Fried Bigfoot. The segment features an interview with author Sallie Ann Clarke.
- The first annual Lake Worth Monster Bash, an event celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the alleged monster sightings, was held on October 3, 2009 at the Fort Worth Nature Center which is adjacent to Lake Worth (Texas)Lake Worth (Texas)Lake Worth is located on the West Fork of the Trinity River. It is entirely inside the Fort Worth, Texas city limits.Lake Worth is a reservoir in Texas. It was built in 1914 as a reservoir and for recreation. The lake is controlled by the City of Fort Worth Lake Worth Management Office. The lake...
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Sources
- The Ten Creepiest Creatures In America by Allan Zullo, ISBN 0-8167-4288-X
- The Field Guide to Bigfooot, Yeti, and Other Mystery Primates Worldwide, Loren Coman and Patrick Huyghe, Illust. Harry Trumbore, ISBN 0-380-80263-5
- Southern Fried Bigfoot. Documentary.