The Dewey Lake Monster, also known as the Sister Lakes Sasquatch, in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

, is purported to be an

ape Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its sister g ...

-like creature, similar to descriptions of

Bigfoot Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...

, that was allegedly sighted in the summer of 1964 near Dewey Lake and Sister Lakes in Dowagiac.

Description

The creature was described as covered in hair, approximately tall, , and had glowing eyes.

History

In June of 1964, the story gained national attention after local residents reported seeing a large, hairy creature with glowing eyes. Police searched the area of the alleged sightings and found nothing. Nevertheless, the reports caused curious thrill-seekers and monster-hunters to besiege the community that summer. Local entrepreneurs capitalized on the event by selling "monster getaway gas", "monster burgers" and "monster hunting kits" — with a net, flashlight, squirt gun, a mallet and a stake. Several zoologists suggested that people may have misidentified a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

. Cass County Sheriff Robert Dool and

conservation officer A conservation officer is a law enforcement officer who protects wildlife and the environment. A conservation officer may also be referred to as an environmental technician or technologist, game warden, forest ranger, forest watcher, forest g ...

William Rowe dismissed speculations of a monster. Within a week, the hysteria diminished, and the ''

South Bend Tribune The ''South Bend Tribune'' is a daily newspaper and news website which is based in South Bend, Indiana. It is distributed in South Bend, Mishawaka, north central Indiana, and southwestern Michigan. It has been named as a "Blue Ribbon Newspaper" ...

'' reported that "nobody seems frightened anymore". In a 1983 retrospective, the ''South Bend Tribune'' suggested that the monster was imagined by intoxicated strawberry pickers. Steve Arseneau of the Dowagiac Area History Museum said, "I view it more as a rural legend. Perhaps some people saw something, and their imaginations got the better of them".

Popular culture

*In 2016, the annual Dewey Lake Boat Parade celebrated the Dewey Lake Monster legend. *Local brewery Sister Lakes Brewing named a beer after the Dewey Lake Monster.

References

{{Reflist American folklore Michigan folklore Bigfoot American legendary creatures