Hunting Lake Monsters in Wisconsin

There’s a new book chronicling the legends of Wisconsin’s lakes. It’s called Lake Monsters of Wisconsin by writer Chad Lewis.

“I found over 40 different lakes, rivers and streams in Wisconsin that all claim to have a monster or had a monster.” Lewis told CBS 58 on the shores of Pewaukee Lake. “More than any other state in the country.”

The Eau Claire native’s newest book, he hunts down the many lake monsters in Wisconsin. He tells the tales of the Long Neck of Long Lake, the Lake Michigan leviathan, the Fox Lake Lurker, the Fowler Lake Lop Jaw, the Pewaukee Lake Intruder and several others.

“Any lake that had a tourist destination had a monster.” Lewis said. “If you were a tourist destination in the early 1900s and you didn’t have a lake monster, you were behind the times.”

Many of the monster tales in Lewis’ book come from newspaper clippings and carry with them a surprising amount of credibility.

"What's interesting about a lot of the stories is that they contain the names of some of the most prominent people in the community at the time.” said Lewis. “They listed, oftentimes, mayors, bankers, very high-profile people that had a lot of credibility. So, when they saw it, people took their word that if they say it's true, it's true."             

We’ll feature more of Lewis’ book and story this Sunday on CBS 58 Sunday Morning with Mike Strehlow beginning at 7 AM.