A satirical weekly article highlighting humorous moments in Midwestern history
By Silas P. Whitmore, Watertown, Dakota Territory April 10, 1889
In the bustling town of Watertown, Dakota Territory, where the most riveting event is typically the arrival of the weekly supply train, a tale emerged from the depths of Lake Kampeska that set the townsfolk’s tongues wagging and monocles popping.
In the early June morning of 1888, local fisherman and renowned exaggerator, Eustis P. Wiggins, returned from his early excursion on the lake with eyes as wide as the brim of his hat and a complexion that suggested he’d seen a ghost—or perhaps had one too many sips of his “special” tonic. He burst into the town’s general store, declaring to all within earshot that he’d encountered a creature of such monstrous proportions that Moby-Dick himself would have seemed a mere minnow in comparison.
According to Wiggins, as he was peacefully casting his line, the water began to churn and bubble with a ferocity that could only signal the approach of something otherworldly. From the depths emerged a beast, which he described as a “serpentine leviathan, no less than 200 feet in length, with eyes that glowed like the devil’s own lanterns and scales that shimmered like polished coal.” The creature, perhaps unimpressed by Wiggins’s choice of bait, regarded him momentarily before slipping back beneath the waves, leaving only ripples—and a rapidly retreating fisherman—in its wake.
Naturally, the townsfolk greeted Wiggins’s account with a mixture of skepticism and amusement. After all, this was the same man who once claimed to have discovered a turtle large enough to serve as a ferry to nearby Pelican Lake. However, as the days passed, whispers began to circulate of others who had glimpsed fleeting shadows beneath the lake’s surface or heard eerie sounds echoing across the water at dusk.
The local newspaper, ever eager for a sensational story to boost its readership, dubbed the creature the “Lake Kampeska Monster,” and soon, the lake became a hub of activity. Entrepreneurs sold “Monster Repellent” (which suspiciously resembled ordinary lamp oil), while intrepid youths dared one another to swim in the supposedly haunted waters, only to retreat shrieking at the touch of lake weeds on their ankles. One thing was certain, however – tales of this monster certainly did nothing to hurt the nascent tourism industry of the small prairie town.
In the end, the Lake Kampeska Monster became less of a feared entity and more of a beloved local legend, a source of pride and playful banter among the residents. Whether Wiggins truly encountered a mysterious beast or merely the product of an overactive imagination (perhaps aided by his infamous tonic) remains a topic of jovial debate. But one thing is certain: the tale of the Lake Kampeska Monster has secured its place in the annals of Watertown’s history, a humorous reminder of the town’s capacity for wonder and whimsy.
(This article is based on the following report: https://www.thepublicopinion.com/story/news/local/2008/07/19/lake-kampeska-creature/116959334/)