Kansas

1Sinkhole Sam Told story

Water monster · Inman Lake (The Sinkhole), near Inman, McPherson County · first reported 1952 · also called Foopengerkle

Central Kansas is not where most people expect a lake monster, but the little town of Inman has one. Inman Lake, known locally as the Sinkhole, was said to hide an eel-like creature up to 15 feet long or more, with a mouth full of sharp teeth. A cryptid publisher dates the first report to 1952, when two fishermen saw it, and gives it a second nickname, the Foopengerkle. Tales claimed it could swallow livestock and even tried to grab children. Reports peaked in the mid-20th century and faded after the lake was drained. Large gar or catfish are the likeliest real-world suspects.

• 1952Told story Two fishermen reportedly saw a long, thick-bodied creature with a flat head and tail fin in the lake. Source: hangar1publishing.com

2Kingman County Monster Snake Told story

Beast · Kingman State Fishing Lake, Kingman County · first reported late 1960s

According to a cryptid publisher, Kingman County State Lake in south-central Kansas had a scare in the late 1960s over a huge, python-like snake. Half-eaten cattle and sheep found along the shore were blamed on it, and hunters reportedly went out to find it but never did. No named witnesses or newspaper articles turned up in the sources found, so the story is best treated as local lore. Escaped exotic snakes have caused real scares elsewhere, such as Ohio's Peninsula Python in 1944. Kingman County also appears with several entries in the BFRO's Kansas Bigfoot database.

3Alexander Hamilton Airship and Calf Proven hoax

Other · Le Roy area, Coffey County (reported from Yates Center) · first reported April 1897 · also called Kansas cow-napping airship

During the great mystery-airship wave of 1897, Kansas rancher Alexander Hamilton told a tale that still gets retold as an early UFO cattle-snatching. He said that around April 19 he, his son and a hired hand saw an airship hover over his pen and drop a red cable that caught a heifer. When it got tangled in the fence, he cut the fence and watched the ship rise with the animal. The Yates Center Farmer's Advocate printed it on April 23, 1897, and it spread widely. In 1977, researcher Jerome Clark showed it was invented to win a local liars' club contest.

• Apr 23, 1897Proven hoax The Yates Center Farmer's Advocate published Hamilton's account of an airship lassoing and carrying off a heifer. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1977Proven hoax Jerome Clark, using interviews and Hamilton's own affidavit, showed the story had been made up for a liars' club competition. Source: en.wikipedia.org

4Stull Cemetery Gateway Told story

Other · Stull, about ten miles west of Lawrence, Douglas County · first reported November 1974 · also called Stull, gateway to hell

Stull is a tiny crossroads west of Lawrence, and its old cemetery has a big reputation as one of the gateways to hell. The legend first reached print in November 1974 in the University of Kansas student paper, which described diabolical happenings. Longtime residents said they had never heard the stories before, and the local pastor suggested students made them up. Later tales claimed the devil appears there on Halloween and the spring equinox. The ruined stone church at the center of many stories was torn down in 2002 by the property owner. The site is privately owned, so visitors should stay on the public road.

• November 1974On the record The University Daily Kansan published the first known article describing supernatural legends at Stull. Source: americanhauntingsink.com
• 1980Told story A Kansas City Times article added the claim that the devil gathers the souls of those who died violently in the past year. Source: americanhauntingsink.com

Visiting: Private cemetery; view only from the public road and do not trespass.

5Horned Serpent of the Plains Told story

Water monster · Plains rivers and lakes · first reported Indigenous tradition · also called Owner of the waters

Many Native nations of the Plains and Great Lakes tell of great serpents with horns living in rivers and lakes, often understood as owners or guardians of the water. In Kansas, these traditions belong to the peoples who have lived on or been removed to the region. They are spiritual beliefs, not monster sightings, and many community members prefer that the deeper teachings be shared by their own people. The figure is listed here because it often sits in the background of later lake-monster stories, and because it is part of a much older relationship with Kansas waters.

6Bigfoot in Kansas Investigated report

Ape-like · Jackson, Kingman, Sedgwick and Douglas counties · first reported 1869 (claimed)

The BFRO lists about 50 Kansas reports, including 2025 sightings north of Topeka and at Clinton Lake. Cryptid writers also cite an 1869 wild-man account from Crawford County. See the main Bigfoot dossier.

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