Montana

1Flathead Lake Monster On the record

Water monster · Flathead Lake, Lake and Flathead counties · first reported 1889 · also called Flathead Nessie

Flathead Lake in northwest Montana has a monster tradition that locals say goes back to Kootenai legend. The first reported modern sighting was in 1889, when Captain James C. Kerr of the steamboat U.S. Grant and around a hundred passengers saw a large, whale-like object in the water, and one passenger shot at it. Reports since then usually come in at one or two a year, with a burst of about thirteen in 1993. Descriptions range from a giant fish to a serpent twenty to forty feet long. In the 1950s Big Fish Unlimited offered a cash prize for catching the lake's 'superfish.' A 7.5-foot, 181-pound sturgeon caught by C. Leslie Griffith is shown in Polson's museum as a possible answer.

• 1889On the record Captain James C. Kerr and about a hundred passengers aboard the U.S. Grant reported a whale-like object; a passenger fired at it. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1993On the record About thirteen sightings were reported in a single year, far above the usual one or two. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Visiting: Polson-Flathead Historical Museum (sturgeon display).

2Shunka Warakin On the record

Beast · Madison River valley, southwest Montana · first reported 1880s

Shunka Warakin is a name said to mean 'carries off dogs,' used for a wolf-like predator in the northern Rockies and Plains. Its fame rests on one animal. In the 1880s settlers in the Madison River country of Montana reportedly shot a strange canine that had been killing livestock. It was larger than a wolf, with a sloping back like a hyena, a mane, long fangs and an odd gait. The body was mounted and put on display at a small museum at Henry's Lake, Idaho, and then disappeared from view for many decades. Ideas about what it was range from an unusual wolf or wolf-dog hybrid to a surviving prehistoric predator.

• 1880sOn the record Hunters killed a large, hyena-like canine near the Madison River; the mounted specimen was later displayed at Henry's Lake, Idaho, and then vanished. Source: folkbestiary.com

3Little People of the Pryor Mountains Told story

Humanoid · Pryor Mountains and Pryor Gap, Montana-Wyoming border · first reported traditional · also called Awakkulé, Nirumbee

In Crow (Apsáalooke) tradition, the Pryor Mountains are home to the Little People, small but extremely strong beings tied to sacred places, visions, hunting and spiritual power. Crow names for them include Awakkulé and Nirumbee. Stories tell of them helping a lost Crow boy and guiding people safely, but also of danger to those who disrespect the mountains. Crow elder Burton Pretty On Top has spoken of asking permission before entering. Travelers through Pryor Gap still leave offerings. Related Shoshone traditions of the Nimerigar and the 1934 Pedro Mountain mummy in Wyoming are often linked to these stories. This is a living tradition and is presented here only as shared publicly.

Visiting: Please treat the Pryor Mountains as a place sacred to the Crow.

4Hitchhiker of Black Horse Lake Told story

Humanoid · Near Black Horse Lake, east of Great Falls, Cascade County · first reported early 20th century (legend)

Drivers on the roads near Black Horse Lake east of Great Falls tell of a soaking-wet hitchhiker. He is described as a Native man in early 1900s clothing, dripping as if he just came out of the water. Stories say he is picked up or seen by the road and then vanishes, leaving wet footprints or the sound of dripping water behind. Local tellers tie him to drownings in the area in the early twentieth century. It is a regional variant of the vanishing-hitchhiker legend told across the country.

5Bigfoot in Montana Investigated report

Ape-like · Yaak Valley, Lincoln County; western Montana · also called Yaak Valley Sasquatch

Montana has around 55 BFRO reports, many from the far northwest. The remote Yaak Valley holds a Sasquatch Festival with a Sasquatch Run based at the Yaak River Tavern. See the main Bigfoot dossier.

Full story: Bigfoot →

Visiting: Yaak Sasquatch Festival, Yaak River Tavern.