North Dakota

1Miniwashitu Told story

Water monster · Missouri River near Bismarck · first reported Dakota tradition; recorded early 1900s · also called Missouri River Monster

Miniwashitu is a river being from the traditions of Dakota and neighboring peoples along the Missouri River. Accounts recorded in the early 20th century, including by ethnologist Melvin Gilmore, describe a shaggy, red-haired creature with a single eye and horn, a saw-toothed back and hooves. It was linked to the spring breakup, when it was said to crack the river ice. Seeing it by daylight was believed to bring madness or death within a year, and it was tied to floods and drownings. This is a traditional cultural belief rather than a modern sighting, and it should be shared with respect for the communities who hold it.

• Early 1900sTold story Ethnologist Melvin Randolph Gilmore recorded descriptions of the creature from Dakota storytellers, according to a cryptid summary. Source: hangar1publishing.com

2Devils Lake Serpent Told story

Water monster · Devils Lake, Ramsey and Benson counties · first reported 1904 in national press (older tradition claimed) · also called Minnie

Devils Lake is North Dakota's largest natural lake, a large, salty, wind-swept body of water known for its dramatic changes in level. Folklore places a long serpent beneath its surface, seen as a dark form that rises briefly and sinks again. A cryptid writer says the creature reached national papers in 1904, when a group of women campers reported watching it through opera glasses about a mile offshore. The lake's rising and falling waters and isolation have kept the story alive. Skeptics point to waves, floating debris and large fish such as pike.

• 1904Told story Women camping by the lake reportedly saw a serpent with humps through opera glasses, a story said to have been printed as far away as the Wichita Beacon. Source: hangar1publishing.com

Visiting: Grahams Island State Park on Devils Lake.

3Thunderbird of the Plains Told story

Winged · Badlands and open prairie · first reported Dakota and Lakota tradition; frontier newspaper tales · also called Wakinyan

In Dakota and Lakota tradition, Thunder Beings are powerful sky spirits linked to storms, lightning and renewal. They are sacred figures, not monsters, and many people prefer that their deeper meaning be shared by their own communities. Separate from that tradition, frontier newspapers of the late 1800s and early 1900s sometimes ran tales of giant birds over the Dakota prairies, and modern cryptid writers borrow the name thunderbird for big-bird sightings. This entry notes both threads so readers can tell them apart. The Badlands, with their wide skies and sudden storms, are a fitting place to think about both.

Visiting: Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the North Dakota Badlands.

4McLeod Spook Light Told story

Lights · Spook Light Road northwest of McLeod; Venlo ghost town · first reported unknown · also called Venlo light

Northwest of the tiny town of McLeod, a gravel stretch called Spook Light Road is the setting for a sad legend. A railroad worker's wife, the story goes, took her husband's lantern out into a blizzard to search for him after a wreck, lost her way, fell through the ice and froze. Visitors say cars sometimes stall there and strange lights appear. Nearby, the ghost town of Venlo had real railroad accidents, and locals speak of a green lantern-like light on foggy nights. Like other ghost lights, it may come from distant headlights, farm lights or reflections, but it remains a favorite North Dakota road-trip legend.

• UndatedTold story Drivers on Spook Light Road report stalled engines and unexplained lights that they connect with the legend of the lost wife and her lantern. Source: hpr1.com

Visiting: Spook Light Road northwest of McLeod; respect private land.

5Bigfoot in North Dakota Investigated report

Ape-like · McLean, McKenzie, Mountrail and Ward counties · first reported 2000

North Dakota has only a handful of BFRO reports, including a multiple-witness sighting near White Shield in 2005 and track photos from 2004. See the main Bigfoot dossier.

Full story: Bigfoot →