Champ
is the name given to a reputed lake
monster supposedly living in Lake
Champlain. While authorities typically
regard Champ as legend, some believe
it is possible such a big creature
does live deep in the lake.
Like the Loch Ness Monster, Champ
is generally believed to be a plesiosaur,
an extinct group of aquatic reptiles.
A few people believe that the animal
is a Tanystropheus, leading to Champ
being given an unofficial scientific
name, Champtanystropheus, although
this theory has received little attention
by the mainstream scientific community.
A recent sound recording of Champ,
consisting of numerous echolocation
clicks, suggests that Champ may be
a freshwater whale or dolphin. However,
sightings of Champ do not describe
a dorsal fin.
According to legend and eye witness
accounts, a monster dwells in Lake
Champlain, a 125-mile-long body of
fresh water that is shared by New
York and Vermont and just a few miles
into Quebec, Canada.
Champ is highly revered by many in
the area and has become a revenue-generating
attraction. For example, the village
of Port Henry, New York, has erected
a giant model of Champ and holds "Champ
Day" on the first Saturday of
every August.
As the mascot of Vermont's lone Minor
League Baseball affiliate, the Vermont
Lake Monsters, Champ became even more
of a star of the team after the team
was renamed from the Vermont Expos
to the Vermont Lake Monsters after
the end of the Montreal Expos. Champ
has been the primary attraction of
the New York - Penn League affiliate
since their inception. Several nearby
establishments, including a car wash,
use "Champ" as a logo. There
is also a town that has a tracking
board that records every Champ sighting
for the last 100 years; the latest
was in 2005.
According to legend, the first European
account of Champ was made in 1609
by French explorer Samuel de Champlain
— the founder of Québec
and the lake's namesake — who
spotted the creature as he was fighting
the Iroquois on the bank of the lake.
However, in actuality no such sighting
was recorded, and it has since been
traced back to a 1970 article.
Long before that, however, two Native
American tribes, the Iroquois and
the Abenaki, are alleged to have talked
of such a creature and celebrated
its existence. The Abenaki gave it
the name "Tatoskok."
Sightings varied over the years,
but the next important sighting came
in 1883 when Sheriff Nathan H. Mooney
claimed that he had seen a “…gigantic
water serpent about 50 yards away”
from where he was on the shore. He
claimed that he was so close that
he could see “round white spots
inside its mouth” and that “the
creature appeared to be about 25 to
30 feet in length”. Mooney’s
sighting led to many eyewitnesses
coming forward with their own accounts
of Champ sightings. Mooney’s
story predated the public Loch Ness
controversy by 50 years. Since that
report, there have been more than
240 recorded sightings.
The reason some believe that Champ
may be a plesiosaur like “Old
Nessie” is because the two lakes
have much in common. For example,
like Loch Ness, Lake Champlain is
over 400 feet deep. Also both lakes
were formed following the Ice Age
about 10,000 years ago and both lakes
support fish populations large enough
to feed a supposed sea or lake monster.
Champ became so popular that the
late P. T. Barnum, in the early 19th
century, put a reward of $50,000 up
for a carcass of Champ. Barnum wanted
the carcass of Champ so that he could
include it in his epic World’s
Fair Show (Krystek 3). Sightings continued
through the 19th and 20th centuries,
but no remains or any other physical
evidence has ever been recovered.
The most remarkable photo of a Champ
appearance was taken in 1977, by amateur
photographer Sandra Mansi. [1] The
photo appears to show what is said
to be a plesiosaur-like neck and body
sticking out of the lake.
According to Mansi, she heard her
children screaming and turned toward
the shallow water by the shore where
they were playing. Seeing the creature,
she took the photo as her fiancée,
Anthony, grabbed her children. Mansi
had several photo experts examine
the picture and they concluded that
the picture has not been tampered
with in any way. Those experts also
stated that they believe it to be
a living creature. Mansi later showed
the photo, which is similar to the
famous "Surgeon's photo"
of the Loch Ness Monster, to Joseph
W. Zarzynski.
Zarzynski—founder of the Lake
Champlain Phenomena Investigation
and a Wilton, New York Social Studies
teacher—took the photo to Gorge
Zug of the Smithsonian Institute’s
Department of Vertebrate Zoology.
Zug states that the creature in the
photo does not resemble any creature
or animal living in Lake Champlain,
that he knows of.
The creature has become so famous
and so much a part of life in Vermont
and New York that both states passed
laws to protect the monster. The creature
was put on the endangered species
list only as a precaution. The law
will protect the creature if anyone
eventually does come upon a Champ.
Quebec has not placed Champ on its
list of endangered animals.
Recent sightings
Champ reportedly can be seen in a
video taken by fishermen Dick Affolter
and his stepson Pete Bodette in the
summer of 2005. Unfortunately, the
video has been removed. However, frames
can be viewed here. [8] In the video,
something appears under the water
near the fisherman's boat and some
Champ defenders are calling it the
best proof the monster truly exists.
Close examination of the images may
be interpreted either as a head and
neck of a plesiosaur-like animal and
even an open mouth in one frame and
a closed mouth in another; or as a
fish or eel (see top link for frames).
Although two retired FBI forensic
image analysts, who reviewed the tape,
said it appears authentic and unmanipulated,
one of them added that "there's
no place in there that I can actually
see an animal or any other object
on the surface."
One piece of (still inconclusive)
evidence, though not a "sighting"
per se, is the recording of what seems
to be echolocation from within the
lake by the Fauna Communications Research
Institute in 2003, working as part
of a Discovery Channel program. The
group has concluded that the sounds
they have recorded are similar to
that of a Beluga Whale or perhaps
an Orca, although no dolphin or whale
species is known to live in the lake.
Study of the Mansi Photo in this context
has led to speculation that rather
than a neck and head, the photo shows
a flipper of some large animal in
the act of rolling.
Lake monster locations
and names
Argentina
Lago Nahuel Huapi (Nahuelito)
Australia
Bunyip
Monster Tadpole
Canada
Lake Manitoba (Manitoba - Manipogo)
Lake Simcoe (Ontario - Kempenfelt
Kelly)
Okanagan Lake (British Columbia -
Ogopogo)
Lake Memphrémagog (Quebec,
partly in USA)
Muskrat Lake (Ontario - Mussie)
Chile
Lago Las Rocas
China
Lake Kanas
CCTV News: Unknown Creatures in Lake
Kanas
Tian Chi
Iceland
Kleifarvatn
Ireland
Lough Derg
Lough Eske
Lough Keane
Lough Muck
Lough Ree
Italy
Lake Garda
Lake Maggiore (partly in Switzerland)
Japan
Lake Ikeda
Lake Kussharo
Lake Pogmani
Kazakhstan
Ozero Koskol'
Malaysia
Tasik Chini
Norway
Mjøsa
Rømsjøen
Seljordsvatnet
Snåsa
Russia
Lake Baikal (Siberia)
Lake Brosno
Lake Khaiyr
Spain
Llac de Banyoles, Catalonia
Sweden
Torne träsk in Norrbotten
Malgomaj in Västerbotten
Tavelsjön in Västerbotten
Råsvalen in Västmanland
Åmänningen in Västmanland
Storsjön in Jämtland - Storsjöodjuret
Kallsjön in Jämtland
Norra Dellen in Hälsingland
Södra Dellen in Hälsingland
Gryttjen in Hälsingland - Gryttie
Judarn in Stockholm
Svarttjärn in Stockholm
Vättern in Östergötland
Salstern in Östergötland
Regnaren in Östergötland
Stensjön in Östergötland
Lickasjön in Östergötland
Svartsjön in Östergötland
Stora resjön in Östergötland
Västjutten in Östergötland
Åmmelången in Närke
Fegen in Småland
Sommen in Småland
Tingstäde träsk in Gotland
Mjörn in Västergötland
Bullaren in Bohuslän
Turkey
Lake Van
United Kingdom
For Scotland please see List of Scottish
loch-monsters
Bala Lake (Wales)
Bassenthwaite Lake (England) - Eachy
Windermere (England) - Eachy
United States
Bear Lake (Idaho-Utah), (Idaho/Utah)
Lake Champlain (Vermont, New York
and Quebec, USA/Canada) - Champ
Chesapeake Bay, (Maryland/Virginia)
- Chessie
Clear Lake (California)
Lake Elsinore, (California)
Lake Erie (USA/Canada)- Bessie
Flathead Lake (Montana)
Fulk's Lake (Indiana) - Beast of Busco/Oscar
the Turtle
Green Acres Lake (Clovis, New Mexico)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Missouri)
Lake Ponchartrain (Louisiana) Ponchie
Raystown Lake (Huntingdon, Pennsylvania)
- Raystown Ray
Seneca Lake (New York)
Lake Superior (USA/Canada)-Pressie
Lake Tahoe (California/Nevada)
Lake Winnisquam (Tilton/New Hampshire)
Zimbabwe
Lake Kariba - Nyaminyami
Gina Lanier
Gina Lanier has been a special featured
guest many times on several paranormal
programs that are nationwide on the
radio and worldwide on the Internet.
Lanier hunts ghosts or do they hunt
her. Lanier has worked on many cases
over the years from people who have
strange encounters of the paranormal
kind. Sex with ghosts haunted teddy
bears, Dolls Lanier investigates the
unknown.
Lanier welcomes your questions and
will be glad to help you with your
haunted encounters and problems. Please
use the link below to visit her web
site and learn more.
Often called the Ghost Hunter's,
Ghost Hunter, Lanier strives to uncover
the truth! Known to many as the Best
and most knowledgeable ghost hunter
in the field today, Lanier continues
to explore many areas of the Paranormal
that many others fear to tread.
Lanier's investigations have been
the focus of many Paranormal Radio
Shows and as a Paranormal consultant
to those that seek her valuable advice
and reasoning.
Lanier has in her own words; "Met
with the devil eye to eye." And
has had many personal paranormal encounters
that would send the most salted Ghost
Hunter packing. Her personal Stories
of Ghosts and demons is enough to
send a chill down anyone's spine.
Lanier is also considered to be the
most accessible real paranormal investigator
or ghost hunter in the world.
Have
The Dead Spoken To You Lately?
Troy
Taylor
Author of 49 books about history,
hauntings and the unexplained in America
for Whitechapel Press and Barnes &
Noble Press respectively. He is the
founder and president of the “American
Ghost Society”, a national network
of ghost hunters that collects stories
of ghost sightings and haunted houses
and uses investigative techniques
to track down evidence of the supernatural.
Taylor was born on September 24,
1966 in Decatur, Illinois, a Midwestern
city that is steeped in legend and
lore. Even the hospital in which he
was born is allegedly haunted by a
phantom nun! He grew up fascinated
with “things that go bump in
the night”, as well as the writings
of haunted travel writer Richard Winer
and legendary ghost hunter, Harry
Price. In school, Taylor was well-known
for his interest in the paranormal
and often took friends on informal
ghost tours of haunted places all
over downstate Illinois. He would
later turn this interest into his
full-time career.
In 1989, Taylor started working in
a bookstore and a few years later,
he wrote his first book on ghosts.
It was called Haunted Decatur and
delved into the ghosts and hauntings
of the city where he grew up. He also
created a tour that took guests to
places that he had written about in
the book. The book became an immediate
success and its popularity, along
with his previous experiences with
ghost hunting, established Taylor
as an authority on the supernatural.
The book and tour led to media and
public appearances and numerous requests
to investigate ghostly phenomena.
In 1996, Taylor organized a group
of ghost enthusiasts into an investigation
team and the American Ghost Society
was launched, gained over 600 members
in the years that followed. The organization
continues today as one of America’s
largest and most honored research
groups.
In 1998, Taylor moved his operations,
which now included the American Ghost
Society, a history and hauntings bookstore
and a publishing company called Whitechapel
Press, to Alton, Illinois, near St.
Louis. In Alton, Taylor started his
second tour company, Alton Hauntings,
which took guests to local haunted
places in the small Mississippi River
town. He would go on to put the place
on the map as “one of the most
haunted small towns in America.”
Please Visit Troy Taylor's Official
Website
Patti
Starr
Certified
Ghost Hunter
 
With
over 30 years of paranormal research
and ghost investigations Patti has
captured many anomalies in photos,
videos and audios while investigating
haunted locations. Her goal as an
experienced and accomplished paranormal
investigator is to collect evidence
to support the premise that life goes
on even after death. She is very active
as a ghost researcher, author, lecturer,
consultant, dowser, and teacher.
Her
Ghost Hunter Certification Home Study
Course is in great demand and she
has students from all over the world
enrolled. She is currently lecturing
at numerous universities, colleges,
and libraries throughout the United
States. Colleges and universities
Student Activity Directors can book
Patti by contacting Wolfman Productions.
Patti’s
work has been documented in numerous
newspapers and magazines including
the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
the Philadelphia Inquirer, Oracle
20/20, Ghost Magazine and Southern
Distinction.
In
2006 Patti Starr was voted as one
of the Top Ten Ghost Hunter Paranormal
Investigators in America for 2007,
2008 and again for 2009 by votes at
Haunted America Tours.
Patti
is a frequent guest on television
and radio programs. She has been featured
on national TV such as A&E “Paranormal
State” filmed at a haunted residence,
A&E “Airline” filmed
in Birmingham, AL, at the haunted
Sloss Furnaces and a film clip of
that investigation was featured on
the Montel Williams Show. She was
also featured on the Food Network
“The Best of Fright Food”
filmed at the haunted Talbott Tavern
in Bardstown, Kentucky.
Patti
is currently working on an event,
ScareFest, which will be held at the
Lexington Center on September 12,
13, 14, 2008. It is herald as
is one of the biggest "Horror
and Paranormal" conventions to
be held in the Southeast. It
will feature many stars and celebrities
from the horror and paranormal communities.
Patti
is now writing for the Lexington Herald-Leader
online newspaper under the heading
“Ask the Expert”. It is
a forum for posing questions to certain
professionals. Questions and answers
are published for information and
discussion purposes only. Lexington
Herald-Leader newspaper online.
Also
read: Is It
Really Paranormal? Questioning The
Unknown Side Of Ghosts And Demonic
Possession - With tales of being raped
or beaten by ghosts, to stories of
even a ghost giving a person a loan
of some cash. I ask myself do these
things really happen? -- Ginalanier.com
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You say You Don't
You Believe In Real Ghosts And Haunting's?
Take the Haunts of Owensboro Ghost
Tour, and you just might change your
mind!
PARANORMAL
TASK FORCE™
"Your One Stop
Paranormal Resource Center"
Zaffis' Web site PRSNE (Paranormal
Research Society Of New England) exists
with the sole purpose to help people
who are having paranormal experiences
or are being tormented by harmful
spirits. This site does not exist
to make money, and we do not endorse
or sell products. We conduct an honest
investigation and will give you an
honest evaluation of the haunting.
PRSNE do not charge for conducting
an investigation. They will ask for
travel reimbursement, which can include
gas, airline tickets, phone and tolls.
They generally travel by car whenever
possible to keep the costs to a minimum.
Due to the reality that there are
always those who can not financially
reimburse this amount, the fee will
vary on case by case basis. If you
would like more information please
feel free to call 1-203-375-6083
Kenneth
Deel
Kenneth
Deel is a Demonologist of the Catholic
faith, a Spiritual Warfare Counselor,
and often a Catholic faith adviser
(Catechism). He has over 28 years
of research / experience on these
topics, with his first experience
occurring when he was about seven
years old. He is near completion of
his book which should be in print
by 2009. And will begin a producing
an educational documentary as a companion
to his book, after the book is completed.
Currently host and producer for his
new radio show: “Demonology
Today”, along with co-host Alan
Glatzel, and Deborah (Glatzel) Johnson
(“The Devil in Connecticut”
Haunting survivors). He is also currently
a Staff member of the IAMHAUNTED.com
online paranormal community, and will
also lend a hand as a contributing
writer and art director for the upcoming
IAMHAUNTED magazine.
Ken
is also a graphic artist, and has
provided high quality professional
banners, logos and other media for
PTF and other organizations.
Ken
has returned to the MPR/PTF family
after a brief absence. Ken has been
an invaluable resource for both MPR/PTF
team members and numerous clients
in the past with closure brought to
many of our cases. We are very proud
to have him back as part of our family
and am sure our current and future
clients will also benefit greatly
from his return.
HauntedAmericaTours.com
is a continuous
work in progress;
we will keep
it updated
for you on
a regular
basis, so
that you can
come back
and see a
ghost or two,
and meet some
new ones.
Please browse
here and find
what your
looking for.
Check out
the other
Categories
and featured
new articles
about everything
in the paranormal
community
today. And
also enjoy
your very
haunted adventures
safely.
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