Lake Monster Mysteries


Book Description

Winner of the 2007 Gray's Lake FCBC Book Award For centuries, eyewitnesses around the world—from America to Africa, Argentina to Scotland—have reported sightings of dark, mysterious creatures in area lakes that surface briefly, only to quickly disappear. While the most famous lake monsters of Loch Ness and Lake Champlain have gained international notoriety, hundreds of lakes around the world are said to shelter these shadowy creatures. Lake Monster Mysteries is the first book to examine these widespread mysteries from a scientific perspective. By using exhaustive research and results from firsthand investigations to help separate truth from myth, the authors foster our understanding of what really lurks in the cold, murky depths. Benjamin Radford and Joe Nickell are considered to be among the top lake monster authorities in the world. Here they share unique insights into many of the world's best-known lake monsters. They interview witnesses and local experts and discuss the different types of lake monster sightings, delve into possible explanations for those sightings, and examine hoaxes, evidence claims, and legends surrounding the monsters. The authors have also conducted groundbreaking fieldwork and experiments at the lakes and have examined recent photographic and sonar evidence. Incorporating newly-revealed information and up-to-date developments in the cases they present, professional monster hunters Radford and Nickell plunge into both the cultural histories of these creatures and the scientific inquiries that may hold the key to these mysteries.




Lake Worth


Book Description

The history of Lake Worth begins in 1909 when two young boys accidentally set a fire that destroyed many buildings in Fort Worth. Fighting the fire nearly drained the city's wells dry, so city leaders reconsidered an earlier suggestion from engineer John Hawley to create a surface reservoir. The enormous hole filled in just three weeks after heavy rains, instead of the predicted three years. Completed in 1914, Lake Worth became the largest reservoir in the Southwest. Fort Worth now had a better waterAA supply, and local beach development brought water recreation to millions and greatly impacted the small community nearby. Through the years, silt and contaminants have infiltrated the lake, and the City of Fort Worth has temporarily stopped the slow process of dredging the lake because of the economy. But the community's collective hope soars with the possibility that the lake and beaches eventually will be restored to their original condition.




The Omak Lake Monster


Book Description

Omak Lake is an ancient body of water, about which the native Indian population holds significant cultural and religious views, which includes sightings of the Omak Lake Monster. The reported Omak Lake Monster had its true believers and debunkers. Since the sightings of the lake monster happen rarely, few native people cared to offer their views, leaving it to the true believers to spread the gospel about the marine lake monster. No one knows whether it is fish, marine mammal, reptile, amphibian or ancient marine dinosaur. Outside the native people, few people believe that a lake monster resides in Omak Lake. The true believers hold that Omak Lake is bottomless, though the lake has been surveyed and mapped many times. Doubters of the stories of the Omak Lake Monster bring up the legendary Ogopogo, the Okanagan Lake Monster, British Columbia, Canada. They state the local Indians are attributing stories about Ogopogo of Okanagan Lake to Omak Lake. The true believers of the Omak Lake Monster state they are not confused, and they maintain there is a lake monster in Omak Lake. Thought not discounting exploits of Ogopogo, they believe the Omak Lake Monster is real and menacing to anyone not giving it space.




Sinister Swamps


Book Description

When it comes to iconic landscapes, nothing can rival the ominous allure of a swamp. Within these haunting domains of moss-draped trees and brackish waters lurks some of nature's finest work, along with some of the most compelling mysteries and spooky legends the world has ever known. From reports of unknown beasts, ghostly figures, and spook lights to tales of missing persons, lost planes, and witches, swamps inevitably ooze with intrigue as they offer a glimpse into a primordial past that may well reflect our very origin.For the last decade, noted author and adventurer Lyle Blackburn has delved into the world of swamps, collecting reports of strange phenomena and boating through their bubbling backwaters to seek the truth behind the fascinating tales. Do monsters, ghosts, and other bizarre entities truly exist in these unique and primitive regions? Find out by joining Blackburn for an eerie exploration as he parts the mossy curtains to expose the sinister secrets within some of North America's most notorious swamplands.




Metroplex Monsters: Dallas Demons, Fort Worth Goatmen & Other Terrors of the Trinity River


Book Description

In the metropolitan mosaic that joins Dallas and Fort Worth together into a brightly lit metroplex, some mysterious figures still manage to keep to the shadows and slip through the cracks. Even after the Lake Worth Monster inspired a rash of phone calls to the Fort Worth Police Department, the "Goatman of Greer Island" faded back into the haze of myth. Is Lake Granbury's Ol' One Eye an impossibly large catfish or a sidetracked sea serpent? Could pterosaurs really coexist with the region's congested skies? From the Lady of White Rock Lake to the Creature of Copper Canyon and the Chupacabras of Cedar Hill, Jason McLean methodically follows inexplicable events to their source and bizarre beasts to their lairs.




The Field Guide to North American Monsters


Book Description

This unique field guide draws on modern sightings, folklore, urban legends, and mythology to give novices all they need to begin a fearless foray into the world of monsterology. 75 photos.




Lost Fort Worth


Book Description

From the humble beginnings of a frontier army camp, Fort Worth transformed into a city as cattle drives, railroads, oil and national defense drove its economy. During the tremendous growth, the landscape and cultural imprint of the city changed drastically, and much of Cowtown was lost to history. Witness the birth of western swing music and the death of a cloud dancer. See mansions of the well-heeled and saloons of the well-armed. Meet two gunfighters, one flamboyant preacher, one serial killer and one very short subway carrying passengers back in time to discover more of Fort Worth. Author Mike Nichols presents a colorful history tour from the North Side to the South Side's Battle of Buttermilk Junction.




In Search of Lake Monsters


Book Description

This pioneering classic in the field of cryptozoology covers not only the Loch Ness monster, but lake monsters from all over the world-from the Ogopogo of Canada and the "Patagonian Plesiosaur" of Argentina, to Idaho's "Slimey Slim"' and Sweden's "Storsjo," along with the "Bunyip" of Australia and the strange monsters of South Africa. Peter Costello provides a detailed and fascinating overview of lake monster lore-and gives a convincing explanation of the identity of these elusive denizens. This new edition contains a new Afterword by the author, an Introduction by Loren Coleman, and a Preface by Bernard Heuvelmans, the "father of cryptozoology," who wrote: "Peter Costello authoritatively surveys the whole subject, supporting his arguments with a substantial bibliography, and displaying both the elegance of the born writer and the sense of humor essential to every occasion." "Peter Costello makes a fascinating, sometimes frightening case for the existence of Loch Ness-style 'monsters' in a number of freshwater lakes around the world... There's enough here to unnerve the most hardened skeptic..." - Jerome Clark, "Minneapolis Tribune" "An infectiously enthusiastic reappraisal." - "Sunday Telegraph" "Certainly... the whole work is impressive, and it would seem to be a safe bet that Mr. Costello's book will become a standard reference for anyone interested in its perennially fascinating subject." - "The Canberra Times" "It is the world-wide perspective that makes this book worth reading." - "New Scientist"




The Monsters of Templeton


Book Description

"The day I returned to Templeton steeped in disgrace, the fifty-foot corpse of a monster surfaced in Lake Glimmerglass." So begins The Monsters of Templeton, a novel spanning two centuries: part a contemporary story of a girl's search for her father, part historical novel, and part ghost story. In the wake of a disastrous love affair with her older, married archaeology professor at Stanford, brilliant Wilhelmina Cooper arrives back at the doorstep of her hippie mother-turned-born-again-Christian's house in Templeton, NY, a storybook town her ancestors founded that sits on the shores of Lake Glimmerglass. Upon her arrival, a prehistoric monster surfaces in the lake bringing a feeding frenzy to the quiet town, and Willie learns she has a mystery father her mother kept secret Willie's entire life. The beautiful, broody Willie is told that the key to her biological father's identity lies somewhere in her family's history, so she buries herself in the research of her twisted family tree and finds more than she bargained for as a chorus of voices from the town's past -- some sinister, all fascinating -- rise up around her to tell their side of the story. In the end, dark secrets come to light, past and present day are blurred, and old mysteries are finally put to rest. The Monsters of Templeton is a fresh, virtuoso performance that has placed Lauren Groff among the best writers of today.




Oddball Texas


Book Description

This amusing travel guide to the Lone Star State doesn't waste travelers' time telling them where to find antiques in the Hill Country, take breathtaking hikes through Big Bend, or gaze upon the Alamo. Instead, it guides television fans to a modern replica of the Munsters's mansion, leads the nonsqueamish to the world's only Cockroach Hall of Fame, and points the curious towards a small town filled with hippo statues. Among other things, Texas is home to Goliath-sized roadside attractions, and directions are provided on how to reach the World's Largest Six-Shooter, World's Largest Rattlesnake, and World's Largest Wooden Nickel. The accompanying photographs and maps instruct visitors on how to get to these and other extraordinary spots, including the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the Celebrity Shoe Musuem, Alley Oop's Fantasyland, and the Birthplace of Fritos. A dose of wacky Texas history is also included with answers to questions such as "Did a UFO really crash into a windmill northwest of Fort Worth in 1897? "and "What does an Abilene Kinko's have to do with the early retirement of Dan Rather?"