Panthers and Lake Monsters
By Joseph A. Citro
PANTHER CLUB
Every now and then I like to revisit the old hometown of Chester. A lot of strange things have happened there. For example, I think Chester probably launched Vermont’s preoccupation with the elusive Catamount – and was responsible for the first truly organized research.
History tells us the last big cat – catamount, mountain lion, or whatever you want to call it – was killed in Barnard in 1881. That proclamation, long accepted as fact, was impossible to prove. Who can say the “Barnard Beast” didn’t have a mate lurking among rocks nearby?
Anyway, scattered panther sightings continued after 1881, but no one paid much attention. After all, catamounts were extinct, right?
Then fifty years later, in March 1934, Chester’s Congregational minister, the Reverend William Ballou, had an odd experience. While leading Boy Scouts on a hike up Steadman Hill, they discovered large animal tracks in the snow. Cat tracks. Over five inches in diameter. Rev. Ballou made a cast of them and went public with his find.
When the press picked up the story, all hell broke loose. Suddenly Rev. Ballou found himself in the midst of a battle between believers and nonbelievers. But he was used to that…
Local papers alternately attacked and supported him, but The Bennington Banner even called his profession into question. It was “astonishing,” they said, that the “graft” was “worked by the clergy.”
Nonetheless, Rev. Ballou was able to rally supporters by starting what has become known as the “Panther Club.”
About 100 people showed up for the first meeting, and each brought a cat tale. Either they’d seen its track, heard its cry – or had actually confronted the great feline beast.
The club’s official name was “The Irrepressible and Uncompromising Order of Pantherites.” Rev Ballou was president, or Grand Puma. The treasurer was the Grand Catamount Keeper of the Catnip, and their songs were led by the Grand Caterwauler, all suggesting the reverend had a sense of humor about the whole thing.
Meetings continued for a short while, but the catamount maintained its mythical status until 1994 when a female and two youngsters were spotted in Craftsbury. These sightings were confirmed by tracks and droppings.
Diehards still say there are no big cats in Vermont, that the Craftsbury trio was just passing through, perhaps on their way to the tax-free shopping malls of New Hampshire.
Since 1881, we’ve watched the evolution of Vermont’s Catamount from fact, to campfire tale, to fact. And there is no non-political topic that has inspired more debate over the years. Are Catamounts still among us? Or not?
I come down squarely on the side of the believers, because I actually saw one and I’ll never forget it. It was back in 1991 while traveling with a companion north on Route 89 after a book signing. It was late afternoon; the road was clear with plenty of light. Near Bethel, we saw something crossing the road a good ways in front of us. As we got closer, we realized it wasn't a deer, dog, pony, goat, bobcat, coyote, or oversized squirrel. It could only be one thing, and the ID became positive. It was a big, tawny-colored cat, with its long tail straight out behind it. From nose to tail, it must have been 6 or 7 feet long. It never quickened its pace although our roaring metal monster was bearing down on it.
The mega-cat stopped at the roadside, glanced casually at our oncoming car, then vaulted over the guardrail as if it were spring-powered, and vanished into the puckerbrush.
A clear, daylight sighting that became more and more unambiguous as we got closer. Two simultaneous witnesses. It could have been nothing but a catamount. That pretty much settled the debate for me.
MOORE LAKE MONSTER
The Connecticut River is the largest river in New England. And like most large bodies of water, it holds some secrets. For example, like Lakes Champlain and Memphremagog, it is said to be home to a monster, perhaps the strangest water monster of all.
This strange Vermont-New Hampshire hybrid shows up from time to time in a wide section of the Connecticut River called Samuel Moore Reservoir, situated between Waterford, Vermont and Littleton, New Hampshire.
The river was dammed to create the lake in 1957 as part of a hydroelectric power project. The Monster first appeared about a decade later.
As the story goes, in the middle of the night on May 20, 1968, three excited young people burst into the Littleton Police Department. The officer on duty, Officer Miller, saw that they were terrified, raving about something in the water… a monster!
When they had calmed down, the story started to come out. The three friends – Richard and Cindy, a married couple, and their friend Michael – had gone out for some night fishing for bullpout [aka horned pout or brown catfish; they are known by many names].
A little after midnight, they drove to an out-of-the-way picnic area on the water where they broke out their tackle.
It was moonless. Strangely quiet. The only sound was the occasional tiny splash of their bait hitting the water. When it was obvious nothing was biting, their attention wandered. Suddenly Michael Stinchfield pointed to something: a weird red glow on the water near some ledges that extended into the lake.
A moment later Cindy Hansen cried, “Look! Look at that!”
The red glow had left the rocks and was moving slowly through the water toward them.
Soon it was only about 30 feet away. The red glow had solidified into something more defined: eyes. Two red glowing eyes.
Now they could get an imperfect look at it. They later described a white mound, two feet wide, rising about a foot above the surface. With the two glowing red orbs in front. Something larger seemed to move behind the mound, but they couldn’t make it out. What they saw they could only liken to the head of an alligator submerged up to its eyes.
The thing got closer. Cindy and Mike got scared and moved away. Richard Hansen stood alone on the dock. On a whim, he cast his bait in the direction of the thing. A mistake.
“It’s coming at you,” Cindy screamed.
Everyone saw the thing racing through the water, coming at them. They scrambled for the car and sped away, slowing only to take one final look. Now the whole area around the wharf was glowing red.
The three immediately drove to the Littleton Police station and reported the incident to Officer Miller.
In the morning, Chief McIntyre dispatched officers to check out the scene. Their investigation revealed a few odd things. Most unsettling was a bunch of dead fish scattered around the wharf. Something had ripped them up, leaving only the heads, tails, and spines.
After that, monsters and red lights were big news for a while. Lately, things have been quiet. And the whole encounter remains a mystery, but there is a certain suspense in wondering who will be the next to confront the glowing creature in Moore Reservoir.
Joseph A. Citro is a Vermont author and folklorist known for collecting New England’s ghost stories, legends, and strange-but-true lore. His most recent book is The Vermont Ghost Experience, available at local bookstores or wherever books are sold. You can also ask your local library to order it for your enjoyment and the enjoyment of other library patrons. In Passing Strange, Citro shares folklore with a curious eye, a storyteller’s warmth, and just enough mystery to make you look twice on the ride home.