A Monster Mystery

The morning was still and quiet on the big lake. It was the summer of 1819. A man named Captain Crum climbed into his boat.  

He looked into the dark waters. He thought he saw something. It looked like a huge creature with a long tail! There was a splash. The creature rose out of the water. 

Captain Crum was shocked! He was sure it was longer than any animal he had ever seen. It seemed to have teeth and yellow eyes. Captain Crum watched as it swam across the lake and dove down.

Later a newspaper printed the captain’s story. People didn’t know what to believe. Could he really have seen a lake monster?

It was a quiet morning on the big lake. It was the summer of 1819. A man climbed into his boat. His name was Captain Crum.

He thought he saw something in the dark water. It looked like a huge creature. It looked like it had a long tail! There was a splash. The creature came out of the water.

Captain Crum was surprised! He was sure it was bigger than any animal he had ever seen. It looked like it had teeth and yellow eyes. Captain Crum watched it swim across the lake. Then it dove down.

A newspaper printed a story about what the captain saw. People didn’t know what to believe. Could he really have seen a lake monster?

People had been telling stories about a monster in Lake Champlain for years. 

Native American tribes had a legend. It was an old story that had been passed down. It said an animal that looked like a big snake with horns lived in the water. 

Over time, the stories spread. People claimed they had seen the monster. Newspapers printed more stories about it.

Now the monster even had a name. It was called Champ.

In the 1870s, P.T. Barnum was the owner of a popular circus. He offered a $50,000 prize for anyone who captured Champ. 

Many people tried to win the prize. But nobody could get Champ.

There had been stories about a monster in Lake Champlain for years.

Native American tribes had a legend. It was an old story. People had passed it down for years. It said an animal that looked like a big snake with horns lived in the water.

Over time, the stories spread. People said they had seen the monster. Newspapers printed more stories about it.

People gave the monster a name. It was called Champ.

P.T. Barnum owned a popular circus in the 1870s.  He offered a prize for anyone who captured Champ. The prize was $50,000.

Many people tried to win the prize. But nobody could get Champ.

Then in 1977, something happened. A woman named Sandra Mansi was at the lake. She saw a head poke out of the water. She snapped a photo. She said it was Champ! She said the photo was proof that Champ existed.

But the object in the photo could have been anything. Maybe it was a bird on the water. Maybe it was a piece of trash. Or maybe it really was Champ!  

Then in 1977, a woman named Sandra Mansi was at the lake. She saw a head poke out of the water. She took a photo. She said it was Champ! She said it was proof that Champ was real.

But it could have been anything in the picture. Maybe it was a bird. Maybe it was a piece of trash. Or maybe it really was Champ!

Every year, hundreds of people still come to the lake and search for Champ. 

Many of them claim to have seen Champ with their own eyes. They say that Champ is shy and friendly.

Real or fake, Champ is loved by many. Champ is even the mascot of a baseball team!

We may never know what Captain Crum saw out there on the lake. Could it have been Champ? It is still a mystery. 

Every year, hundreds of people come to the lake. They search for Champ. Many of them say they have seen Champ with their own eyes. They say that Champ is shy and friendly.

Champ is loved by many even if he might be fake. Champ is even the mascot of a baseball team!

We may never know what Captain Crum saw that day on the lake. Could it have been Champ? It is still a mystery.