There are vast expanses of corn fields, small towns, and back roads in Indiana. All equipped with a spooky fog, phantom lights, and eerie noises to excite even the calmest of souls. This state has many legends and stories spread throughout it. If you know where to look you can find some detailing mysterious creatures who've never been found. These are the 4 stories I found with the most the most evidence as well as shock value.
1. The Crosley Monster: Jennings County, IN
You can find a good Bigfoot story in most U.S states. We seem to have an abundance of tall hairy monsters roaming around the forest and towns of our country. Indiana is no exception to that. The Crosley monster got the name because of the fish and wildlife area where it has been most commonly spotted since the 50's. In more recent years the creature had made more grand appearances. Four boys were camping in the woods of the wildlife center in 2006 when they had to run for their lives from the monster they said was at least seven feet tall with glowing red eyes and matted fur. They made it out alive, and with a good story to tell. People continued to search for the beast, many having good luck in their efforts. The Crosley monster still has sightings to this day, bringing people from all over to search for the beast. If anyone is looking for a good monster hunt I'd advise them to go to the woods in the Crosley wildlife area.
2. The Beast of Busco: Churubusco, IN (Fulk Lake)
It's not surprising that Churubusco isn't a town that has the spotlight very often. They are a quaint town near Fort Wayne with not many residents. Although the town is small, the monster lurking beneath their shores is not. The beast of busco is described as being a turtle-shaped creature that weighs over five hundred pounds, its shell was the size of a car. It was first spotted on a sunny day in 1948 by two fisherman. This claim was later dismissed by a local turtle expert. One year later the beast made another appearance. This time he showed himself to the turtle expert himself. This news led people on a monster hunt. People sent out traps to try and catch the creature, and divers combed the depths of Fulk Lake to do the same. At one point the lake was partially drained in these efforts; The beast remained elusive, however. That didn't stop the town from adopting the beast as its mascot. If you go to Churubusco today you'll find a sign that reads 'Turtle Town U.S.A.' They even hold a turtle themed festival every year in his honor.
3. The Mill Race Monster: Columbus, IN
The Mill Race Park is a huge hit with Columbus locals. It's got beautiful landscape with rivers and lakes near the trails. I've been to Mill Race many times as a teen because I use to live in Columbus. My first time going to the park was with a group of friends who tried to scare me by telling me a huge green monster lived in the park and liked to scare teenagers. A perfect story right? Well, they actually weren't fibbing like I wanted to believe. I found out in November of 1974 two different sets of teenagers gave frantic phone calls to the police claiming to have seen a six foot tall, green-skinned monster at the park. The first account was in the afternoon, the police quickly shrugged it off as teenage mischief. Later on in the evening, another group of girls stopped at the park to eat dinner on the way home. They claim the creature came out of the woods and began banging on the car and trying to to get in. The driver composed herself enough to get the group out of the park safely, but not before the creature left claw marks down the side of her car. Next, she drove them straight to the police station. The police continued to think of this as a joke. This time the girls had evidence though. The claw marks made the story have some legitimacy. That's when the news picked it up and started the search for the creature. Over the next few weeks, the town had numerous sightings of the creature, but no one could catch the beast. A few weeks passed an people stopped talking about it. After the hype went away the sightings did too. Now I can attest the park is once again peaceful, but you never know what might be hiding in the woods and rivers at night.
4. The Green Clawed Beast: Evansville, IN
This monster has only had one sighting leading many to believe its false. I wouldn't dispute that, however, I found it important to include because it's one of the most talked about legends in the state. In August of 1955, a woman name Darwin Johnson was out swimming with her friends when she was attacked from under the water by an unknown assailant. She had only been wading in the water at the time and felt a hand pull her under the water. She fought to break away but was grabbed once more and pulled deeper into the water by the creature. She managed to get the creature off her long enough to swim to her friend's raft. That's when the two panicked girls decided they were done swimming. They quickly packed up their gear and left. Mrs. Johnson had been hurt by the creature and went to the hospital where she found more mysterious things. When asked to describe the hand she said it was strong, hairy, and had claws. It did indeed appear to have claws because she had scratches on her. That wasn't the thing that had doctors baffled though. Her skin had turned green where the creature grabbed her. Nothing was able to identify to the stain or remove it from her. It's said that her skin returned to normal a short time after. I don't think I'd be going swimming for a long time if a was her.
