Lake Champlain, 1878

One of the earliest recorded descriptions of the creature in Lake Champlain that would later come to be known as Champ was given in 1878. On August 30^th of that year, six people aboard a yacht on the lake saw the creature. One witness estimated Champ's length at over 50 feet. This same witness described the beast as having "two large folds just back of the head projecting above the water," with "two or more folds at what was apparently the tail."

Lake Champlain is about 100 miles long and connects Vermont, New York, and Canada. Champ has been spotted consistently over the years, well into the last century.  In 1977, Sandra Mansi took a famous photograph of Champ while visiting Lake Champlain.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

The 1977 Sandra Mansi Photograph of Champ, the Lake Champlain Monster

Champ, the Lake Champlain Monster - Sandra Mansi, 1977

If you are unfamiliar with the Sandra Mansi photograph of Champ, you are unfamiliar with probably the best piece of hard evidence in cryptozoology. Ms. Mansi owns the rights to her photograph and while it has been printed in mass publications (meaning, technically, I could scan it and show it off), I am not going to reprint it here -- the legal ramifications are just too dire -- besides, it has been widely circulated in the media, so it shouldn't be hard at all to find. (In fact, it went on display a few years after this was posted.)

But I digress...

Ms. Mansi's photograph clearly shows what appears to be a plesiosaur or similar creature, rising from the surface of Lake Champlain. The neck, head, and what appears to be at least some of the torso, are clearly visible. In fact, the head is turned from the camera in such a way as to completely mimic how long-necked animals maneuver.

So, they were discussing the photograph on TV the other day and one of these flat-earther "skeptics" said it was obvious that Ms. Mansi had taken a photograph of -- wait for it -- a log! Yes, a log!

A fucking log.

A flock of seabirds wouldn't work in this situation, but the infamous "swamp gas" does. See, sometimes gases form on old logs and submerged wood, causing it to rise to the surface and float for a while before slowly sinking back to the bottom. A very good, and incredibly implausible, explanation for all things "impossible."

Except that the Mansi photograph very clearly shows grey-brown skin. If you look at the picture, the skin does not appear scaly and, though it might be rough, the water makes it appear slick -- much like a snake's or other lizard's. Further, the neck is crooked in a clearly visible way, with the head turned away from the camera. You can clearly see the outline of the head and all body parts are proportionate to the rest of the creature.

Quite a feat for "swamp gas."

I mean, after so many reported sightings, motion picture and photographic evidence, and historical accounts -- many from experienced seafarers and Lake Champlain residents -- how (why) can you explain them all away with such a flimsy, transparent, and obviously reaching "explanation?"

UPDATE:  I included a copy of the original photograph found online.  It has been modified for clarity and size, but still does not look like swamp gas coming off a log on a flat Earth.  Those people are fucking idiots (and religious extremists with military ties). - 2018