America is a land of many stories Some are legends which are stories passed down through time that can’t be proven true Settlers from other parts of the world brought legends and traditions from their home countries Still other legends grew from events that took place in America from settling the western frontier to the rise of railroads Some legends are based around a central character a hero Some are tall tales or unbelievable stories filled with cryptids and monsters Some are scary while others are funny And some are just plain odd Living Heritage Some odd legends and traditions made it to America when settlers arrived They told legends to keep their heritage alive For example Germans who moved to Pennsylvania brought the legend of Belsnickel one of St Nicholas’s or Santa Claus’s friends The strange dirt-covered man roamed the countryside dressed all in furs and could tell if children had been good or bad that year 4 Great american LeGends
Legends connect us to history and give Americans a common story They add to American culture And some are just fun to tell 5
America is filled with stories about cryptids and monsters Another monster the skunk ape was spotted in Florida Take for example the Loveland Frog In 1955 an Ohio businessman spotted a creature with green skin and weblike hands under a bridge The creature was spotted again in 1972 when police saw a man with a froglike face jump off a bridge starting in the 1960s The ape gets its name from its smell which is like rotting eggs or methane In 2000 a woman claimed to take a photo of the skunk ape in her backyard She said the creature crept into her backyard and stole apples from her porch three nights in a row skunk ape 6 Tessie Did you know that Lake Tahoe has its own version of the Loch Ness Monster Called Tessie the beast was first spotted in an underground tunnel beneath Cave Rock by native settlers in the 19th century Some think that Tessie is actually a dinosaur They think it’s a plesiosaur ichthyosaur or mosasaur Monsters and Cryptids
Lliamna Lake Monster Shuswaggi Ogoogo Sasquatch Tessie Sharlie Bear Lake Monster CRyPTiDS oF NoRTh AMeRiCA Waheela Adlet Turtle Lake Monster Wendigo Manipogo Shunka Warakin Beast of Bray Road Frogman Memphre Champ Dover Demon Thunderbird Pope Lick Monster Mothman Jersey Devil Mongollon Monster Oklahoma Octopus Skinwalker Ozark Howler Altamaha-ha Lake Worth Monster Chupacabra Scope Ore Swamp Lizard Man Swamp Ape 7
