Florida is often said to be a place of high strangeness with
sightings of the Skunk Ape etc. There is also a story a bout a
river monster. Between 1955 and 1961 there were reports in
Florida newspapers of a creature in the St. Johns River. The
reports came from a variety of people: from fishermen who made
their living there and from visitors and new residents. They all
reported seeing a large creature but some said it was like a
dinosaur; some, like a giant manatee. Most sightings occurred
between Astor Park and Lake Monroe, the majority at Blue Spring
(this is important to note; you will see why at the end of the
posting). One Lake County man claimed to have seen the monster
on land, grazing on plants. He reported that the monster left a
beaten-down path through the bushes. The animal's skin was
described as elephant-like and grey-coloured. Two bass fisherman
claimed that the monster had almost tipped over their boat. In
1975 five people in a fishing boat were frightened on the
morning of May 10 on St. Johns