Lake Monsters–Hapyxelor, Nessie, the Monster of Muskrat Lake

2010 sighting of Mussie

1969

What has three eyes, three ears, one big fin half way down its back, two legs, one big tooth in front, is silvery-green in color and stretches for 24 feet? Well, in 1969,the people of Cobden, 60 miles northwest of Ottawa, dont know either, but they claim it exists and theyve named it Hapyxelor, the monster of Muskrat Lake. And by the way, in case you were wondering, it eats fish and is considered friendly. Long considered a local leg end, Hapyxelor showed up in a recent report by a firm of consulting engineers working on a development plan for the Muskrat River.

The report mentions the recurring story” of sightings of a reptile or monster somewhat larger than a canoe which has never been identified. A previous reference to the monster was made by Indians during the 16th century in stories told about the “strange thing which roamed the waters of Muskrat Lake. Dick Heyda, owner and operator of Champlain Storyland at Renfrew, near Cobden, did some research on the monster and created a 28-foot plastic model. Mr. Heyda read about the consulting company report and after searching around got his description from Cobden fisherman and trapper Donald Humphries. Mr. Humphries, an ardent outdoorsman, had spent a lot of time on Muskrat Lake and the model was constructed from what he said he saw there one evening last year.

He told me he saw something like an eye emerge from the water and it seemed to rotate, Mr. Heyda said. A little later an enormous beak came out of the water and then the whole body. – He said it was about 24 feet long, had three eyes, three ears, one big fin half way down its back, two legs, a big tooth in the front and was silvery-green in color. The monster had a quick snack of cattails and then, after hearing Mr. Humphries sneeze, perked up two of its ears end slithered back into the lake.

1969

Westmeath Township’s Muskrat Lake monster metaphorically reared its ugly head from the surface of the 10-mile-Iong lake again last week when a boat was unexplainably upset during dead calm. At long intervals, over period of many years sightings of Mussy the Muskrat Lake monster have been reported by residents of Westmeath Township, which has been “dry” since prohibition days. Last week’s phenomenon was witnessed by foreign observers in the persons of James ‘Shear, of Leavenworth, Kansas, and Russell Rauch and Earl Andrews, both of Slatington, Pennsylvania.

Shear was bound for Eckford’s Bay when, for no apparent reason, his small boat capsized. He was rescued by Rauch and Andrews. They told their story to Mrs. Elsie McBride, a long-time resident of Muskrat Lake’s south shore. This was no illusion,” said Mrs. McBride. “Can an illusion spout Water in the air? She said something in the lake “blew off steam.” As recently as last week, it was speculated by Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Wilson, of RR 3, Cobden that “a long, deep ripple they saw near the middle of the lake was Mussy’s wake. Variably estimated at lengths up to 16 feet, she has been said to have an alligator head and upside-down legs like those of a cricket or grasshopper. A fact-finding group from Carleton University’s geography department, having read early reports of monster sightings at Muskrat Lake, noted in its report to Renfrew County Council in 1968 that the lake, though only half as large, was the same shape as Scotland’s largest body of fresh water, famed as the home of Nessle the Loch Ness monster.

1976

Mussy the Muskrat Lake monster may not have the international reputation of Nessy of Loch Ness but here’s a sea serpent with a history or at least a legend dating back more than 350 years. Since first described in Champlain by Indians, Mussy is said to have been sighted at least five times on this 10-mile-long lake about 75 miles west of Ottawa “Alligator head” and “grasshopper-like legs” are the terms most often used to describe the monster which is said to be about 20 feet long.

Until recently Mussy was heard from infrequently on the surface of Muskrat Lake. But in 1941 a man reported seeing “an object as large as the average horse” while fishing. The presence of such a creature in a lake so far from the ocean does not surprise some people at all.

Muskrat Lake was once part of the Champlain Sea a body of salt water that covered the Great Lakes and connected with the Atlantic Ocean. It receded about over 10,000 years ago leaving behind Muskrat Lake and whatever had been living in it. Though tiny in comparison the lake is 240 feet deep in parts. Rumor also has it that Mussy is amphibious. Don Humphries a nearby resident said he was paddling his canoe on a clear spring night in 1968 when he spotted the monster on shore.“It was out of the water scratching in the cat-tails with its snout apparently eating them”. But he said he startled it and it “quietly slid back into the Water without even a splash”.

1976

The legend of the mysterious monster of Muskrat Lake took another twist Monday with a report of “a green fin of some sort” cutting the lake’s surface and staying in view for about five minutes. The 10-mile-Iong lake has long been reputed to be the home of a local version of the Loch Ness monster. But Allan Childerhose doesn’t know exactly what he saw. The 16-year-old and his friend, John Hoad, 17, both from the Cobdon area, were on the shore of the lake about 8:30 p.m. Monday.

“We were playing catch with a basketball,” said Allan in a telephone interview. “I was in the water and he (John) was on shore. He heard a splashing sound, there was splashing like a boat . . . Hey, look at that out there.’ he said.” Allan turned to see an object moving along the water about half a mile from shore, causing ripples and the splashing sound.

Trailing about 30 feet behind and cutting the surface was the “a fin of some sort.” The two boys watched for about five minutes while it continued to move down the lake towards Cobden, on the opposite shore. The fin dipped up and down in the water. The sight left Allan Childerhose unnerved. “I felt a little weird … a strange feeling. I didn’t know what to make of it because it couldn’t be a boat,” he said several hours later. His father said the boy was still shaken by the sighting.

The fin moved down the lake about 400 yards and then, said Allan, sank out of sight near the outer limits of Cobden. The boy said it could not have been a scuba diver because of its shape and size. The two boys talked immediately to several nearby campers who said they saw “a strange wave” but nothing more definite. “They said they saw something moving out in the water.” Frank Stark and his wife Betty of Innswood Drive, Ottawa, also saw something in the water described by Mr. Stark as “two bumps with a space between them”.

It was moving in a southeasterly direction with no discern-able color, he said in an interview today. “The wife said it sounded like rowing or splashing. like someone swimming the butterfly.” He said the object was in sight for two or three minutes and then “it just disappeared.” There have been several sightings over the years of various phenomena in the lake, many of which have included detailed descriptions of a large aquatic animal. The creature, affectionately dubbed “Nussy” has never been photographed, but is said to dwell in the depths of the lake which reaches depths of 20 feet in wme places.

Muskrat Lake is located in the Whitewater Region of Renfrew County, in Ontario, Canada.

Samuel de Champlain 1613 Expedition

The Muskrat Lake region was originally inhabited by the Algonquin people. The first European explorer to discover Muskrat Lake and its surrounding area was Samuel de Champlain on June 7, 1613.  At the time, Champlain was exploring the possibility of an alternative route to the Northern Sea (Hudson Bay) that would bypass the treacherous rapids along the Ottawa River.  During his expedition in 1613, Champlain came upon a group of Algonquins led by Nibachis, close to the shores of a lake that Champlain named Lac De Nibachis (now modern day Muskrat Lake). After supplying Champlain with guides, Nibachis sent Champlain and his men seven leagues down the lake by canoe. According to Champlain’s records, the adventurers then portaged one league to modern day Lower Allumette Lake to meet with Chief Tessoὒat on what historians conclude to be Morrison Island. – Wikipedia

The Astrolabe

During his 1613 expedition from the Ottawa River to the North Sea, Champlain lost his astrolabe. More than 200 years later in 1867, the astrolabe was discovered by a 15-year-old boy named Edward G. Lee who was helping his father clear land on lot 13, concession 2, Ross Township. Currently, a local resort called Logos Land, just east of Cobden, is situated on part of this land. In 1943, the astrolabe was acquired by the New York Historian Society and later returned to Canada when purchased by the Canadian Government in 1989 for $250,000. The astrolabe is currently displayed at the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. A stone monument commemorating the discovery was erected near Logos Land in 1952 – Wikipedia

What kind of fish are in Muskrat Lake?

The lake itself is known for its large array of fresh water fish species, such as lake sturgeon, walleye, lake trout, pike, bass, catfish and longnose gar.

Currently, Muskrat Lake is approximately 16km (9.9 mi) in length with an average depth of 17.9m (59ft). The deepest point on the lake is 64m (210ft) and is located just off McNaughton Bay

Mussie is a Plesiosaur-like creature living in Muskrat Lake in Ontario Canada. Mussie is described as a living Plesiosaur with a large body, a long neck, and large flippers which help it move through the water. In some depictions Mussie has been made to look like a walrus or a sturgeon and sometime even a three eyed Plesiosaur. The first written account of Mussie dates back to 1916 but some locals believe that Samuel De Champlain encountered it on his travels. In 1990 a tourist group offered a $1 million dollar reward to anyone who could capture Mussie alive. Click here for more.

1988

The Toronto author who spent last week searching for Mussie, the “sea monster” of Muskrat Lake, says he may end his search even though he claims to have found some evidence of a large animal. Michael Bradley, who plans to write a book about the hunt, says he made three “unusual” sonar contacts with large animals and may have actually seen Mussie break the surface. But local doubters have left him discouraged about the hunt, he says, and he may not continue his search next spring. “I don’t want to do any more with this. Bradley says the animal he saw was about 200 metres away from his boat at the deep, northern end of the long, narrow lake. “I thought I saw a back break (Citizen illustration) the surface twice,” he says, adding, “I don’t know yet if I have pictures.” He describes a two-metre, dull red animal that moved back into the water too fast for his photog may end rapher to focus.

CLIPPED FROM
The Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada13 Oct 1988, Thu  •  Page 39

“The sighting is probably worthless, but the sonar contacts are something else.” Bradley originally planned to trap the creature in August, but changed his plans to a photographic expedition when he decided the animal was probably a type of primitive, landlocked walrus that could drown if trapped. Bradley’s photographer, Carolyn Gray, took pictures of the fish finder screen when it showed any unusual sonar contact, and the author estimates the animal shown there is about four metres long. He has sent copies of the pictures to the sonar manufacturer in Oklahoma to try and verify that the image is not of a shoal of fish.

1989

CLIPPED FROM
The Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada09 Jul 1989, Sun  •  Page 39

200 Monsters Swimming in the Lake……… — Linda Knight Seccaspina

Harry & Ruby Nontell – Charlie Finner— and the Bennett Lake Monster

The Otty Lake Monster

More Lake Monsters–Moose or Monster?

Have you read- The Sea Serpents of Lake Ontario

Sea Serpent Captured in Chats Lake

SEA MONSTER IN THE OTTAWA RIVER

Local Sea Serpent Positively Seen This Time!!

The Water Dragon of White Lake? 1936

Neighbourhood News Sea Serpents in Carleton Place and Pink Eye in Eganville

Local Sea Serpent Positively Seen This Time!!

The Banshee of Kingston Mills

The Wendigo’s of Devil’s Mountain

Fresh Fairy Foot Marks Earth On a Charcoal Pit Westport Perth –McNamee

Harry & Ruby Nontell – Charlie Finner— and the Bennett Lake Monster

Here is a pic from 1924….my sister Mary Tosh was a flower girl for my aunt and uncle Harry and Ruby Nontell who at one time ran a restaurant in Almonte just up from where Stedman’s store was located. Hope u find this interesting?

Marg (Tosh) Margaret McNeely

June 1956

Over 200 friends assembled at the Blakeney dance hall on the shores of the Mississippi, Tuesday night, to make a presentation and say farewell to a popular Almonte couple in the persons of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Nontell. Mr. Nontell has owned an apartment block with a store and restaurant on the ground floor for many years (just up from Steadmans). At one time he operated the restaurant in partnership with Mrs. Pearl Dodd to whom he sold his share several years ago.

For the last year he has been a successful motor vehicle salesman for the Almonte Garage Sales and Service. About two months ago Mr. Nontell sold his apartment building to Mr. Lloyd North of Fallbrook and Mr. North’s farm on the shores of the Mississippi near that village, was included in the deal. The two families will move to their respective new homes shortly. The farewell party and presentation were arranged by friends of the Nontells with Mrs. Dodd and Jack Smithson in charge. The hall, which is owned by Mr. Nontell himself and is for sale, was tastefully decorated and the refreshments were excellent.

Mayor Geo. E. Gomme made the presentation in a neat speech in which he paid tribute to the popularity of Harry and his wife, Ruby. He expressed the general feeling when he said he was sorry to see them leave town but wished them the best in their new environment. Dancing and music was provided by Charlie Finner and his popular orchestra. His P.A. system was a great help.

Charlie is the champion “caller off’ around here and until he arrived no one could perform that function. Three pieces of handsome furniture made up the presentation to Mr. and Mrs. Nontell. Included were a handsome, upholstered rocking chair of modern design; a chesterfield table and a smoking stand. Mr. Nontell replied gracefully on behalf of himself and his wife and told his friends that they would always be welcome at his new home.

It is understood that Mr. Nontell’s farm at Fallbrook is located on the Mississippi River at a point close to its junction with the Fall River. Bennett’s Lake is not far away. Fishing is good and he intends to cater to the tourists and anglers, and as he did here he will probably engage in some other line of work as well. For some time to come he is remaining on the sales staff of the Almonte Garage and will communte between his new homeland Almonte.

Fall River

In his remarks to Mr. and Mrs. Nontell at the presentation, Tuesday night, there was one thing Mayor Gomme forgot and that was to warn Harry, especially, against the “ogpu” that haunts Bennett’s Lake not far from his new farm. The Fall River which empties into the Mississippi near Mr. Nontell’s new home flows through this lake and for the last 40 years, anglers are told from time to time of seeing a frightful monster rise from the waters, usually in the dim dawn or the waning evening light.

Accounts of the appearance of this dreadful apparition vary according to the degree of alcohol that has been consumed by witnesses—so say the cynics. But it is agreed its head looks like a cross between that of a horse and a. fish. Others say it is more like a dog—that kind that makes night and day hideous in Almonte— while still others declare it is serpent or snake-like.

Bennett’s Lake– click for history

Most of those who have seen Bennett’s Lake ogpu insist they were cold sober at the time. Some who have travelled say it is as big as the one that haunts Loch Ness in Scotland and may grab our friend, Bill Jamieson if he doesn’t look out.

But all agree that it is not quite as large as the one that used to rise at intervals on some lake in British Columbia, the name of which escapes us. Anyway it is much too big to get down the Fall River, through the village and to the newly acquired farm of Mr. Nontell. So anyone who cares to visit him in future may have no fears on that score.

Born in Lanark, Ontario, Canada on 18 September 1899 to Alexander Nontell and Mary Nontell. Harry Lloyd Nontell married Ruby Mildred May Bond and had 1 child. He passed away on 1984 in Creston, British Columbia, Canada.

Opening Night at The Blakeney Dance Hall 1954

Dance Hall Fire Blakeney

The Hayshakers — Charlie Finner

The Otty Lake Monster

More Lake Monsters–Moose or Monster?

200 Monsters Swimming in the Lake……… — Linda Knight Seccaspina

Could the Giant Pike of Carleton Place Have Turned Into the Lake Memphremagog Monster?

The Water Dragon of White Lake? 1936

The Ghost Ship of Brown’s Hill

Neighbourhood News Sea Serpents in Carleton Place and Pink Eye in Eganville

Local Sea Serpent Positively Seen This Time!!

Sea Serpent Captured in Chats Lake

SEA MONSTER IN THE OTTAWA RIVER

The Sea Serpents of Lake Ontario

The Banshee of Kingston Mills

The Wendigo’s of Devil’s Mountain

Fresh Fairy Foot Marks Earth On a Charcoal Pit Westport Perth –McNamee

The Legend of Horseshoe Falls

200 Monsters Swimming in the Lake……… — Linda Knight Seccaspina

200 Monsters Swimming in the Lake Linda Knight Seccaspina

One night in 1972 I was staying at the motel that faces Lake Memphremagog near Magog, Quebec as I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the sea serpent that lives in that lake.The lake is like no other, and a rumoured 30-foot- long monster called Gog, Manaloo, Memphre, the Anaconda, or the Lake Monster of Lake Memphremagog  is said to swim the cold waters. As they say you can’t cross the sea by merely standing and staring at the waters. It was early in the morning and visibility was low–and not one lake dwelling sea creature was seen.

I personally have heard many a story from my mother’s side of some snake-like creature once seen with his head a foot or so out of the water bobbing slightly up and down. The story was nothing to scoff at they said and it had a scream that rocked the mountains all the way to Owl’s Head and then on to Jay Peak. 

A report in Quebec’s weekly Stanstead Journal in late January, 1847, put it this way:

“I am not aware whether it is generally known that a strange something of a sea serpent exists in Lake Memphremagog”. 

The part of the animal which my cousins actually saw measured about fifteen feet in length, so they said. Folks for years have blamed it on the state of Vermont which is supposedly full of leaky nuclear plants which can create horrible mutation things. One of the best descriptions of the creature was produced by Norman Bingham in his novel, The Sea Serpent Legend, in 1926. 

Did you know scientists once met in Shelburne, Vermont to study the photographs, sonar readings and 144 sightings from over 400 years? Dr. George Zug chairman of the Smithsonian Institute’s Department of Vertebrate Zoology summed up the panel’s findings by saying:

“There is a population of large animals of some kind in that water!” 

Serious scientists assume there are at least 200 of them, but there is no telling really how many species we have as lines have never reached the murky bottom of some parts of the lake.

In June of 1868 a report from the Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania said that the sea serpent had once again turned up in Lake Memphremagog. They feared it was  a repetition of the Nahant hoax. An animal of similar appearance had been seen in August, 1819, off Nahant, Boston, and remained in the neighbourhood waters for some weeks. Two hundred persons witnessed it, and the serpent-shaped head was elevated two feet above the surface. Its sole eye was remarkably brilliant and glistening. One often has to wonder if these were remarks were made sober.

The aquatic reptile in Lake Memphremagog is always seen coming from the American border. As it edges its way through the water they explained that natural waterways like Lake Memphremagog are gateways to the parallel world where monsters like the sea serpent came from, with the intention of recruiting others of course. 

Some say the stories began to attract tourism to the town, but really monster gawkers aren’t the spending type and you can’t even sell Tshirts for one of of the names lest you get sued. Monsters that are not seen every day still seem to have copyright laws like the Pixar Monsters. Go figure.

The best year of a good monster-sighting season on Lake Memphremagog was in 1996. At least 27 boaters and cottagers — in nine separate reported visions — claim to have seen the lake dwelling creature once the ice came out in the Spring. The last sighting occurred on June 4, 2000 when 2 people observed a strange creature of a greyish colour resembling a multiple humped whale. They observed this phenomenon from the wharf of Knowlton’s Landing. 

The natives believed that the serpent had found its way to the lake through a subterranean channel entering Lake Memphremagog at Owl’s Head, the deepest portion of the lake. It seems some also think that it had become trapped in the lake because it was far too stupid to find its way out. Heck, this creature might even be an American, but there has been no word if he is a Republican or Democrat.

Maybe this is one reason I don’t hang my feet off the edge of the bed at night because I don’t want the monster under the bed to grab them. I’ve always been curious about the creatures that live under there or those in our closets.

But, what happens if you stop believing in these tales about sea monsters and other things that go bump in the night?

What if someday you drop a piece of bread on the floor and kick it under something or throw it into Lake Memphremagog and walk away?

What happens if someone under that bed or in that lake whispers thank you in return for that piece of bread?

Words to ponder my friends, or have you just crossed over into . . . the Twilight Zone? It makes perfect sense, because if you are going to tell a story, tell a big one, or nothing at all.

Read also-

Could the Giant Pike of Carleton Place Have Turned Into the Lake Memphremagog Monster?

The Water Dragon of White Lake? 1936

More Lake Monsters–Moose or Monster?

Did You Ever See the Monster of Otty Lake?

The Ghost Ship of Brown’s Hill

Neighbourhood News Sea Serpents in Carleton Place and Pink Eye in Eganville

Local Sea Serpent Positively Seen This Time!!

Sea Serpent Captured in Chats Lake

SEA MONSTER IN THE OTTAWA RIVER

The Sea Serpents of Lake Ontario

The Banshee of Kingston Mills

The Wendigo’s of Devil’s Mountain

Fresh Fairy Foot Marks Earth On a Charcoal Pit Westport Perth –McNamee

The Legend of Horseshoe Falls

The Water Dragon of White Lake? 1936

OBVIOUSLY something will have to be done about these tales of a sea serpent. For a decade or more this area has been hearing of the monsters of the deep raising their monstrous heads in most unexpected places, looping their long bodies like some gigantesque gila monster of the African rivers, yet no person ever appears to spike, spear or spot these spectral things.

In 1936 Almonte fishermen say they saw something that resembled a dragon off Pickerel Point in White Lake up in Renfrew county recently. The hour was after dark, it may possibly have been a chubby fisherman splashing about. However Almonters say it was a “terrible apparition.”

William Kruger, who hails from around Eganvllle, where people put even Washington to shame in the quality of their veracity and the measure of their temperance, revives the age-old story of a serpent “or something” In the crystal-like waters of Lake Clear.

With a head like a sheep and a body that plopped up and down like a few links of animated stovepipe, it came up for air, viewed the scenery and Mr. Kruger momentarily and promptly retired to its apartments amid those aquatic depths. ‘ Anyway, that Mr. Kruger s story and obviously he’s going to stick to it.

More Lake Monsters–Moose or Monster?

Did You Ever See the Monster of Otty Lake?

Could the Giant Pike of Carleton Place Have Turned Into the Lake Memphremagog Monster?

Linda’s Dreadful Dark Tales – Minecraft Story of the Lake Memphremagog Monster

The Story of Caroline La Rose– Charleston Lake

Sea Serpent Captured in Chats Lake

The Ghost Ship of Brown’s Hill

The Sea Serpents of Lake Ontario

Sea Serpent Captured in Chats Lake

 

Horseshoe Falls at Chats Lake 
    before the dam was built 
    Source: National Archives                           Chats Falls Dam
    Photo # PA-009337

—Photo from Bytown or Bust

 

July 7 1882 — notes from the Almonte Gazette

 

The Arnprior Chronicle is responsible for the following; which reads a little “ snaky” : Sea serpent stories have been given the go by by newspaper paragraphers of late, owing to the incredible yarns told by people who profess to have sees the “rare old devil himself.”

Many people are said to have, seen these monsters in venous parts of the country, but as no one has ever been known to to capture one. It is but a few years since Mr. Robert Young, one of our most worthy and respected citizens, caught a glimpse of an aquatic monster m Chats Lake, which he describes as being of enormous size and proportions.

Capt. Brown, of the steamer Alliance, also got a view of one of these monsters in the waters the summer before last, and various other people claim to have seen large specimens at different times and at divers places.

 

Photo from Canadian Virtual Museum

 

But this week we  are in a position to announce the capture of what is probably one of the of the real, original Old Chats Lake serpent, which has often struck terror to the hearts of superstitious river men. While coming down from the Snow Rapids with a tow on Monday morning, and while off Blackwell’s island, the crew of the Levi Young noticed a huge serpent swimming ahead.

Mr. John Dungan, chief engineer, and a deck hand named Shaw jumped into the bun and steered in pursuit of the reptile. They succeeded in getting within striking distance of the serpent, when Mr. Dungan struck it a blow over the head with his oar. The beast then turned and made for the occupants of the boat literally churning the water with its tail in fury.

Another powerful and well directed blow with an oar on the neck of the serpent laid it dead when it was taken its tow and brought aboard the steamer. The crew of the boat stretched it out on the rail, and measured it with a rule. Its total length was eleven feet, while its body was over thirteen inches in circumference.

Its jaws was pried open and a pair of compasses inserted, which were opened out to a distance of six inches. The description given of this reptile is to be the same as that given by Mr. Young and Capt Brown,- so that it is possible that why they just killed was a descendant of the old King Snake who has sported himself in Chats Lake for years past.

 

Photo from Bytown or Bust

 

Related reading

More Lake Monsters–Moose or Monster?

Did You Ever See the Monster of Otty Lake?

Could the Giant Pike of Carleton Place Have Turned Into the Lake Memphremagog Monster?

The Ghost Ship of Brown’s Hill

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read.

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in Hometown News and now in The Townships Sun