The following story appeared in the Grand Forks Daily Herald on July 21, 1915:
That Devils Lake Sea Serpent Basks in Sunshine For Admiring Crowds; Now They'll Hunt it
(Herald Special Service) Devils Lake, N. D., July 21. — Stretched out on the surface of the bay of Devils Lake, fronting Chautauqua, the monster sea serpent basked. In the delightful evening sunshine shortly before sundown last night, while residents of Chautauqua and Greenwood looked on in silent amazement. The serpent was viewed from several different points.
There was no mistake about it. The monster, that has figured in the legends of Devils Lake for half a century, when only the Indians inhabited the country, or a descendant which answers the earliest description, was seen by so many that no one disputes the fact that it lives in the waters of the lake.
E. M. Lewis and Chas. Pillsbury, well known business men, saw the serpent very distinctly, unknown to each other. It was stretched out on the water about a quarter of a mile from shore. It is described as between fifty and sixty feet long and between a foot and two feet in diameter. Captain Walter Fursteneau of the police force, accompanied by his wife also witnessed the sight.
The last time the serpent was seen was a couple of years ago by Rev. C. L. Wallace of the M. E. Church. At that time it was in the extreme east end of the lake. It happens that this section is separated from the section where the serpent was seen last night, by a bridge at the Narrows, which in reality is a dyke, there being no water passage. How the monster got into the west-end of the lake is the present mystery. That it vaulted the bridge, or else that there are two serpents in the lake, is the conclusion reached today. In any event, it has been established beyond the question of a doubt that a monster lives in the lake and already there is talk of expeditions to get in closer touch with the freak.
NOTE: Here's a link to a description of the legend - Devils Lake and the Legend of the Sea Monster. You can find another description at Devils Lake Sea Monster...Lon
North American Lake Monsters: Stories
People are Seeing Something: A Survey of Lake Monsters in the United States and Canada
Cryptid U.S.: Tales of Bigfoot, Lake Monsters, and More from Across America
IN SEARCH OF LAKE MONSTERS
