Chicago Moth Man & The Big, Muddy Monster

Midwestern cryptids are perhaps less famous than their Pacific Northwest or Appalachian counterparts but they are well documented with study and sightings nonetheless. 

Chicago Mothman refers to sightings of a large, humanoid-moth figure with glowing eyes and wings alongside a human-like build. He was featured recently in a season of Unsolved Mysteries. 

Some have attributed these sightings to large crane birds and others stand by their paranormal encounters. The intersections of ecological study and cryptozoology are interesting here. As more new species are discovered and more areas become explored and even digitized into public knowledge, imagination around what else could possibly be slipping under the radar seems as strong as ever. 

The Sandhill Crane, a large bird with reddish feathers around the eyes is the closest theory for Chicago Mothman sightings. You can view them around Chicago with the Chicago Ornithological society, or possibly, catch a peek of the real Mothman. 

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Also debated, is the Big Muddy Monster. The city of Murphysboro in southern Illinois is home to this creature and they have a whole website dedicated to its tale. This creature was said to be very large, possibly 8 feet tall and 350 pounds, and off white in color. A strange, black slime was found in tracks over broken weeds where the creature was said to have walked out and back in. There are no good guesses as to what this creature might be other than a cryptid. 

Communities with local legends and creatures have seen a surge in excitement around them. Local festivals such as the Mothman festival in Point Pleasant, WV or Squonk Fest in Johnstown, PA are growing in popularity and mainstream attention from social media presence and local support. Legend-tripping, the act of traveling to sites of folkloric importance, is emerging more and more as a successful tourism tactic that doubles as raising cultural awareness and preserving stories.