Breaking news here at LakeMonsterCulture.com. This website has attracted the nostalgia of a man from Woodcliffe, Nebraska who submitted the picture above, a bonafide example of Midwest lake monster culture.
Dave recounts: "Our cabin was built by my grandparents (the Rassmussens), and they hung a sign outside that said 'Rass House.' When we were young we'd see things in the water, sticks or logs, thinking it was a monster. We got so scared, we wouldn't go into the water. After we heard he was friendly, we were ok to go back into the water. And he just kinda became a mascot of the cabin."
"I used to wake up early when i was little, and just stare at the lake watching for him." Mumford became the official name of the Rass House lake monster, which the family enjoyed so much that they created this shirt in his honor. Pictured here, it's about 20 years old.
It wasn't until recently that Dave learned his grandparents made the story up, in order to convince him as a child that, whatever was under the waters of Woodcliff, Nebraska, its presence was to be enjoyed rather than feared.
May 13 Note: I've discovered a page which talks about another Nebraskan lake monster in Alkali Lake. Here's the link.
I can recall a time when I believed there was a monster in my tiny pond behind my house. Visions of an enormous beast swam through my head until the wisdom of my parents told my imagination it was just a beaver. Years later the dam cracked and the pond dried revealing that only flopping fish, frogs, and truckloads of snails remained.