Urban Legends and Other Stories

Hodag Of Rhinelander

The hodag is a folkloric animal of the state Wisconsin. Its history is focused around the city in Rhinelander in northern Wisconsin, where it was said to have been discovered. It was also mentioned in several Paul Bunyan stories.

Origins:  In 1893, newspapers reported the discovery of a hodag in Rhinelander. It had the "head of a frog, the grinning face of a giant elephant, thick, short legs set off by huge claws, the back of a dinosaur and a long tail with spears at the end." The reports were insigated by well-known Wisconsin land surveyor, timber cruiser and prankster Eugene Shepard who rounded up a group of local people to capture the animal. The group reported they needed to use dynamite to kill the beast. A photograph of the remains of the charred beast was released to the media. It was the "fiercest, strongest, most frightening monster ever to set razor sharp claws on the earth." It became "extinct" after its main food source (all white bulldogs) became scarce in the area.

Hoax: Shepard claimed to have captured another hodag in 1896, and this time it was captured allive. According to Shepards reports he had several bear wrestlers place chloroform on the end of a long pole, which they worked into the cave of the creature where it was overcome. He displayed the hodag at the first Oneida County fair. Thousands of people came to see the hodag. Having connected wires to it, Shepard would move it and scare his viewers and they would flee the display. As newspapers locally, statewide and nationally began picking up the story of the creature. A small group of scientists from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. announced that they would be traveling to Rhinelander to inspect the discovery. Their announcement spelled the end, Shepard was forced to admit that the hodag was a hoax.

Aftermath: The hodag became the official symbol of Rhinelander. It is the mascot of Rhinelander High School and lends its name ti numerous businesses and organizations. A large fiberglass sculpture of a hodag resides on the grounds of the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce where it draws thousands of visitors each year.