Louisville Mojo: Louisville's Lizard-man of 1878

This just in, some breaking Metro News from the 19th century....

In the October 28, 1878 issue of the Courier-Journal, there was a peculiar story of a "Wild Man of the Woods" being captured somewhere in the wilderness of Kentucky - they didn't specify where exactly - and placed on public display in downtown Louisville for the public to gawk it.

The mysterious humanoid creature was said by eyewitness accounts to be over six feet tall, and possessing eyes twice as large as a human's. Try to picture that for just a moment - pretty horrifying if you think about it.

What intrigues me most of all about the sketchy details of this Courier-Journal news report, though, is that the monster-man in question purportedly had scales instead of skin.

Although I'm militant in my stance that the Victorian Period was the apex of human culture, I'll be the first to admit that their standard of journalism was rather lax, and news stories of the day were sometimes made up out of whole cloth. (One man in particular, Joseph Mulhattan, was the undisputed king of media hoaxsters, and this anonymous article could well be his handiwork.)

The article about the "wild man" was treated rather matter-of-factly despite its outlandish subject matter, and the matter was curiously not followed up on in subsequent issues. Whatever became of the reptilian "wild man" is not known, and at this late date it's unlikely we'll ever know.

It's interesting to note, however, that the description of the lizard-man corresponds closely with paleontologist Dale Russell's theory of reptilian humanoids. Other researchers such as the tenuously trustable David Icke also posit a complicated conspiracy theory populated by a race of reptilian aliens seeking domination of our solar system.

Also, the famous local faith-healer William Branham, towards the end of his career, began preaching about how the serpent in the Garden of Eden was actually an upright-walking scaly humanoid, not a snake.

And some versions of the Pope Lick Monster myth - another Louisville monster legend - describe it as being distinctly more lizardlike than goatlike.

What does it all mean? Probably nothing.

But then again, it might.

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Koumori-Dragon mon feb 01 2010 at 2:04 am ·


	We'll find out if the Annunaki are real in 2012 ;p

That Dude mon feb 01 2010 at 4:36 am ·


	Good ole Pope Lick Goat Man.....

rob mon feb 01 2010 at 10:31 am ·


	Interesting that something like that could be published with no follow-up whatsoever.

phickle1 tue feb 02 2010 at 2:15 am ·


	I don't ever talk about it much, but there is something that resides around the trestles on Taylorsville Rd. Had a personal encounter night fishing by Floyds Fork Park. I don't speak of it much, because there are alot of jerks that are to quick to label someone a crackpot. But there is something there.

Sherry Deatrick tue feb 02 2010 at 9:37 am ·


	Phickle1: Is it the Pope Lick Monster?

phickle1 tue feb 02 2010 at 7:42 pm ·


	I dont really know what it wasm but I've never been so scared. It was by the abondoned bridge behind Hatmakers store, (the store wasn't there then) and I was night fishing. I remember a bad smell, then some growling, at first I thought it was a dog.us I helped my girlfriend up the hill so she could get back to our car, then I went back to the creek to get our fishing gear and it got very close to me. I shot at it with a .22 pistol, it screamed out, and ran away. I dont think I hit it, but I scared it off. There is something there.

rob wed feb 03 2010 at 11:56 am ·


	How did you come across this, Mr. Holland? Do you while away the hours going through microfiche?

J.S. Holland wed feb 03 2010 at 9:09 pm ·


	Actually, yeah, I do spend a lot of time in the microfiche department, but in this case I think this particular X-File was referred to me by one of my fellow travelers, like David Domine or Bart Nunnelly. Can't remember offhand.

phickle1 thu feb 04 2010 at 12:36 am ·


	Monster Quest is airing a show right now about sightings in Kentucky. They decided the Fairdale incident was a bird'

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