Lake Champlain Monster 

Champ is a sea monster that lives in Lake Champlain. The first person ever to see Champ was Samuel de Champlain. He sighted him in July 1609. When he saw him he described him as a "20 foot serpent thick as a barrel and a head like a horse". He was also the person who discovered what is now Lake Champlain. In the early 20th century Champ had a price on his hide of 50,000 dollars. No one claimed it though. People put this price on his hide because they thought he was dangerous but since he was barely ever seen I think this was foolish.

In August 1939 Champ chased a fishing boat to shore near Rouses Point New York. The chase was very short because of the urgency to get to shore. No one was hurt, a little scared, but not hurt. "On sighting a water monster freeze do not attempt to get any closer or get a better sighting position. Do not shout or slam car doors. Try to stop dogs and child from making noise . The creatures are timid and any noise or movement is likely to startle them and cause them to submerge." This advice came from the book Water Monsters.

In 1977 Champ was photographed by Sandra Marsi while she was having a picnic with friends .This is the best known photograph of Champ. Someone else may have taken a better one but never reported it. This picture was published by Time Magazine and various other magazines. Some people have different beliefs about Champ. For example some believe he is a big lake sturgeon.

A scientist did a study on how a log could look like a sea monster. By moving a curved log he made it could look like a serpent. There have been many cases when people think that a picture someone took was a fraud. I think people should tell the truth if they saw Champ, not set a picture up.

The most common times to see Champ are between late spring and early fall. The reason for this is the temperature of the water and the light conditions. There have been many sittings in Addison County. Some of them have been at Basin Harbor. Usually they are in the early morning. (This last section of information I got from my Dad.)

John Myers and Nathan Bingham

Champ Sightings

1819 - Bulwagga Bay, Port Henry, NY

1871 - Horseshoe Bay. Passengers on the steamship Curlew reportedly saw a creature's head above the water. They said the monster had a long neck and produced a 30-40 foot wake.

1870 - Everyone aboard a steamship witnessed seeing the monster near Charlotte, Vermont.

1873 - Everyone aboard the steamship W.B. Eddy saw the creature near Dresden, New York.

1887 - The famous P.T. Barnum offered $50,000 to anyone who could prove the existence of Champ.

In 1945, people about the S.S. Ticonderoga observed the creature when it surfaced somewhere near the middle of the lake.

In 1977 Sandra Mansi and her fiancee saw and photographed Champ in what has become known, infamously, as the Mansi photograph.

On July 30, 1984, as many as 86 passengers were aboard the sightseeing boat, The Spirit of Ethan Allen, near Appletree Point when the creature appeared. Three to five humps surfaced, each about 12 inches out of the water. The creature remained for about three minutes. The passengers estimated the creature to be about 30 feet long. They said it was green-brown and slimy looking. It swam parallel with the boat for 1,000 yards until a speedboat approached. Then it submerged.

In 1985, local Champ expert Dennis Hall said he captured a full grown Champtany on video tape. He said that he plans to add still shots from the video to his website.

Button Bay State Park, located in Ferrisburgh, Vt, has reportedly been the scene of several baby Champ sightings. Two women were wading near shore in 1993 when an animal swam between them that may have been baby champ.

Thompson's Point in Charlotte,Vermont was the scene of a mass Champ sighting (nine children) in August of 1993.