Have You Heard the Tale of Cherry Valley, Illinois’ Marvelous Monster?
Up until last September, I had lived in Cherry Valley Township all of my life, but I was today years old when I first heard about Cherry Valley's infamous 'Marvelous Monster'. 😲
Honestly, I don't think the words 'marvelous' and 'monster' should ever be used together, but that is exactly what newspapers named the creature that was rumored to be lurking in a Cherry Valley pond back in 1885.
Have You Heard the Tale of Cherry Valley Illinois' 'Marvelous Monster'?
Back in the mid-1840s, there was a small pond in Cherry Valley called Robinson's Pond, and according to Kathi Kresol of Haunted Rockford, no one ever figured out how deep the pond was, despite several different attempts to measure its depth. No one could ever figure out how the pond stayed filled with water either because there appeared to be no place for water to enter or exit the pond.
The mysteries surrounding the existence of Robinson's Pond wasn't its biggest claim to fame though, the strange creature many people reported seeing in its depths was.
According to Haunted Rockford's article, here is how townsfolk described the 'monster', also called the "Winnebago Wonder";
This monster was described as being between 10 to 100 feet long, which one supposes gives a clue to how big the pond actually was. Its body was dark green in color that lightened to a yellow hue on the belly and neck area. A long fin ran down the back of the supposed sea serpent. The head was described as being shaped similar to a dog and the mouth was large and contained a double row of sharp teeth. The bellows of the animal were said to be quite chilling and compared to that of a hippopotamus.
What Happened to Cherry Valley, Illinois' Marvelous Monster?
After many sightings were reported in 1885, Cherry Valley residents decided the monster needed to be caught, so they sent armed men to watch over Robinson's Pond with hopes that the creature would reveal itself. Kathi Kresol reports that day finally came in August of 1885, when the creature swam to the pond's bank, was shot, and killed.
The Marvelous Monster, aka the Winnebago Wonder, was then put on display for the town to see, and some articles say after examination the monster was just a very large muskrat...Or was it?
Could it be possible that the monster just sent this muskrat as a decoy to be killed? Ponder on that for a bit.