Has There Ever Been a Shark Attack in Illinois?

There is a rare species of shark that can survive in salt and fresh water but did one attack a boy in Lake Michigan near Chicago?

I'm not going to lie, I was watching Shark Week stuff on TV and wondered if there had ever been a shark attack in any bodies of water in Illinois. I know just mentioning it sounds ridiculous, but I have Googled stranger things.

What Shark Lives in Salt and Fresh Water?

Get our free mobile app

MORE: The 3 Animals You Can Hunt Year-Round in Illinois

The rare species with the ability to survive in salt and fresh water is the Bull Shark.

According to a story from ktvq.com, a Marine & Fishery Sciences study revealed bull sharks can swim from oceans into rivers, like the Mississippi.

It has been documented that bull sharks swam up the Mississippi River as far as Alton, Illinois, in 1935.

By the way, that is an astonishing 700 miles from the ocean. But back in 1955, did they once make it to Lake Michigan near Chicago and bite off a boy's leg?

Was There a Shark Attack in Illinois?

Here's what I found trying to answer that question.

In 1955, a young boy named George Lawson was reportedly attacked by a shark while swimming in Lake Michigan near Chicago. John Adler rescued that boy and pulled him out of the water into a boat, where he discovered that George had lost most of his right leg.

Some researchers and experts say that stories of bull shark sightings in the Great Lakes are hoaxes or hearsay. The biggest reasons are that the shark couldn't withstand winter temperatures in the Great Lakes and the lack of food.

The young George Lawson story was investigated in 2016 by a Chicago news radio station, and they were unable to confirm it was true.

MORE: The 5 'Must-Try' Chicago Hot Dog Experiences In Illinois