We all know the legend of Nessie the creature who inhabits Loch Ness, but did you know Indiana has it's own "Loch Ness" monster?

CashnetUSA.com went through each state in the U.S. and found the most famous mythical creature from each state.  Indiana's is said to be the Beast of Busco, but is he really that mythical?


UnknownExploreres.com has the full legend of the Beast of Busco, but here's my condensed version.  Legend has it that in 1948 two men went fishing in Fulk Lake in northern Indiana.  When they were done they told the owner of the lake about a giant turtle they saw in the lake. Now this wasn't any turtle, this turtle was MASSIVE, supposedly the top of his shell was the same size as the top of a car.  Even though a local turtle expert said the claims the men made were a hoax local newspapers still reported the giant turtle sighting.  That's when the massive hunt for the Beast of Busco began. The owner of the lake claimed to have seen the giant turtle once again in the beginning of 1949, and set out to capture the beast.  He set up a trap of stakes and chicken wire where he caught the turtle, but unfortunately as luck would have it the turtle made his escape.

That's when newspapers began to report on the search for the Beast of Busco (they named him Oscar), reporters from all over showed up to report on the findings of the search.  The timing of the story was perfect, as we were between wars and people were ready for any story that would serve as a distraction, so the story just kind of took off. At one point the farm where Fulk Lake is located turned into a media circus. After a few months of attempting to catch Oscar with crazy traps, public interest tapered off, and alas the Beast of Busco was never found.

Oscar hasn't been spotted since 1949, which has lead many question if a turtle the size of the Beast of Busco could even exist at all. According to Churubusco turtle expert, Rusty Reed, a rather large turtle could potentially have existed in the lake, but the claims of Oscar being "as big as the top of a car" are probably very inflated. He believes if the men did see a giant turtle, it was more than likely an alligator snapper. Check out more about the Beast of Busco from UnknownExplorers.com.

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