Creature record / 1921

The Walgren Lake Monster: Alkali Lake, Hay Springs, Nebraska

September 16, 1921 · Alkali Lake (now Walgren Lake), near Hay Springs, Sheridan County, Nebraska, United States

22Thinly documented Cryptid Creature 21 sources 4 videos

Alkali Lake. A small body of water on the edge of the Nebraska Sandhills, a few miles outside Hay Springs. J. A. Johnson was camping on its shore with two friends. Then something moved through the water. About forty feet long. Built something like an alligator, with a horn-like object between its eyes and nostrils. When it noticed the men, it let out a dreadful roar, thrashed its tail and dove under the water. The story reached the Omaha World-Herald in 1923, then the London Times. Before long, the trail led to a newspaperman with other tall tales to his credit. A century later, Hay Springs still keeps its monster alive.

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Key facts

When	September 16, 1921 to 1923
Time of day	not recorded
Where	Alkali Lake (now Walgren Lake), near Hay Springs, Sheridan County, Nebraska,United States
Duration	not recorded
Witnesses	3
Witness roles	civilians
Found
Evidence	none confirmed
Investigations	none recorded
Status	debunked

The creature

About forty feet long and built something like an alligator, but bigger and heavier, with rough dull gray or brown skin and a horn-like object between its eyes and nostrils. Seen moving through the water about 20 yards away, it let out a dreadful roar, thrashed its tail and dove under the water.

Size	about 12 m (about forty feet long)
Distance	about 18 m from the witnesses
Colour	grey, other colour
Surface	other surface
Sound	roar

The 1913 Great Meteor Procession (the Cyrillids) (related)
The Belleville UFO Flap (related)

Context

Alkali Lake sits about 2.5 miles east and 2.5 miles south of Hay Springs, in Sheridan County, on the edge of the Nebraska Sandhills. Today it is called Walgren Lake.

Sources (21, most influential first)

Walgren Lake Monster · Wikipedia · Wiki, blog, podcast · wiki
Nebraska's Lake Monster, Giganticus Brutervious · History Nebraska (Nebraska State Historical Society) · Official document · gov doc
Cryptid Profile: The Alkali Lake Monster aka The Walgren Lake Monster · Pine Barrens Institute· 2018-08-18 · Wiki, blog, podcast · blog
Today in History, Sept. 16: 'Monster of Walgren Lake' hoax hits Nebraska newspaper · WOWT 6 News· 2025-09-16 · Press, book, documentary · news
Monsters Make Big Splash in Small Lake · History Nebraska (Nebraska State Historical Society) · Official document · gov doc