The Beast of LBL
In Western Kentucky, there is a national recreation area situated between the Kentucky and Barkley Lakes known as "The Land between Lakes" or LBL for short. This piece of land consists of 300 miles of shoreline, 170,000 acres of forest and 200 miles of walking trails. In 1963, by order of President Kennedy, the federal government used eminent domain to buy and tear down homes and businesses forcing 700 families out of the area known as "Between the Rivers". Over 228 family cemeteries are located throughout the area, long forgotten. White settlers, war veterans, large number of infants, black slaves, Chinese immigrants, and Native Americans lay beneath layers of Earth.
There are various tales passed from one person to the next about this vast piece of land. Stories of Indian curses, hauntings, witches, and mysterious lights are told among those who once lived within the area. But there is one tale that has existed for over a hundred years. Witnesses have seen a wolf-like creature among the trees, attacking cattle and live stock during the day or night. It is described as a wolf that stands nearly seven feet tall with long thick hair covering its body. A foul stench emanates from its body. It leaves tracks similar to that of a human except instead of toes were paw prints. The head, large in size, contains wolf like features: a long snout, long sharp incisors and fire red eyes. The beast had long arms with abnormally huge hands and long spindly fingers with claws caked in dirt.
There are several legends attached to the Beast of LBL. One story begins with a Native American shaman with the ability to shape shift. This shaman was forced out of his tribe for allegedly using his powers for evil. One night, a group of warriors and settlers sought out the shaman and ultimately killed him while he was in wolf form. With is dying breath, he cursed them, vowing to return to haunt the forest and seek revenge on all who lived there especially the families of those who murdered him.
Another legend speaks of a man who left Europe in the 1800s to settle in "Between the Rivers". This man supposedly possessed a disease that turned him mad after nightfall. The disease was believed to be genetic and was passed from parent to child over the years. They remained in seclusion never going to school or had the desire to socialize with others until one day when they went silent. Many believed the family had died off. An investigation in the early 1900s revealed their homestead vacant and abandoned.
The Beast of LBL is known to rip cows, pigs, and even a horse or two to shreds, but could it be capable of murdering a human being? Obviously, a wild animal with that much rage could be capable of anything. In the early 1980s, a married couple came upon a sight they would never forget. The gruesome scene contained what was left of a mother, father and a young boy. The three had been camping in one of the designated areas via their motor home. Sometime after their arrival, the small family was mangled. Visible on the bodies were claw and teeth marks from some unknown animal. After the authorities arrived and began investigating the scene, they soon discovered someone was missing from the picture, a little girl. Fifty yards away, a cop with drops of blood on his face, hat and shirt, found the unthinkable. What was left of a little girl was dangling from a high tree limb. Now apparently, these "murders" were never written about in newspapers or no record of it and is all the word of two cops who spilled their guts to a civilian who just happened to be there at the right time. Personally, unless some kind of evidence is presented to prove this really happened, I'm writing it off as nothing but a story (Guardian Tales) to scare people.
Is the Best of LBL also nothing but a story passed from family to family? Or is there a very REAL dangerous animal roaming the woods in the "The Land Between Lakes"?
There are various tales passed from one person to the next about this vast piece of land. Stories of Indian curses, hauntings, witches, and mysterious lights are told among those who once lived within the area. But there is one tale that has existed for over a hundred years. Witnesses have seen a wolf-like creature among the trees, attacking cattle and live stock during the day or night. It is described as a wolf that stands nearly seven feet tall with long thick hair covering its body. A foul stench emanates from its body. It leaves tracks similar to that of a human except instead of toes were paw prints. The head, large in size, contains wolf like features: a long snout, long sharp incisors and fire red eyes. The beast had long arms with abnormally huge hands and long spindly fingers with claws caked in dirt.
There are several legends attached to the Beast of LBL. One story begins with a Native American shaman with the ability to shape shift. This shaman was forced out of his tribe for allegedly using his powers for evil. One night, a group of warriors and settlers sought out the shaman and ultimately killed him while he was in wolf form. With is dying breath, he cursed them, vowing to return to haunt the forest and seek revenge on all who lived there especially the families of those who murdered him.
Another legend speaks of a man who left Europe in the 1800s to settle in "Between the Rivers". This man supposedly possessed a disease that turned him mad after nightfall. The disease was believed to be genetic and was passed from parent to child over the years. They remained in seclusion never going to school or had the desire to socialize with others until one day when they went silent. Many believed the family had died off. An investigation in the early 1900s revealed their homestead vacant and abandoned.
The Beast of LBL is known to rip cows, pigs, and even a horse or two to shreds, but could it be capable of murdering a human being? Obviously, a wild animal with that much rage could be capable of anything. In the early 1980s, a married couple came upon a sight they would never forget. The gruesome scene contained what was left of a mother, father and a young boy. The three had been camping in one of the designated areas via their motor home. Sometime after their arrival, the small family was mangled. Visible on the bodies were claw and teeth marks from some unknown animal. After the authorities arrived and began investigating the scene, they soon discovered someone was missing from the picture, a little girl. Fifty yards away, a cop with drops of blood on his face, hat and shirt, found the unthinkable. What was left of a little girl was dangling from a high tree limb. Now apparently, these "murders" were never written about in newspapers or no record of it and is all the word of two cops who spilled their guts to a civilian who just happened to be there at the right time. Personally, unless some kind of evidence is presented to prove this really happened, I'm writing it off as nothing but a story (Guardian Tales) to scare people.
Is the Best of LBL also nothing but a story passed from family to family? Or is there a very REAL dangerous animal roaming the woods in the "The Land Between Lakes"?
Comments
These stories are so funny!!! I lived my life Between the Rivers, and what a bunch of "hogwash". There are no unreal "things" there, just some wild animals that are everywhere else in the state of Ky. Please do not assume these stories are true, I still camp there and never, I say never, anything unusual happens. Find something else to write about please.
And, coupled with night time pix of a large wolf like critter walking on 2 legs in MI, it makes me believe that these wolf critters (not to be confused with Sasquatch) are real.