The Jersey Devil
In one week of January 1909, people across New Jersey reported strange tracks in the snow and a winged creature in the night.
What was reported
The Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey have a legend dating back to the 1700s: a creature with wings, hooves and a long tail, said to have been born to a woman named Mother Leeds. It became known as the Jersey Devil.
In the week of 16 to 23 January 1909, hundreds of people in New Jersey and Pennsylvania reported mysterious tracks in the snow and sightings of a winged creature. Some schools and mills closed, and newspapers covered it daily.
Explanations offered
Historians think the legend began partly as political mockery of the Leeds family, who published almanacs. The 1909 wave was fuelled by newspapers, and some tracks were later admitted as hoaxes. Others suggest birds such as sandhill cranes or owls lay behind some sightings.
- When
- Legend from the 1700s; sightings in January 1909
- Where
- Pine Barrens, New Jersey, USA
- Witnesses
- Hundreds of residents in 1909
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.