The Squonk
A creature of the Pennsylvania woods is so ashamed of its warty skin that it cries all the time. If you catch it, it dissolves into tears.
What was reported
The squonk is one of the 'fearsome critters' of North American lumberjack folklore. It's said to live in the hemlock forests of northern Pennsylvania, and its skin is so ill-fitting and covered with warts and moles that it spends its time hiding and weeping. Hunters track it by following its trail of tears.
In a 1910 book of lumberjack tales, a hunter named J. P. Wentling was said to have caught one in a sack by imitating its cries. On the way home, the sack grew lighter, and when he looked inside, there was nothing but tears and bubbles.
Explanations offered
The squonk was a tall tale, invented to amuse and tease newcomers in logging camps. It became famous through William Cox's 1910 book Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods and was later the subject of a song by the band Genesis.
- When
- Described in 1910
- Where
- Hemlock forests of northern Pennsylvania, USA
- Witnesses
- Lumberjacks, as told in a 1910 book
- Status
- Tall tale
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.
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