Hodag of Rhinelander

In 1893, lumberman Eugene Shepard claimed to have captured a Hodag — a reptilian beast with a frog-like head, elephant feet, and a spiny back that smelled of burning sulfur — near Rhinelander. The hoax fooled reporters, professors, and Smithsonian investigators before Shepard confessed in 1896. But modern witnesses continue to report a large, unusual creature in the deep northwoods near Rhinelander, and the Hodag remains Wisconsin's most beloved cryptid, appearing on city logos, statues, and sports mascots throughout the region.