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A Northern Manitoba Mystery'PRAVELLERS into Manitoba’s Land1 of the Midnight Sun have brought back some weird tales of the strange things seen in that mysterious struggle for survival. But the strangest story of them all comes in a despatch from The Pas. It states that a few' days ago an amphibious monster '‘described for years by Eskimos and Indians in awred whispers as an underwater moose” has been harpooned and killed by the Shamattaw'a band of natives.According to the story, which is said to have come down by letter from a conservation officer stationed in a little- explored section of Northern Manitoba, the beast was killed by a group of hunters under an elderly native named Sandy Miles on the shores of the fast-flowing Echoing River.We are told that “this river, with its strange rumblings and miasmic surroundings is the last stronghold of the Windigo —fabled devil of the Crees.”Unfortunately description of the amphibious monster is meagre. It has, says the despatch, a very large mouth and is heavily haired. Its weight is much the same as a small moose—(how much does a small moose weigh?)—and has similarbut smaller horns.In our opinion little ingenuity has been used in naming the monster. It has been dubbed the shamattawamoose. While the first syllable may mean something theremainder of the word is but a jumble of letters. In any case the name does not capture the imagination as does the B.C.Ogopogo or the Loch Ness Monster.Naturalists at The Pas, it is reported, believe the creature is the product of reverse evolution. One of these gentlemen reasoned: “It might be an Arctic equivalent of the hippopotamus which, I’ve heard, Is reversing Evolution and returning to water as its natural habitat, but that’s just a guess.”But it is too early to scoff, for we are told that the body of the monster has been shipped to The Pas and will he on display at the Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival to be held next month. We shall, however, view with suspicion any of the trappers of our acquaintance who claim to have seen the body ofthe monster.It is a coincidence, of course, that these tall tales of the North all seem to breakjust before the Trappers’ festival is scheduled to open. Three years ago a two-headed, eight-legged caribou was scaring the natives; two years ago a tropical isle was discovered in Manitoba’s sub-Arctic, and last year there was anest of iceworms.Were the late P. T. Barnum still alive, we feel convinced he would head for The Pas not to buy the body of the monster for exhibition but to secure the services of a live press agent.Am 1 u
Newspaper Details
Winnipeg Tribune
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA
Thu, Feb 02, 1950
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Kevin S.
CA 28 Aug 2020
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