Postcard Rhinelander WI - Capture Of The Hodag - Imaginary Creature - Hoax
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:2920814 | Country/Region of Manufacture: United States |
| Type: Printed (Lithograph) | Era: Divided Back (c. 1907-1915) |
| City/Region: Rhineland |
BackgroundOriginsIn 1893, newspapers reported the discovery of a hodag in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. It had "the head of a frog, the grinning face of a giant elephant, thick short legs set off by huge claws, the back of a dinosaur, and a long tail with spears at the end". The reports were instigated by well-known Wisconsin land surveyor, timber cruiser and prankster Eugene Shepard, [1] who rounded up a group of local people to capture the animal.[2] The group reported ...that they needed to use dynamite to kill the beast.[3]A photograph of the remains of the charred beast was released to the media. It was "the fiercest, strangest, most frightening monster ever to set razor sharp claws on the earth. It became extinct after its main food source, all white bulldogs, became scarce in the area."[3]HoaxShepard claimed to have captured another hodag in 1896, and this one was captured alive. According to Shepard's reports, he and several bear wrestlers placed chloroform on the end of a long pole, which they worked into the cave of the creature where it was overcome.He displayed this hodag at the first Oneida County fair. Thousands of people came to see the hodag at the fair or at Shepard's display in a shanty at his house. Having connected wires to it, Shepard would occasionally move the creature, which would typically send the already-skittish viewers fleeing the display.As newspapers locally, statewide, and then nationally began picking up the story of the apparently remarkable living creature, a small group of scientists from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. announced they would be traveling to Rhinelander to inspect the apparent discovery.[citation needed] Their mere announcement spelled the end, as Shepard was then forced to admit that the hodag was a hoax.
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General InformationEmail your questions and I'll try my best to answer them.I believe my items are reasonably priced - please refrain from contacting me to negotiate a lower price.Terms of Payment: PayPal is accepted - buyers kindly make payment within 3 days.Items are generally shipped on: Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Domestic Shipping Options:Free Shipping with No Tracking: USPS First Class Mail in semi rigid envelope (or)Optional $3.00 Flat Rate Shipping with Tracking: USPS First Class Package in small cardboard boxInternational Shipping:$1.50 Flat Rate Shipping with No Tracking: USPS First Class Mail International in semi rigid envelope
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