October is here, and as the days are turning colder and darker, staff at the Simcoe County Archives wanted to lean into the spookier side of archival research. Several years ago we put together a Guide to Researching Ghosts and Hauntings using Archival Records which turned out to be very popular with our users. In that same tradition, this blog post will highlight a legendary cryptid said to be dwelling in Simcoe County. We will also include tips on how to research the creature using archival records and resources.
According to Merriam-Webster, a cryptid is defined as an animal (such as Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster) that has been claimed to exist but never actually proven to exist. In Simcoe County the most famous cryptid is without question the sea serpent said to be swimming the waters of Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching: Igopogo.
The name Igopogo is said to be inspired by the slightly more famous “Ogopogo”, a similar sea serpent native to Okanogan Lake in British Columbia. Igopogo is also known as “Kempenfelt Kelly” or “Beaverton Bessie”, depending on where they are seen. Sightings of the creature date back to at least the 1860s with first and second-hand accounts often describing a large, serpentine creature measuring anywhere from 6 to 15 meters in length. Its body is noted to be dark, and it is said to move in a snake-like manner just below the surface of the water. Some sightings even describe the long neck and head of the creature breaking the water’s surface. Eyewitnesses are often boaters, anglers, or local residents who catch a glimpse of the beast while enjoying time on the lakes.
One of the more recent sightings of Igopogo took place near Jackson’s Point on Lake Simcoe. Bradford resident Neil Lathangue and his family saw the creature while boating. This encounter made headlines across the county in the summer of 1963:
1996-064 Barrie Examiner, Page 3, Wednesday July 24, 1963
Although stories of Igopogo have always been popular with locals, skeptics often dismiss the sightings as misidentifications of common animals native to the lakes. Lake Simcoe is home to several species of large fish including the lake sturgeon, Canada’s largest freshwater fish. Lake sturgeon can grow up to 2 metres long and weigh over 180kg. They have a ridged back which gives them an almost pre-historic look. Although once numerous in Simcoe County, the lake sturgeon is now an endangered species and fishing for them is highly illegal. Given their size, appearance, and former presence in the area they have been cited as a possible explanation for the Igopogo sightings of the past.
Simcoe County Archives Newspaper collection
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are few records documenting the Igopogo. One of the best archival sources for tracking sightings are local newspapers. Though not exactly a verifiable source of information, these newspaper accounts do provide a timeline of appearances in both Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching over the past 150 years.
The Simcoe County Archives holds approximately 84 newspaper titles from different publications across the County, some of which date back to the 1840s. The best sources of information for Igopogo tends to be from newspapers based around Barrie and Orillia, however, stories of the creature have cropped up further afield in publications like the Elmvale Lance. Many of these newspapers are available to view in either a digitized format or on microfilm in the Archives Reading Room. A few papers of interest for Igopogo include:
A select index of articles relating to Igopogo sightings
- “What is it?” July 8, 1800, Orillia Times
- “The Sea-Serpent during the past week has been circumventing our lake…” July 22, 1880, Orillia Times
- “The Sea Serpent Captured” August 24, 1882, The Northern Advance
- “The Sea Serpent Appears Again – Seen once more after five years, this time in Barrie” May 3, 1900, The Northern Advance
- “The Lake Simcoe Serpent” July 18, 1912, Elmvale Lance
- “Ex Orillian Saw the Sea Serpent: The Late Mrs. Soules Saw it Come Out of the Water” August 8, 1912, Elmvale Lance
- “Igopogo Looms its Ugly Head” July 24, 1963, Barrie Examiner
Other resources
Another excellent resource for accessing local newspapers online is the Barrie Public Library’s Barrie Historical Newspaper Archive. This resource is accessible online and includes searchable scans of Barrie newspapers from 1847-1979.
To learn more about using archival records to research spookier topics, you can watch our Info Simcoe segment on Researching Ghosts and Hauntings or refer to our Guide on the topic.