In 1893, a newspaper in northern Wisconsin reported the discovery of a Hodag - a mythical creature associated with Paul Bunyan. Reports of the creature would continue to pop up over the next few years - until one was captured and put on display at the local county fair. However, interest from the scientific community quickly revealed the Hodag to be a hoax. But that did not stop the Hodag from cementing its place in American folklore.
Sources
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS2321
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hodag
Image: by Gourami Watcher - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hodag_002.jpg
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