Champ - Revision history

GaryJJSpate at 20:42, 4 August 2026

2026-08-04T20:42:33Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:42, 4 August 2026
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	\| status = Unconfirmed		\| status = Unconfirmed
	}}		}}
			{{tick}}
	'''Champ''' (also affectionately known as '''Champy''') is a cryptid said to inhabit Lake Champlain, on the border of Vermont, New York and Quebec.<ref name="goadirondack">{{cite web \|title=The Legend of Champ, Lake Champlain, NY \|url=https://www.goadirondack.com/champ \|website=GoAdirondack.com}}</ref> Typically described as a long-necked, serpentine creature broadly resembling a plesiosaur, Champ is frequently compared to — and sometimes called the American counterpart of — the [[Loch Ness Monster]].<ref name="goadirondack" /> Both the Abenaki and Iroquois peoples native to the Lake Champlain region had their own pre-existing traditions of a creature in the lake, with the Abenaki referring to it as ''Tatoskok''.<ref name="goadirondack" />		'''Champ''' (also affectionately known as '''Champy''') is a cryptid said to inhabit Lake Champlain, on the border of Vermont, New York and Quebec.<ref name="goadirondack">{{cite web \|title=The Legend of Champ, Lake Champlain, NY \|url=https://www.goadirondack.com/champ \|website=GoAdirondack.com}}</ref> Typically described as a long-necked, serpentine creature broadly resembling a plesiosaur, Champ is frequently compared to — and sometimes called the American counterpart of — the [[Loch Ness Monster]].<ref name="goadirondack" /> Both the Abenaki and Iroquois peoples native to the Lake Champlain region had their own pre-existing traditions of a creature in the lake, with the Abenaki referring to it as ''Tatoskok''.<ref name="goadirondack" />

GaryJJSpate at 20:42, 4 August 2026

2026-08-04T20:42:02Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:42, 4 August 2026
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	}}		}}

	'''Champ''' (also affectionately known as '''Champy''') is a cryptid said to inhabit Lake Champlain, on the border of Vermont, New York and Quebec.<ref name="goadirondack">{{cite web \|title=The Legend of Champ, Lake Champlain, NY \|url=https://www.goadirondack.com/champ \|website=GoAdirondack.com}}</ref> Typically described as a long-necked, serpentine creature broadly resembling a plesiosaur, Champ is frequently compared to — and sometimes called the American counterpart of — the [[Loch Ness Monster]].<ref name="goadirondack" /> Both the [[Abenaki]] and [[Iroquois]] peoples native to the Lake Champlain region had their own pre-existing traditions of a creature in the lake, with the Abenaki referring to it as ''Tatoskok''.<ref name="goadirondack" />		'''Champ''' (also affectionately known as '''Champy''') is a cryptid said to inhabit Lake Champlain, on the border of Vermont, New York and Quebec.<ref name="goadirondack">{{cite web \|title=The Legend of Champ, Lake Champlain, NY \|url=https://www.goadirondack.com/champ \|website=GoAdirondack.com}}</ref> Typically described as a long-necked, serpentine creature broadly resembling a plesiosaur, Champ is frequently compared to — and sometimes called the American counterpart of — the [[Loch Ness Monster]].<ref name="goadirondack" /> Both the Abenaki and Iroquois peoples native to the Lake Champlain region had their own pre-existing traditions of a creature in the lake, with the Abenaki referring to it as ''Tatoskok''.<ref name="goadirondack" />

	== Origins ==		== Origins ==

GaryJJSpate at 20:41, 4 August 2026

2026-08-04T20:41:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:41, 4 August 2026
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	{{~~CryptidInfobox~~		{{InfoboxEntity
	\| name = Champ		\| name = Champ
	\| image = Mansi Photograph (cropped).jpg		\| image = Mansi Photograph (cropped).jpg
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	Skeptical investigator [[Joe Nickell]] examined the case in a 2003 ''Skeptical Inquirer'' article, part of a wider body of skeptical literature — alongside Bartholomew's 2013 photograph investigation — that has questioned the evidential basis for Champ's existence.<ref name="blackecho">{{cite web \|title=Champ: Lake Champlain Monster Lore, Mansi Photo and North America's Loch Ness Tradition \|url=https://www.projectblackecho.com/cryptids/entities-aquatic-and-lake-monsters/champ \|website=Black Echo}}</ref>		Skeptical investigator [[Joe Nickell]] examined the case in a 2003 ''Skeptical Inquirer'' article, part of a wider body of skeptical literature — alongside Bartholomew's 2013 photograph investigation — that has questioned the evidential basis for Champ's existence.<ref name="blackecho">{{cite web \|title=Champ: Lake Champlain Monster Lore, Mansi Photo and North America's Loch Ness Tradition \|url=https://www.projectblackecho.com/cryptids/entities-aquatic-and-lake-monsters/champ \|website=Black Echo}}</ref>

	~~In September~~ 2024, filmmakers Kelly Tabor and Richard Rossi ~~captured~~ drone footage ~~during production of an unrelated children's film~~, ~~showing~~ a large shape moving behind their rowboat~~; because the boat itself was visible~~ in ~~frame, providing a scale reference, the~~ footage ~~was described by producers~~ of the History Channel series ''The UnXplained'' as the most compelling visual evidence of Champ since the Mansi photograph.<ref name="~~adirondackexplorer~~">{{cite web \|title=~~Local filmmakers' footage of~~ Lake Champlain ~~monster 'Champ' goes viral~~ \|url=https://www.~~adirondackexplorer~~.~~org~~/~~communities~~/~~local~~-~~filmmakers~~-~~footage~~-of-~~lake~~-~~champlain~~-~~monster~~-~~champ~~-~~goes~~-~~viral/~~ \|website=~~Adirondack Explorer~~}}</ref>		=== The 2024 Tabor–Rossi footage ===
			On 11 August 2024, independent filmmakers Kelly Tabor and Richard Rossi were flying a drone over Bulwagga Bay, near Port Henry, New York, while shooting scenes for their independent film ''Lucy and the Lake Monster''; reviewing the footage afterward, they said they noticed a large, dark shape moving behind their rowboat.<ref name="vermontdaily">{{cite web \|title=2024 Champ sighting off Port Henry? You decide… \|url=https://vermontdailychronicle.com/2024-champ-sighting-off-port-henry-you-decide/ \|website=Vermont Daily Chronicle}}</ref> The footage received relatively little attention until picked up by national tabloid outlets roughly two years later, in 2026.<ref name="vermontstandard">{{cite web \|title=Filmmakers claim they captured footage of lake creature Champ \|url=https://thevermontstandard.com/filmmakers-claim-they-captured-footage-of-lake-creature-champ/ \|website=The Vermont Standard}}</ref> Producers of the History Channel series ''The UnXplained with William Shatner'' subsequently described it as the most compelling visual evidence of Champ since the Mansi photograph.<ref name="vermontstandard"/>

			The footage's promotion has been closely tied to Tabor and Rossi's own commercial film projects — ''Lucy and the Lake Monster'' and its 2026 follow-up, ''The Secrets of Lake Champlain'' — and the "scientific evaluation" of the footage circulated alongside it was self-commissioned and distributed via press release rather than published through independent peer review.<ref name="einpresswire">{{cite web \|title=Watch: Lake Champlain Monster Filmed by Drone \|url=https://www.einpresswire.com/article/735415658/watch-lake-champlain-monster-filmed-by-drone-filmmakers-discover-america-s-loch-ness \|website=EIN Presswire}}</ref> As with the Mansi photograph decades earlier, the footage's evidential weight rests substantially on the credibility and circumstances of its source rather than on any independently verified analysis to date.

	== Legal protection ==		== Legal protection ==
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	Champ has become a significant regional icon across the Lake Champlain area, celebrated through statues, local business branding, historical markers, and the annual "Champ Day" festival.<ref name="blackecho" /> The creature has also been the subject of numerous television documentaries, including episodes of ''MonsterQuest'' and the CW's ''Mysteries Decoded''.<ref name="aol-evidence" />		Champ has become a significant regional icon across the Lake Champlain area, celebrated through statues, local business branding, historical markers, and the annual "Champ Day" festival.<ref name="blackecho" /> The creature has also been the subject of numerous television documentaries, including episodes of ''MonsterQuest'' and the CW's ''Mysteries Decoded''.<ref name="aol-evidence" />

	{{~~VaultBrief~~		{{VaultEvidence
	\|~~type~~=~~cryptid~~		\|rating=★★☆☆☆
	\|classification=~~Cryptid / lake monster~~		\|classification=Unconfirmed
	\|~~earliest~~=~~1609 (traditionally attributed~~ to ~~Samuel de Champlain); pre-existing Abenaki~~ and ~~Iroquois folklore~~		\|summary=No physical evidence has been independently confirmed as belonging to an unknown species, and the case's two best-known pieces of visual evidence have each faced significant scrutiny over their circumstances.
	~~\|modern=19th century–present; peak interest following~~ the ~~1977 Mansi photograph~~		\|supporting=Hundreds of reported sightings spanning pre-colonial Abenaki and Iroquois tradition through the present day; the 1977 Mansi photograph, found by technical analysis to be untampered with though unidentified; inconclusive 1979 sonar contacts; the widely-circulated 2024 Tabor–Rossi drone footage
	\|~~evidence~~=Hundreds of reported sightings, the 1977 Mansi photograph ~~(authenticated as~~ untampered ~~but~~ unidentified), inconclusive 1979 sonar contacts, and a ~~widely-discussed~~ 2024 drone ~~video~~; no physical specimen has ever been recovered		\|counter=The Mansi photograph's original negatives are lost and a 2013 investigation raised further questions about its circumstances; the 2024 drone footage was promoted alongside the filmmakers' own commercial film projects and a self-commissioned, non-peer-reviewed evaluation rather than independent scientific analysis; no physical specimen has ever been recovered
	\|~~investigations~~=~~Joseph W. Zarzynski (Lake Champlain Phenomena Investigation); Jim Kennard; Robert E. Bartholomew; Joe Nickell~~		\|conclusion=Champ is nonetheless notable among cryptids for having received genuine, repeated legislative protection in both Vermont and New York, reflecting the case's strong regional cultural significance independent of its unresolved evidential status. The 2024 footage adds to a long pattern in this case of visually compelling but ultimately unverified material emerging from sources with a direct interest in the sighting being taken seriously.
	~~\|assessment=No physical evidence has been independently confirmed as belonging to an unknown species, and the case's best-known photograph has faced growing scrutiny over its original circumstances.~~ Champ is nonetheless notable among cryptids for having received genuine, repeated legislative protection in both Vermont and New York, reflecting the case's strong regional cultural significance independent of its unresolved evidential status.
	~~\|status=Unconfirmed~~
	}}		}}

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	* [[Loch Ness Monster]]		* [[Loch Ness Monster]]
	* [[Joe Nickell]]		* [[Joe Nickell]]
	* [[:Category:Cryptozoology\|Cryptozoology]]

	== References ==		== References ==
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	* [https://www.goadirondack.com/champ GoAdirondack.com — The Legend of Champ]		* [https://www.goadirondack.com/champ GoAdirondack.com — The Legend of Champ]

	[[Category:~~Cryptids]]~~		[[Category:Cryptid Entities]]
	~~[[Category:Lake monsters~~]]
	[[Category:Cryptozoology]]		[[Category:Cryptozoology]]
	~~[[Category:Forteana]]~~
	[[Category:Vermont]]		[[Category:Vermont]]
	[[Category:New York]]		[[Category:New York]]

GaryJJSpate at 20:47, 3 August 2026

2026-08-03T20:47:42Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:47, 3 August 2026
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	[[Category:Vermont]]		[[Category:Vermont]]
	[[Category:New York]]		[[Category:New York]]
	~~[[Category:1609 introductions]]~~

GaryJJSpate: Created page with "{{CryptidInfobox | name = Champ | image = Mansi Photograph (cropped).jpg | caption = The 1977 "Mansi Photograph," the best-known piece of purported Champ evidence. | classification = Cryptid / lake monster | region = Lake Champlain, Vermont/New York/Quebec border | first_reported = 1609 (traditional attribution to Samuel de Champlain); modern sightings from the 19th century | status = Unconfirmed }} '''Champ''' (also affectionately known as '''Champy''') is a cryptid sa..."

2026-08-01T22:27:14Z

Created page with "{{CryptidInfobox | name = Champ | image = Mansi Photograph (cropped).jpg | caption = The 1977 "Mansi Photograph," the best-known piece of purported Champ evidence. | classification = Cryptid / lake monster | region = Lake Champlain, Vermont/New York/Quebec border | first_reported = 1609 (traditional attribution to Samuel de Champlain); modern sightings from the 19th century | status = Unconfirmed }} '''Champ''' (also affectionately known as '''Champy''') is a cryptid sa..."

New page

{{CryptidInfobox
| name = Champ
| image = Mansi Photograph (cropped).jpg
| caption = The 1977 "Mansi Photograph," the best-known piece of purported Champ evidence.
| classification = Cryptid / lake monster
| region = Lake Champlain, Vermont/New York/Quebec border
| first_reported = 1609 (traditional attribution to Samuel de Champlain); modern sightings from the 19th century
| status = Unconfirmed
}}

'''Champ''' (also affectionately known as '''Champy''') is a cryptid said to inhabit Lake Champlain, on the border of Vermont, New York and Quebec.<ref name="goadirondack">{{cite web |title=The Legend of Champ, Lake Champlain, NY |url=https://www.goadirondack.com/champ |website=GoAdirondack.com}}</ref> Typically described as a long-necked, serpentine creature broadly resembling a plesiosaur, Champ is frequently compared to — and sometimes called the American counterpart of — the [[Loch Ness Monster]].<ref name="goadirondack" /> Both the [[Abenaki]] and [[Iroquois]] peoples native to the Lake Champlain region had their own pre-existing traditions of a creature in the lake, with the Abenaki referring to it as ''Tatoskok''.<ref name="goadirondack" />

== Origins ==
Champ's name is popularly, though disputedly, traced to explorer Samuel de Champlain, who is widely said to have recorded an encounter with a large serpent-like creature in the lake in 1609.<ref name="cbs-champ">{{cite web |title="Champ" – American Loch Ness monster? |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/photos-champ-american-loch-ness-monster/ |website=CBS News}}</ref> Modern sightings became more consistently documented from the 19th century onward, with the New England Historical Society estimating over 300 reported sightings across the lake's history, though cryptozoologist Nick Valenzuela has put the figure closer to 600.<ref name="aol-evidence">{{cite web |title=Evidence of Champ? An overview of Lake Champlain's most famous sightings |url=https://www.aol.com/news/evidence-champ-overview-lake-champlains-161209695.html |website=AOL}}</ref>

== The Mansi photograph (1977) ==
The single most famous piece of purported Champ evidence is a photograph taken on 5 July 1977 by Sandra Mansi on the Vermont shore of Lake Champlain, showing a dark, long-necked shape rising from the water.<ref name="skepinquirer-mansi">{{cite web |title=New Information Surfaces on 'World's Best Lake Monster Photo,' Raising Questions |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2013/05/new-information-surfaces-on-worlds-best-lake-monster-photo-raising-question/ |website=Skeptical Inquirer}}</ref> Mansi did not come forward publicly with the photograph for roughly two years, reportedly out of fear of ridicule.<ref name="unsolvedmysteries">{{cite web |title=Champ |url=https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Champ |website=Unsolved Mysteries Wiki}}</ref> Analysis by the University of Arizona's Optical Sciences Center found no evidence the image had been deliberately tampered with, but the analysts were unable to identify what the photograph actually depicted.<ref name="aol-evidence" /> The original negatives were subsequently lost, and a 2013 ''Skeptical Inquirer'' investigation by Robert E. Bartholomew uncovered previously unreported documentation raising further questions about the circumstances surrounding the photograph.<ref name="skepinquirer-mansi" />

== Investigations ==
Joseph W. Zarzynski, a New York social studies teacher, founded the Lake Champlain Phenomena Investigation in the 1970s and has researched the case for decades. In 1979, Zarzynski and side-scan sonar operator Jim Kennard detected a large object moving at a depth of around 175 feet near Whallon Bay, New York, though a school of fish could not be ruled out as the source.<ref name="mythfolks">{{cite web |title="Champ" the lake Cryptid — sightings & history |url=https://www.mythfolks.com/champ |website=Mythfolks}}</ref> Zarzynski has estimated any such creature would more plausibly measure 12 to 15 feet, closer to the scale suggested by the Mansi photograph, rather than the 30-to-50-foot figures found in some more dramatic witness accounts.<ref name="discover-champ">{{cite web |title=Is There a Prehistoric Monster Lurking in Lake Champlain? |url=https://www.discovermagazine.com/monster-of-the-tub-14494 |website=Discover Magazine}}</ref>

Skeptical investigator [[Joe Nickell]] examined the case in a 2003 ''Skeptical Inquirer'' article, part of a wider body of skeptical literature — alongside Bartholomew's 2013 photograph investigation — that has questioned the evidential basis for Champ's existence.<ref name="blackecho">{{cite web |title=Champ: Lake Champlain Monster Lore, Mansi Photo and North America's Loch Ness Tradition |url=https://www.projectblackecho.com/cryptids/entities-aquatic-and-lake-monsters/champ |website=Black Echo}}</ref>

In September 2024, filmmakers Kelly Tabor and Richard Rossi captured drone footage during production of an unrelated children's film, showing a large shape moving behind their rowboat; because the boat itself was visible in frame, providing a scale reference, the footage was described by producers of the History Channel series ''The UnXplained'' as the most compelling visual evidence of Champ since the Mansi photograph.<ref name="adirondackexplorer">{{cite web |title=Local filmmakers' footage of Lake Champlain monster 'Champ' goes viral |url=https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/communities/local-filmmakers-footage-of-lake-champlain-monster-champ-goes-viral/ |website=Adirondack Explorer}}</ref>

== Legal protection ==
Champ is one of relatively few cryptids to have received formal legislative protection. The Vermont House of Representatives passed House Resolution 19 in April 1982, protecting any such creature in the lake from wilful acts resulting in death, injury or harassment; both houses of the New York state legislature passed similar resolutions the following year.<ref name="discover-champ" /> The Vermont Senate passed a further "Champ Resolution" in 1986, additionally calling for serious scientific inquiry into any unusual animal in the lake — an inquiry that has not, to date, produced confirming evidence.<ref name="wcax">{{cite web |title=This Day in History: Vermont voted to protect Lake Champlain's legendary 'Champ' |url=https://www.wcax.com/2026/04/29/this-day-history-vermont-voted-protect-lake-champlains-legendary-champ/ |website=WCAX}}</ref> New York's protective legislation was itself updated and reaffirmed in 2018.<ref name="cnhi">{{cite web |title=Vermont task force proposed to study Champ, UFOs |url=https://www.cnhi.com/rss_feed/vermont-task-force-proposed-to-study-champ-ufos/ |website=CNHI}}</ref>

== Cultural legacy ==
Champ has become a significant regional icon across the Lake Champlain area, celebrated through statues, local business branding, historical markers, and the annual "Champ Day" festival.<ref name="blackecho" /> The creature has also been the subject of numerous television documentaries, including episodes of ''MonsterQuest'' and the CW's ''Mysteries Decoded''.<ref name="aol-evidence" />

{{VaultBrief
|type=cryptid
|classification=Cryptid / lake monster
|earliest=1609 (traditionally attributed to Samuel de Champlain); pre-existing Abenaki and Iroquois folklore
|modern=19th century–present; peak interest following the 1977 Mansi photograph
|evidence=Hundreds of reported sightings, the 1977 Mansi photograph (authenticated as untampered but unidentified), inconclusive 1979 sonar contacts, and a widely-discussed 2024 drone video; no physical specimen has ever been recovered
|investigations=Joseph W. Zarzynski (Lake Champlain Phenomena Investigation); Jim Kennard; Robert E. Bartholomew; Joe Nickell
|assessment=No physical evidence has been independently confirmed as belonging to an unknown species, and the case's best-known photograph has faced growing scrutiny over its original circumstances. Champ is nonetheless notable among cryptids for having received genuine, repeated legislative protection in both Vermont and New York, reflecting the case's strong regional cultural significance independent of its unresolved evidential status.
|status=Unconfirmed
}}

== See also ==
* [[Cryptid]]
* [[Loch Ness Monster]]
* [[Joe Nickell]]
* [[:Category:Cryptozoology|Cryptozoology]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://skepticalinquirer.org/2013/05/new-information-surfaces-on-worlds-best-lake-monster-photo-raising-question/ Skeptical Inquirer — New Information Surfaces on 'World's Best Lake Monster Photo']
* [https://www.goadirondack.com/champ GoAdirondack.com — The Legend of Champ]

[[Category:Cryptids]]
[[Category:Lake monsters]]
[[Category:Cryptozoology]]
[[Category:Forteana]]
[[Category:Vermont]]
[[Category:New York]]
[[Category:1609 introductions]]