‘Ugly thing:’ Is There a Monster Lurking in the St. Johns River?

Sightings of pink, horned creature began in 1953 on Lake DexterDecades ago, a 35-foot-long creature was allegedly seen along the St. Johns River in Astor, sparking rumors of a mysterious beast lurking in the waters nearby. Boaters who saw the so-called “St. Johns River Monster” described it as grey, horned, four-legged, and with an appetite for hyacinths. Strangely, witness accounts reported seeing it either in the river or on land. According to newspaper articles from 1953, the beast — theorized by some to be a prehistoric creature that had survived to modern times — had been reported by witnesses ranging...