Sea serpent reports rolled in from the Mississippi River along the eastern border of Missouri on this date in 1877. Witnesses described the creature as a 30-ft.-long beast with a dog’s head, a pelican’s mouth, and dark scales. No information has been located as to the creature’s identity.

Photo credit: Highsmith, Carol M, photographer. A view of the Mississippi River adjacent to the floodwall at Cape Girardeau, Missouri. United States Missouri Cape Girardeau, 2020. -11-19. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2020742629/.