Recently, I read about a place in Texas of which I’d never
heard, Espantosa Lake. The name is Spanish
and loosely translates to “haunted by horrors.” According to many sources, this
lake is home to monsters, a wolf girl, ghosts, and ghost sounds of wagons and
horses. Are you frightened yet?
One of only three natural lakes in Texas, Espantosa Lake was
formed as a rasaca—an oxbow lake formed in the bend of the old Nueces River when
the river changed its course millennia ago. It’s spring fed, which is what
keeps water in it. The lake and legends are mentioned in J. Frank Dobie’s
CORONADO’S CHILDREN and C. F. Eckhart’s TALES OF BAD MEN, BAD WOMEN, AND BAD PLACES.
Espantosa Lake lies between Crystal City and Carrizo Springs
in the South Texas brush country. This
was on the earliest colonial mission trail between San Antonio and Coahuila,
Mexico. When early Spanish explorers came through in 1740s, the lake was
reported as “black with alligators.” That would send me speeding far away. I do
not like alligators. But by the 1840s, there were no alligators, only water
moccasins and an abundance of an ugly fish called alligator gar. Neither of
those is as bad as an alligator, but not welcome.
More frightening to me than any ghost--Alligators! |
When English speaking explorers moved into the area, there
were no alligators, but there were hair-raising screams of a woman. This is
more easily explained than some of the other legends. Those who are familiar
with the scream of a panther (also called cougar, puma, catamount, mountain
lion) know that sound mimics a woman’s scream. Was that what they heard?
Cougar - common in Texas |
One of the earliest recorded fatal instances occurred in the
early 1800's, when several Mexican families, en route to San Antonio, made camp
there. As the group prepared to retire for the night, one woman went down to
the murky water's edge to wash a few clothes. Soon afterward, the others were
awakened by her screams of "Por Dios!" (My God!).
Though her companions rushed immediately toward the water's
edge, they arrived only to see the swishing tail of a huge alligator
disappearing beneath the lake's surface. Unable to recover the woman's body,
the other settlers erected a cross at the site in her memory.
Shocked and mournful, the group finally bedded down for what
was agreed upon to be the final night there. But their slumber was disturbed
again by the same scream, ringing out again and again: "Por Dios!" It
was unmistakably her voice. At that, the campers packed up and left, but not
before imparting the name "Espantosa."
While true that Espantosa Lake is no longer black with alligators, I venture to say that all waterways in Texas are home to a few alligators. Flood years allow them further up in rivers, then strand them there during dry years. They are not always easily seen, but they're there. Take heed.
Talk of the Mexican woman's death and haunting return
combined with a scattering of similar incidents over the next few years, soon created
a place of myths. Legend held that a strange species of mermen supposedly
inhabited the lake, emerging only to seize young women who dared approach the
water's edge after the sun fell from the sky. Um, refer back to the tail of the
alligator in the above tale.
Every bit as long-lived is the legend of the treasure-laden
wagon. How many tales of lost Spanish treasure do you think there are? In this tale, a Spanish wagon from San Saba was filled with money, gold,
silver, and jewels, and found its way to the banks of the Espantosa. The wagoneers decided to camp there for the night, and after
watering and hobbling their horses, they bunked down. No sooner had they
drifted off to sleep, however, than the ground suddenly began to tremble and
shift beneath them. In a flash, the entire party --- men, wagon, and horses ---
was swallowed with the collapsing earth. There were no survivors--so who knows what happened? Cave in, sink
hole?
Perhaps the strangest tale of the Espantosa, though, is
that of George Dent, who had camped near the lake with his pregnant wife while
traveling in close proximity to the Beale colony. Possibly out of a wish for
privacy, the Dents pitched camp a half-mile from the Beale group and thus were
spared from becoming victims of the Indian massacre that obliterated most of
the Beale group.
After hiding out from human predators for the second
time, Dent maintained the campsite near the Espantosa. His wife was near the
end of her pregnancy and was hesitant to travel. A severe thunderstorm occurred
one night, during which Dent's wife went into labor. Alarmed, Dent mounted and
rode off for help.
He came at length upon a small band of Mexican goat
herders. Dent frantically told them of his wife's condition and begged some of
the women to come and assist in the child's delivery. Upon learning of Dent's
camp location, however, the superstitious Mexicans informed him that they
wanted no part of Espantosa's ghostly environs, particularly at night, when the
spirits were said to roam the lake and its shores.
Desperately, Dent pleaded with them, and eventually he
prevailed upon one old woman to accompany him back to his camp. No sooner had
the pair mounted up, though, than the already fierce storm resounded with
renewed fury. Thunder crashed, and lightning illuminated the sky. Just such a
bolt of lightning struck Dent, in fact, dropping him from atop his mount and
killing him instantly.
After waiting out the violent storm, the goat herders
mounted up and, following Dent's vague directions, tried to find his camp. At
daybreak, they found Dent's campsite with Mrs. Dent dead. She had obviously delivered her child, but the
baby was nowhere to be found. After surveying the surrounding wreckage, the
fang marks on the woman's body, and the numerous wolf tracks everywhere, the
goat herders naturally surmised that the baby had been carried off by a pack of
wolves.
Wolves also frighten me - I'm not a fan even of werewolf tales |
And that's where the story ended --- until about 15 years
later. At that time, four cowboys were herding cattle near the Espantosa. A
pack of wolves approached, and the herders chased the potential predators off.
But as the wolves fled, the men were stunned at an unbelievable sight. Running
with the wolves was what appeared to be a young, naked girl.
Spurring their horses onward, the cowboys managed to
separate the creature from her lupine companions and chased her into a steep
draw, where they cornered her and used their lassos to immobilize the strange
being. They examined her and noted her human appearance, in spite of her wild
mannerisms and non-human characteristics. She was nude, but covered with hair,
and lacked the capacity for speech, save for her low growling sounds. She was
quite agile on all fours, but moved very awkwardly when forced to stand erect.
After some speculation, the men took the wolf-girl to an
abandoned farmhouse, where she was locked in a back room. The cowboys took
turns standing guard. After darkness fell, the creature began howling in a
loud, shrill voice that not only unnerved her captors but pierced through the
night and aroused the pack. Before long, the wolves crept toward the house and
charged the cottage, clawing and scratching at the doors and windows. Finally,
they began attacking the horses and other domestic animals outside, forcing the
men to run outside to fight them off.
As the battle between men and beasts continued outside,
there arose a din from within the house. Glass shattered and wood splintered.
Afterwards, the cowboys examined the locked back room, only to find that its
floorboards had been pried open, allowing the "lobo-girl" to escape.
The strange creature was gone forever --- or so it appeared.
Wolf Girl? I'm skeptical. |
Within two years of her capture and escape, sightings of
the wolf girl were reported by area residents. Without fail, these claims told
of a young, naked, hair-covered girl running with a wolf pack. One Espantosa
visitor gave a graphic account of seeing the wolf-girl drinking at the banks of
the lake as newborn cubs tugged at her breasts. Subsequent reports followed of
wolves with human faces. In 1974, a hunter in this area claimed to have seen her
again, in the form of a ghost which vanished before his eyes.
There are more instances which space precludes me
sharing. In spite of these claims, the Espantosa remains a popular camping and recreational
spot. Regardless of whether its
mysteries tantalize or terrify, one thing is certain: the Espantosa's lore and
allure will endure. For me, I think I'll vacation elsewhere.
Sources:
TALES OF BAD MEN, BAD WOMEN, AND BAD PLACES, but C. F.
Eckhardt, Texas Tech Universtity Press, 1997.
Oh, Caroline! What a tale! I never heard of this place before--thanks for blogging about it! Sounds like it could be a good backdrop for a story...LOL
ReplyDeleteCheryl
Oh my, that had me enthralled. I'll have to put that on my "must see" list of Texas places. Wow. And I agree with Cheryl, already my story mind began drafting scenes.
ReplyDeleteCaroline--well, if that isn't the wildest tale I've ever heard. Not in my lifetime of living in Texas have I heard that story. I see the author was connected with a university, and he obviously did a good job of collecting all the stories and putting them into a book.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it odd how these stories begin, and who in the world knows the truth.
The screams of a panther or wildcat reportedly does sound like a woman.
The wolf story--I'm like you, Caroline--no wolf stories for me, and no werewolves, either. I am too much of a scaredy cat.
Also, I've always read that Texas only has one natural lake, the one in NE Texas, Caddo Lake.
What stories an author could make out of some of these tales.
Thanks for an intriguing post--and be assured, I always watch out for alligators and wolves. So far, I've never seen either, but that doesn't mean they're not out there!
I live in carrizo springs ive fished at the espantosa lake all my life sometimes stay there fishing from 10pm till 6am never seen a thing the only thing there is hogs and racoons skunks nothing out of the ordinary
ReplyDeleteI lived in two houses on that lake and spent many nights fishing all night long. Never saw or heard a thing. I do have to admit though. There was a lot of times i would get these very eerie feelings in the houses i lived in on that lake. Like something was there. I believe there is something to the tales of the lake. Who knows what it is though? The stories are so old and most like exaggerated every time they are told again. Who knows what the truth is.
ReplyDeleteWhen My brother was a kid saw a woman in white beckoning him to the water,when he turned and ran, he heard this awful screaming from the lake
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ReplyDeleteI'm from texas crystal city I had incounter fishing we were stoned by rock being throne at us
I’ve definitely heard the screaming sound of a big cat in heat. Scared me to death when I was a kid in the 1960’s. Mr. Moffett hung one up on a tree by our bus stop that was along the Nueces River.
ReplyDeleteI fished there, back in the late 70's, never heard any strange sounds, it was peaceful and quiet...caught some bass too.
ReplyDeleteI been fishing there all my life and I never seen or heard anything the only thing is I felt like I was being seen from behind instead of me seeing my fishing rods I was taking care of my back… it feels spooky that all..
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