Appalachia’s Ugliest Cryptid Drowns In Its Own Tears

Johnstown’s primary claim to fame is a tragedy entailing water: the Great Flooding of 1889, which leveled four square miles, ruining 1,600 homes and killing more than 2,200 individuals. It seems like every time Johnstown catches a break, a significant flooding liquifies those hopes right into rips.

In August 2023, fans of Appalachian folklore and cryptozoology came down on Johnstown for the first-ever Squonkapalooza. Along with greater than 60 vendor booths, the occasion activities included a squonk compliment contest, a squonk quest, video games, songs, and lectures on topics varying from Pennsylvania tradition to whether Bigfoot exists. A costumed squonk even attempted its hand at hula-hooping.

For several native Pennsylvanians, the squonk is a staple of youth tradition on par with an additional cryptid popular to Police, the snipe. As Gerard O’Neil notes in his essay “The Squonk: A Small Tale from Franklin Area,” squonk hunting “bears an interested similarity to one variant of the ‘snipe quest’ … a fool’s errand that involves experienced outdoors types teasing newcomers by providing a fictional or impossible task.” The cryptid has actually motivated pop culture, from the 1976 song “Squonk” by Genesis to the Pittsburgh-based efficiency art performers called Squonk Opera.

With uncomfortable skin covered in moles and growths, it’s amongst the most hideous of animals ever to walk the land– and it knows that. Also those who collar the creature can not catch it. When getaway is difficult, it liquifies right into tears, leaving its prospective captor with absolutely nothing however damp hands.

However Johnstown has actually silently persisted, supported by tight-knit areas like the cryptid fans that have actually made the first 2 celebrations such a success. The city’s population is still shrinking– as it has constantly since its 1920s peak– but at a slower rate than at any factor given that the 1977 flood. Events like Squonkapalooza give the city an identity different from its tragic background and a chance for residents and site visitors alike to delight in Johnstown through a new lens.

The squonk, also, has gone through a transformation over the previous few decades. In PennLive’s “Paranormal ” series, Claudia Dimuro notes that “modern-day pop culture has actually offered the squonk a somewhat brave makeover,” elevating it from a worthless creature “to a symbol of the awkward, separated, and alone.”.

A third major flood in 1977 proved a proclaim of that sector’s imminent collapse. By the end of the 20th century, Johnstown appeared to be dying a slow fatality. In 2003, the Census revealed Johnstown was the united state city least likely to bring in brand-new citizens.

Johnstown is something of an underdog among Pennsylvania towns. Aside from its closeness to the cryptid’s indigenous area, it’s a fitting setup for a squonk event. “I understood that there was a large cryptid community in the location, so I thought it was an ideal area,” says Russell.

While other Appalachian cryptids like the mothman and wampus cat have gotten their turn in the spotlight, the squonk has wasted away in family member obscurity (which is most likely simply the method the animal would certainly choose it). In enhancement to even more than 60 supplier cubicles, the event activities consisted of a squonk praise competition, a squonk mission, games, songs, and talks on topics ranging from Pennsylvania tradition to whether Bigfoot exists.” The squonk appears a not likely creature to toss a celebration for,” Russell admits, “however squonk might additionally be the most relatable animal.

Cox says the squonk is “the most morbid of beasts,” relating the account of J.P. Wentling, an U.S. Forestry Service employee and local of neighboring Mont Alto, who claimed to catch a squonk in a sack only to get home and discover it included “absolutely nothing but splits and bubbles.”

This is the tale of the squonk, a cryptid allegedly first detected by lumberjacks operating in a location that’s recognized today as Tuscarora State Forest. The beast was first explained on paper by William T. Cox in the 1910 publication Terrifying Animals of the Lumberwoods, where he calls it the taxonomic name Lacrimacorpus dissolvens. Cox states the squonk is “the most morbid of monsters,” relating the account of J.P. Wentling, a united state Forestry Service employee and resident of nearby Mont Alto, that declared to record a squonk in a sack just to obtain home and discover it had “only rips and bubbles.”

Or else, mythology literature makes only passing states of the little-touted cryptid. Lots of tape-recorded references to the squonk are symbolic, such as when J. Mitchell Morse, an English professor at Temple University, noted in 1974 that public officials were “becoming squonks … difficult to record since when you touch it, it dissolves right into rips and there you are with your hands in a pool.” Or, in 2023, Tedium editor Ernie Smith noted the squonkiness of social media, saying a sad creature that vanishes when collared “explains at the very least half a dozen people I have actually talked to on Twitter.”

The squonk is relatable in its self-consciousness; lots of cryptids are awful, but none of the others weep about it. By turning the squonk into a factor to smile, Squonkapalooza motivates Johnstown and its site visitors to make tranquility with their own insecurities and flaws– all while bringing some past due acknowledgment to a long-neglected regional tale.

The cryptid has actually influenced pop society, from the 1976 song “Squonk” by Genesis to the Pittsburgh-based efficiency art troupe called Squonk Opera.

In the 1920s, Johnstown was a successful city of some 67,000 individuals, with its own radio station and a vibrant downtown– a minimum of, until the St. Patrick’s Day Flood of 1936 washed it all away. The city clawed its way back, becoming a principal in Pennsylvania’s steel sector.

“The squonk seems an unlikely creature to throw a festival for,” Russell admits, “yet squonk might additionally be one of the most relatable creature. Everyone really feels a little squonky occasionally. So we wanted to turn squonk’s frown upside-down and commemorate the sadness. We support the underdog.”.

It was originally conceived as an one-time occasion. The amount of cryptid-lovers that took a trip to the community resulted in an unforeseen profusion of assistance. The creators promptly realized the potential for a yearly celebration.

In spite of these music hat tips, it might surprise native Pennsylvanians to find out just exactly how local the legend is. While various other Appalachian cryptids like the mothman and wampus feline have gotten their turn in the limelight, the squonk has actually languished in family member obscurity (which is most likely just the way the creature would certainly like it). The squonk can occasionally be discovered in listings of fantastical animals, most significantly in Jorge Luis Borges’s The Book of Imaginary Beings.

Two individuals made a decision the animal’s mostly uncelebrated standing should change. “Joe and I were talking one day, and I stated I would certainly like there to be a Squonk Fest,” states Russell.

The second Squonkapalooza took place August 10, 2024, and it proved equally popular, with hundreds of visitors browsing the vendor stands in Johnstown’s Central Park and viewing lectures, podcast recordings, and film screenings in the State Cinema. The 2024 occasion extended beyond the celebration’s main hours, with music and cryptid trivia the Friday before and an afterparty at nearby Fetz’s Sports Club. The coordinators wish to keep it going with years to come.