Legend of the ‘Sioux Sea Serpent’
Ever heard the legend of the "Sioux Sea Serpent?" Apparently we have our own local version of Scotland's Loch Ness Monster.
Back in 1887 a group of men was fishing along the Big Sioux River near Banning's Mill and Crossing when they spotted what they first thought was a floating log.
Turns out it was ALIVE!!!
According to the Minnehaha County Historical Society, the "log-like creature" was actually a REALLY LARGE SNAKE.
The Sioux Falls Press newspaper described it as a "monster snake." The paper even went as far as to name it the "Sioux Sea Serpent."
The creature was described as "a monster snake about 20 feet long and a foot thick, swimming upstream. It later disappeared, never to be seen again."
If you would like to read more about the snake and Banning's Crossing, there's an historical marker on East 41st Street just before you get to the Big Sioux River.