In the Cincinnati area of Ohio, there’s a suburb that sits alongside the mysterious Little Miami River. Rivers in and of themselves evoke a feeling of wonder as they carry water and wildlife from one place to another, always changing. This one in particular will not only expand your mind with wonder, but also fill it with fear and leave you looking over your shoulder with a feeling that someone, or something, is watching.

(image:DesolateProphet/flickr)

Loveland is the home to a monster so bizarre, one can’t help but speculate about the many possibilities of its existence. A man-like creature who stands on two webbed feet and reaches a height of around 4 feet. Its skin is leathery and wrinkled, with deeper wrinkles where its hair would be. Its hands are webbed in the same manner as its feet. All of these things could possibly be written off as some rare human condition. Its head however, can’t quite be mistaken for a human head. Instead of the common oval-shape that us humans wear on our shoulders, this creature has the head of a frog. Big eyes, wide mouth, in proportion to the rest of its body. That’s a sight worthy of a few stares.

This creature has been given the name of the Loveland Frogman, sometimes Frogmen. In one sighting there was a group of three of them, huddled together. These creatures, though, are much older than the suburb of Loveland. They date back to the time before settlers landed in America. A tribe of Twightwee natives were possibly the first humans to spot this Frogman. They had a different name for it. They called it a Shawnahooc, which in their language meant “River Demon.” After a hunting party laid eyes on it they tried shooting it with an arrow, only for it to disappear back into the river. They believed that it couldn’t be killed.

(image:slaterman23/flickr)

One police officer could add to the theory that it can’t be killed. After spotting what he thought was an injured animal on the side of the road, he stopped to check it out. The thing wasn’t injured. It stood up and climbed over the guardrail, keeping an eye on the officer the entire time. Completely shaken, he shot at the monster on the road before it disappeared into the water. This happened just shortly after a different police officer saw a similar creature run across the road in front of his headlights. On that occasion no shots were fired, but marks were visible where the thing had made its way down to the river.

One of the first documented sightings was when a businessman saw three figures lurking near a bridge. He described them in the same fashion as all the rest, only this time one of them carried a wand of some sort that shot out blue sparks. In the air was the smell of almonds and alfalfa.

Is there an ancient race of Frogmen living in Loveland? Possibly. Maybe the people of Loveland have been living alongside them all this time, but the Frogmen have a magic wand that usually keeps them hidden. Perhaps we have just happened to catch rare glimpses of them throughout history. It will forever remain a mystery what they truly are.