In late summer 1886, New York newspapers filled with reports of a sea serpent in the Hudson River. Boatmen, swimmers, a steamer captain and a night watchman all described a long, snake-like animal, from 30 to 75 feet long, with big eyes and, in some reports, a fin along its back. Papers across the country reprinted each other's stories, sometimes with notes vouching for the witnesses' sobriety.
Its modern nickname, Kipsy, comes from Poughkeepsie. Claims that Henry Hudson's crew or older Native American stories described it have never been backed by any documents. The 1886 flap came during a long run of Atlantic sea serpent reports, starting with the famous Gloucester sightings of 1817.
What witnesses report
- A long serpent body, as thick as a smokestack
- A fin running down its back
- Large eyes and a flat head
Famous cases
- 1886Swimmers at Rondout see a 55-foot serpent
Rondout, Kingston, New YorkOn August 30, 1886, the New York Times reported that boatmen and swimmers at Rondout saw part of a creature like an anaconda, about 55 feet long and two feet thick, mottled brown with a dirty-white throat and a fin running from just behind its eyes down its back.
- 1886A steamer captain near Beeren Island
Beeren Island, Hudson River, New YorkIn early September 1886 the New York Daily Tribune reported that a steamer captain glimpsed the creature's body, 'as thick around as a smokestack', near Beeren Island, eleven miles south of Albany. He and a local printer later said they saw its head rise from the water further upriver.
Seen the Hudson River Monster?
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