Imagine, you are an original member of the Illini Indian Tribe. You are going about your day, whether it be as a hunter, gatherer, medicine man, or spiritual leader, and some vast creature flies overhead capturing your attention. Or, imagine enjoying a family barbecue and hearing a child scream, just to look out to see two massive flying creatures attempting to carry the child off.
That is exactly what was seen by the Illini and a central Illinois family. But what was it? Were they the same thing? The Illini named this creature the Piasa, translated to “bird that devours men.” The central Illinois family referred to this creature as the Thunderbird, named for the thunder sound made by the flapping of its wings. Both instances are said to be of the same cryptid, however, as you will see, there are two very different descriptions.
During a Mississippi River expedition in 1673, Father Marquette and Louis Joliet set sail on the Illinois River for their return trip. While approaching the convergence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, the two explorers looked toward the sky to be shocked. There on a towering cliff-side was a carved painting of a bird-reptilian like creature. Sadly, in 1876 a landowner excavated the cliff-side, destroying the painted carving.
Fortunately, a first-hand description has been recorded. Living in Bluffdale, Illinois, Squire Russell spoke of his adventures climbing the cliff and seeing the Piasa carving as a child.
Russell stated, “I used to climb the rocks to look at the Piasa when I was a young boy. I have been within about sixty feet of it. The colors were always affected by dampness, being very distinct after a rain… the picture was cut into the rock a half inch or more, and was originally painted red, black, and blue. It had the head of a bear, large disproportioned teeth, the horns of an elk, the scaly body of a large fish, and a bear's legs ending with eagle's claws. The tail was at least fifty feet long, wound three times around the body, and tipped with a spearhead thrust backward through its hind legs. The upper horns were painted red, the lower portion and head were painted black. The wings expanded to the right and left of its head, and the Piasa's body was at least sixteen feet long. Its head and neck were covered with a whiskery mane, and its body...covered with the three colors.”
According to a source from an unknown Illini tribal member, the Piasa is described as being the size of a calf, horns/antlers similar to a deer, red eyes, a beard like a tiger, face like a man, having a body covered with green, red, and black scales, and a long tail that passed around the body, over the head, and between the legs.
The question is, what could this creature truly be? Scientists have recorded archeological discoveries of flying saurian (flying reptiles) that date back to the Mesozoic Age. Arthur Loveridge of Harvard University stated, “Frequently bizarre-looking animals evolved, such as flying saurian (pterosaurs) with combined batlike and dragon-like features, measuring up to twenty feet between wing tips.”
However, the following is legend handed down through generations of the Illini Indian tribe:
Long, long ago, when only animals walked the earth, Storm-bird lived in a cave by the river. His cave was lined with the bones of buffalo victims. He would swoop down upon a buffalo herd and drive his terrible claws into the fattest one, carrying it off to his cave.
After our people arrived upon the earth, Storm-bird captured one of our warriors. From that day on, he was a threat to our whole tribe--men, women, and children. A loud roar and a flapping sound signaled that Storm-bird was coming out of his cave. Everyone agreed that something must be done to destroy the monster, but what?
Ouatoga [OO-wa-toe-ga] was our great Chief of the Illinis. He announced to our people that he was determined to find a way to kill the beast. As part of their tribal ritual, he withdrew in solitude to fast and seek a vision. He prayed to the Great Spirit to reveal a way to conquer the Storm-bird.
When Chief Ouatoga returned, he directed all our people to hide in their tepees. He then dispatched his chosen warriors to the brush surrounding an exposed point of land, directly opposite the cave of the Storm-bird.
Dressed in his Chiefs warbonnet, Ouatoga took his stand upon the point of land, without weapons. Storm-bird could see the Chief. It began to roar! Eyeing our Chief with clenched teeth, it opened its huge weblike wings and charged at the Chief!
Ouatoga stood his ground, chanting his death song! Instantly, the hidden warriors let go their arrows with sharp, pointed flints. The Storm-bird was struck from all sides with a hundred arrows and fell dead!
Fast forward and it is July 25th, 1977 in Lawndale, Illinois. The Lowe family was enjoying a normal, summer barbecue in their large backyard. The out of nowhere, two large avian creatures swooped down, and the family experienced the unthinkable.
The following is an account of the event as described by Ruth Lowe:
It was approximately 8:10 p.m. The Lowe’s were cleaning up after the cookout while the children played in the backyard. Then it happened.
While in the kitchen, out of view of the children, Ruth heard a harrowing scream. Her motherly instinct taking over, she knew it was her 10-year-old son, Marlon, in distress. Ruth rushed outside, only to see two massive bird-like creatures flying wingtip to wingtip in a tight formation.
The creatures were pecking and clawing at Marlon’s shoulders. As Ruth ran closer to aide her son, the larger of the two avions was able to grasp Marlon’s shirt with its claws and began to lift the boy into the air.
No match for Ruth, the bird continued to carry the 56-pound boy. Ruth continued to do whatever she could to attack the bird, and after carrying Marlon approximately 35 feet, the bird dropped the boy to the ground.
Immediately after the frightful attack, Ruth rushed to the local police station for help…only to be laughed out of the building.
In her official statement to the police, Ruth described the bird saying, “It had a white ring around its half foot long neck. The rest of the body was very black. The bird’s bill was six inches in length and hooked at the end. The claws on the feet were arranged with three-front, one in the back. Each wing, less the body, was four feet at the very least. The entire length of the bird’s body, from beak to tail feather was approximately four-and-a-half feet.”
The Lowe family faced major criticism among the community and Marlon earned the nickname “Bird Boy.” Among the criticism, the family would often step outside to find dead birds thrown on their porch. However, the Lowe’s did not profit from the incident. The ostracizing from the community points credibility to their account of the event. Leaning towards the attempted abduction by a large avion creature not to be a hoax.
Although, some speculate that the panicked Ruth and Marlon’s minds may have amplified the creatures they saw. It is speculated that the birds could have been Turkey Vultures, which have a large population across Illinois. However, the issue with the creatures being Turkey Vultures is that this species of vulture is not known for seeking live prey. Others speculate that it could have been two errant condors. However, these condors are endemic to the West Coast.
Since the Lawndale, Illinois incident in 1977, credible sightings of the Piasa, or Thunderbird, have been scarce and inconsistent.
Prior to the Lowe’s experience, there was a spree of incidental sightings in the 1940s. On April 8th, 1948, Army Colonel Walter F. Siegmund had his eye captured by a creature in the sky while conversing with a local farmer in the Alton, Illinois area.
Siegmund stated, “I thought there was something wrong with my eyesight. But it was most definitely a bird, and not a glider or a jet plane. It appeared to be flying Northeast… and from the movements of the object, and its size, I figured it had to be a bird of tremendous size.”
The bird was sighted briefly a few days later, April 10th, and again on April 24th by numerous witnesses. At a nearby airport on the 24th, flight instructors reported that the largest bird was approximately 500 feet in the air and cast a shadow the size of a Piper Cub aircraft. Other witnesses reported the creature to be of similar size to a small airplane.
The possibility of what these creatures may be are endless. As with many cryptids, the sky is the limit when it comes to describing the creatures and their behaviors. Could this be multiple cases of misidentification? Or could this be an unknown avion creature?
When it comes to Native American legends, it is said that there is often some truth behind them. Until concrete scientific evidence is captured, we are left wondering…what is it the Illini saw? What is it that tried to abduct Marlon?
Check out these two guys adventure into the cave by the Piasa painted carving discovered by Father Marquette and Louis Joliet!
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