The Beast of Bray Road and "Embracing the Strange" | Flyover Culture

To many, the city of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, is an idyllic community of Midwest hometown charm - better known as "Christmas Card Town." But in the late 80s, a crop of sightings would spark an interest in Elkhorn's other claim to fame: The Beast of Bray Road.
On this episode of Flyover Culture, we're looking at the city's history with the beast, and why some cryptid hometowns "embrace their strange" while others would prefer not to.
Check out B.J. Hollars' new book, "Go West, Young Man," plus his others like "Midwestern Strange" here: www.bjhollars.com/
Other Sources:
"Capturing the Spirit of the Season" - At The Lake - atthelakemagazine.com/elkhorn...
"A Beast of a Tale" - My Walworth County - mywalworthcounty.com/?p=27367
"Man Says He Saw Beast of Bray Road in Lyons" - My Racine County - www.myracinecounty.com/news/bu...
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0:00 Intro/Christmas Card Town
0:51 It's Cryptid Szn
1:25 The 1989 Sighting
2:37 What is the Beast?
3:40 The 1936 Sighting
4:48 Recent Sightings
5:34 Embracing the Strange
7:14 Outro

[@samuelharris2848]

At least one person has embraced the Beast of Bray Road. Some guy that lives on the road carved a life size wooden sculpture of the beast that now stands in his yard and waves at cars as they go by. I drive by it multiple times a week.

[@SWWONES]

And now he has carved a Bigfoot statue too!

[@paranoiddroid21]

Goosebuds sent me here. looking forward to bingeing every video

[@FlyoverCulture]

This is how I found out it was up hahaha

[@MichaelClifford2020]

Seen one. I live 5-10 minutes from Bray Rd 🐺

[@MathematicalCowboy]

That photo was really cool! Looked like a dog or wolf jogging on its back legs!!! I would love to visit this part of Wisconsin around Halloween, but I refuse to go alone!

[@voraciousreader3341]

Wisconsin is a _great_ state, with so many different faces bc of the advancing and receding glaciers during the Ice Age. My husband and I are lifelong residents, and I have lived in 3 very different geographical areas, along Lake Superior in the far north (across the St. Louis Bay from Duluth, Minnesota), along the St. Croix River on the southwestern border of Minnesota (40 miles from Minneapolis/St. Paul), and on the extreme southeastern part of the state in Milwaukee, which is on Lake Michigan. My husband and I have taken our boys and Irish terriers _everywhere,_ and we love it! The people in the small towns are truly bedrock Americans, very friendly and very honest, and not at all interested in notoriety, so I believe every interview I’ve seen about encounters with the Beast, especially a man who was employed to pick up deer road kill on the roads and highways around Elkhorn. I hope you visit, and that you have a great time!

[@MathematicalCowboy]

@@voraciousreader3341One of my brothers lived in Eau Claire for a while. He was part of some medical group, but became really disillusioned because he felt he was doing way more work than the other doctors, but still getting the same amount of pay. He ended up starting his own practice in the middle of North Carolina. But occasionally he mentions really missing his house in Eau Claire--but I don't think he misses the people he worked with over there! I've read some of Lynda S. Godfrey's writings on the "Beast". Interesting, for sure! But also very speculative. And I suspect that there are many different "Beasts", some of them just natural animals while others could be visitors from another world or even another dimension? Maybe. I don't know. Some of the stories are quite frightening! When I read those stories I always think to myself, "I'm glad that person was safe in his or her car at the time of the encounter!" Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I'm a resident of Illinois. I live maybe 20 or so miles north of Chicago, so...I'm not that far from Elkhorn, Wisconsin! And actually, a lot of folks are leaving Illinois now, if they can afford the move. Many reasons. Taxes in this state are unbearably high. Crime in Chicago is through the roof, and Chicago's mayor and Kim Foxx, Chicago's state district's attorney, turn a blind eye to all the crime for fear of provoking angry minority groups who think that the law somehow magically does not apply to them. It's a mess. Honestly, I have really entertained the notion of moving up to Wisconsin after I retire, but not sure where I would move to. I would love to live close to a good college or university in case I get the urge to take some fun classes after I retire. (I am interested in all kinds of stuff, but mostly math, the sciences, and especially computer science.) And yes, I also have a little pooch! A 20-pound Bichon-Poodle who is almost six years old. The only thing about Wisconsin that scares me is this. As I understand it, it's perfectly legal for a resident of Wisconsin to own a wolf, wolf-dog or coyote as a pet. Oh god! If I love next door to someone like that, my dog and me could be in real big trouble! My dog is a cutie and only 20 pounds! No way is he going to survive a violent encounter with an exotic pet like that. I would never want to live next door to somebody who has a coyote or wolf wolf-dog for a pet. I think that's just asking for big, big trouble!!! (Why can't those guys just get German shepherds or Rottweilers? What's this new obsession with coyotes and wolves as pets. Kind of crazy if you ask me, not to mention kind of DANGEROUS!!!!)

[@elena19-80]

It's not a toy, you should NEVER intentionally go looking for one! Whatever you choose to do, just be careful

[@MathematicalCowboy]

@@elena19-80 I have a couple of Linda Godfrey's books on these cryptids. There is one reported case of one of these upright canids fatally attacking a dog, but to date there has never been a fatal attack on humans--or at least none that have been witnessed or reported. Her books look interesting for sure. It appears that there might be different types of dog men out there. Some are real biological animals and part of the ecosystem, but others appear to be visitors from someplace else? Extraterrestrials? Spirits? Who knows?

[@lisazinn866]

Werewolves of Elkhorn Awoooooooooóóooooooo

[@Shandinho]

Yay subscriber no.200, in on the ground floor 🙌

[@FlyoverCulture]

Heck yeah! Welcome!!

[@Watch4me2]

I saw this thing too!!! I think I had the longest interaction with each other too about 8 minutes.HOLY SHIT was this thing HUGE!! I got out of the passengers side of the car in the middle of the cemetery right by the Star Of David. I kid you not the first 30 seconds, we saw something peeking behind a tombstone like a Human playing peekaboo I got out of the car and followed Thing and I had a big LED flashlight and was shining on this thing the whole time! This thing has massive glowing green eyes and barley blinked. We started at each other for 5 min straight and getting closer and closer to it. Every time I got closer it moved back a tomb stone and didn’t seem to try to cause harm but the feeling I was going through was Indescribable. It peeked at me as if we are playing peekaboo with each other and Also this thing was ALL grey and very very hairy and I’d say the size of 2-3 wolves put together. So back to the story, after 5 min I felt like I was walking half a mile away from the car as I followed this creature and As I felt I got too close and I mean CLOSE I’d say me and thing were 15-20ft away from each other the whole time and when I felt like I got scared and panicked I ran to the car fast as I could and as soon as I got in the passengers side of the car this thing was right next to the car hiding behind the same tombstone when I first got out of the car. Oh many if I had a go pro this would have been the most amazing evidence. I saw this thing less than 1 min In the middle of the cemetery. If any paranormal investigators are interested in my story I can maybe show you what I saw if I was to go their again and the location. And again me and this werewolf were staring at each other straight for id say 8 min but felt like forever! This werewolf could have easily attacked me and I’d be missing but he didn’t cause harm and seemed very curious. Please any real investigators contact me if you’re interested.

[@nazgulshabdan2169]

Very interesting yes very interesting

[@thegreatpapyrus8439]

Going today!

[@ytsm]

This channel needs more subs. This was really well made! Subbed 👍🏼

[@FlyoverCulture]

Thanks, Steven!!

[@kristina.k1627]

Gadara (Greek: Γάδαρα Gádara), in some texts Gedaris, was an ancient Hellenistic city, for a long time member of the Decapolis city league, a former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see. Its ruins are today located at Umm Qais, a small town in the Bani Kinanah Department and Irbid Governorate in Jordan, near its borders with Israel and Syria. Гадара, или страна Гадаринская, особенно замечательна как место исцеления Господом бесноватого (Мк. V, 1-21; Лк. VIII, 26-40)...

[@michaelbruns449]

Where and when these demons were originally conjured.

[@crimolempereur11]

Le dogman de bray road ☝️ ❤️ 💪

[@jerseystotler3615]

SUBSCRIBED I really like this because I am from flyover state of Illinois!! Now live in Missouri!!! Your channel is really well presented and your voice presentation is fantastic!!!

[@FlyoverCulture]

Thanks, happy to have you! I'm an Illinois boi originally, myself

[@Cedricisbadass]

5:28 that looks like a wolf walking on 2 legs (almost like a bear)

[@Ginkrepeerc_]

I traveled up and down this road, Hospital road, and Weeks/Townline road and nowhere did I see that 40 MPH sign in the photos.

[@rolledandcuffed6582]

that was just me my bad

[@anosvoldigoad6720]

It kinda looks like a Skinwalker to me, but I'm not sure, it could really be something else.

[@RollTideRising]

It’s a dogman

[@michaelbruns449]

Demonic Ghouls and Diabolical Goblins. Natures Karmic Vengeance against Humans.

[@kierondillon4458]

This was a picture of what is clearly an injured wolf!.

[@bruceradford9031]

Were the three words Aramaic? Because in Egypt the 8 ft tall dog men were guards at temples!!!!

[@kathyyoung9539]

It's a Dogman.

[@michaellewis5624]

If this is a flesh and blood animal, there is no way it could stand up on two legs! Spine, pelvis and legs were not designed for that. If it's part wolf/dog there is no way! If it's something else, maybe.

[@thelogicalsportsman700]

If there is a beast why not put out road kill or a deer Carcass and a camera see if the beast is really real

[@iansavino]

This is really good. Keep it up!

[@FlyoverCulture]

Thanks, Ian!!

[@hussein2734]

00:33

[@charlesmartel8056]

Werewolves are sexy. Can confirm.

[@overthenever4262]

Elk Horn 🤔 .. O that was Elk Snout . Never mind

[@payback2565]

Bull shit this is I’m a local from this town no werewolf’s here just a story to make our town be on the map

[@jeffreycrocker6798]

I think its a guy dressed up in a suite why on Bray rd or a crazy mad scientist cross breading animals mating a dog with a bear

[@overthenever4262]

Elk Horn 🤔 .. O that was Elk Snout . Never mind