The Van Meter Visitor

[@addisonswearngin4004]

My dad used to be a teacher in van meter and always shared stories with me from students who’d heard stories from their families, it’s great to see these stories get the attention they deserve

[@brunneng38]

So this one is legit folklore?? I get tired of hearing great “true” stories then do research only to find them being hoaxes

[@donsal.t.1765]

@@christrickett3291 yea funny that real encounters get sushed but fake ones are pretty mainstream

[@dudersification]

That's how you know stories like these are true

[@CockySuSMounted]

@@donsal.t.1765 nothing funny,very unfortunate

[@christophercostello696]

Is your dad's name James?

[@MrParkinthedark]

‘But it’s standing there…. MENACINGLY!’

[@loganmalough2379]

GET OUT OF THERE, SPONGEBOB!!!!!

[@amelted4827]

Listening to this outside, wind howling and windchimes clacking. So relaxing

[@felipe96ification]

But then......

[@yukeenakamura1398]

That does sound relaxing

[@3a.m.284]

Happen to be in western WA? I’m outside and it’s hella windy out

[@BeeLZBeeb]

Are you in the uk? I’m doing the same thing with the wind howling down the chimney and the rain lashing the Windows.

[@mohnjarx7801]

Are you on earth? I am and it's windy af here!

[@mattyice2099]

The visitors just wanted to fix the roofing, make an appointment with the good doctor, and make a bank deposit. Not their fault they are nocturnal 😆

[@marcleblanc3602]

curious about buildings, but why need a light?

[@tdegrddeehjgd]

@@marcleblanc3602 cos it was dark out.

[@marcleblanc3602]

@@tdegrddeehjgd ....hum but I had thee impression those where NIGHT Creaters........but NOW I know they can not see in the DARK!

[@tdegrddeehjgd]

@@marcleblanc3602 jokes are hard aren't they

[@frankmarano1118]

@@marcleblanc3602 Because the town probably made this one up for tourism reasons. As you point out, creatures of the night dont need giant flashlights & wouldnt evolve something that would scare off their potential prey. If these things were real theyd have to be aliens, in which case they wouldnt be living in a mine. Plus if they were real we'd have sightings of them in more than just ONE city. Skinwalkers & aliens are more compelling because you have so many stories of them. Still was a really interesting video to watch

[@ericwilkins5971]

The cryptid episodes are always my favorites. Keep up the awesome work guys, just gets better and better!

[@speakergreene8269]

The cryptid episodes are so much more pogged up than the infinitely less believable creepypasta-level stories that are clearly just 100% fictional narratives that make it way harder to engage with them (for me at least) It's so much easier to suspend your disbelief about potentially real undiscovered creatures, accidental alien visitors, and historical events, than about utterly unsubstantiated urban legends with no clear historicity or secondhand accounts from anonymous channel viewers or internet randos. I've honestly been enjoying this channel a little less because of the lack of quality stories that were properly engaging in ways that made you question the bounds of what might be possible out there in the great wide world. A lot of their older videos were about things that really happened, or at least real stories that were well-documented and have enough corroboration to have some potential truth to them, stories with something to discover at the bottom of it all sometimes. Their newer stuff, not so much. I hope they get back to making more videos like this one.

[@TheSecularMinority]

Aliens then cryptids and then ghosts for me!

[@eyecomeinpeace2707]

@@christrickett3291 Nice to meet ya Mr. Tidd

[@JamesChessman]

Hmm so if u like cryptids so much, maybe the cryptids will abduct you, just because they know that u like them so much!

[@cjvaye99]

I really like how they added sound effects not just from the monsters but also shots, and recently they've even added things like heavy breathing, panicked murmuring etc. things like that those little details really make these so much better.

[@tommydarbe1524]

I read a book on the Van Meter Visitor a few years ago. This is a truly amazing encounter. If it were kids playing a prank, it was a complicated one to pull off and hazardous too. One or more of them could have been shot. Back in the day just about everyone carried a gun and weren't afraid to use it.

[@jordanalandry1866]

It wasn’t kids playing a prank I mean that’s like the same argument that people give that big foot is someone playing a prank nobody could be that fucking stupid do you know nobody wants to get shot And that’s exactly what you’re asking for if you go out into the wilderness and try to pretend to be something that you’re not

[@Chris_Cross]

That's the case today too...

[@bws205]

based on the video, they 100% were shot multiple times, so that theory has no weight...

[@Americaisplastic36]

Bedtime Stories is perfect. I dig how clean everything looks. Cool fonts, artwork, and amazing stories

[@RaoulDukeSr]

Precisely....my favorite channel for sure 👍

[@jaimegreene9557]

They never disappoint

[@jsully8076]

I dig your use of the word "dig". ✌️♥️

[@jacensadventures]

Agreed, they create the perfect atmosphere!

[@Americaisplastic36]

@@jsully8076 ya, I forget how old I’m getting. 37 yr old lingo fo sho 😂

[@ITMEDW]

I always love to hear people from outside my state tell our stories. Its reassuring to know that our slice of America has some things that still pique peoples interest. As always, fantastic quality and excellent retelling of the events!

[@onesunnyday5699]

😃👍🏼

[@Omega-uq5fs]

This channel got me into listening to stories right before bed. Amazing narration and images. However, I´ll be honest, I miss those weird stories like the security guards going into a small loop checkin on a building. Wow did my mind go nuts with that.

[@Peter-gq4ww]

Aww bro I loved that one too, stories from security /cops that happened at night are always a fun listen

[@robertbeckman2054]

I agree as that was the third episode I watched. The first two were the Flannegan lighthouse and Dyatlov Pass incidents.

[@worldcomicsreview354]

The name of the video made me think it was going to be something strange encountered by an electric meter reader.

[@azeimfriday7841]

@@Peter-gq4ww what was the name of that one if you can remember?

[@Asek-le4zx]

What episode was that again sound interesting

[@Sanderford]

As a born and raised small town Iowan myself, let me first thank you for pronouncing the name of the city correctly, for not assuming we're an island in the Pacific, and not deriding us as ignorant bumpkins. I've been to Van Meter, and spoken to people who know of this story. Skeptics may say what they wish, but by all accounts the people who first spoke of this story truly believed there was something out there.

[@CrazyYanmega]

Wait, some people think Iowa is a Pacific Island? I thought Iowa was a landlocked state?

[@bernie1442]

Van meter sounds more like a Dutch name than a Pacific Island. Do some people really think its a island?

[@richardstrachmesserschmiti4979]

I like the attitude of these people. Stay Armed - stay safe I believe it , worthy of real scientific research. Men don’t shoot for no reason. Interesting

[@Sanderford]

@@CrazyYanmega Yes, and yes. Some people are very silly.

[@Sanderford]

@@bernie1442 ​A lot of Dutch people came through here in the 1800s. Some stayed. Like I said, there's some idiots out there.

[@marianaportilla7174]

This channel is criminally underrated... Should have millions of subscribers by now......

[@Jgrabetz]

Mid-West American stories are always my favorite, thank you!

[@voges1001]

Love me some MiddleEast American stories

[@no2party]

Contrary to Popular belief the American Midwest is home to many bizarre and fortean events. Some good examples include the Belleville Wisconsin UFO Flap, the Beast of Brey Road, The Michigan Dogman, The strangeness of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, even a possible secret base in Waukesha, WI.

[@voges1001]

@@no2party literally nobody has contrary belief to that

[@tyrannosaurusimperator]

@@no2party You forgot Wisconsin's strange penchant for producing serial killers and cannibals.

[@no2party]

@@tyrannosaurusimperator and traitors, can't forget Aldrich Ames.

[@bobobee9206]

I saw the title and I was like "gotta be another Van Meter, Iowa literally only has one interesting story and they've already cover it" I can't belive I've never heard of the Van Meter Visitor! As a cryptid lover and an Iowan I am ashamed

[@mikesharon2177]

Same first time hearing about it to

[@dbzgal04]

Another Iowan here, and I never heard about this story until now either.

[@jeffolsen4983]

Another Iowan here. I've long been very attentive to such topics, but learned of the VMV only nine or so years ago, by chance, when I read the book that this vid and most everything else on youtube is drawn from. The book wasn't great, but the research was worthy of respect, and the subject would probably still be unknown at large were it not for that book. I read comments from other Iowans to another vid on the subject: one stating they had seen a similar creature near IA City, and another that they had seen it near Waterloo, these being more recent. I had what might be a related encounter in Cedar Falls about four years ago.

[@SillhouetteSonata]

Better than my state’s cryptid. I live in South Carolina and we have... the lizard man ooooooooo 🥱

[@rotciv557]

@@SillhouetteSonata C'mon, friend. No need to disparage yourself like that! Lizardmen are, like, probably half as interesting as a Puertorrican Chupacabra at least! You could have been stuck with something dumb like a blob monster or yet another Bigfoot wannabe instead.

[@gabrielinostroza4989]

I love a story where people actually try shooting the cryptids

[@Shin_Lona]

Seriously though. This is precisely the reason why we have the 2nd Amendment.

[@worldcomicsreview354]

@@Shin_Lona The king of England could come in here right now, and start telling you what to do!

[@Imlaor25]

Makes you wonder why people have never shot and killed a bigfoot, huh?

[@jakub_paints6775]

@@Imlaor25 almost like it doesn't exist or something

[@stuglife5514]

@@jakub_paints6775 I know right? You’ll have some backwoods gas station owner be like “I shot a big foot with me pappys hunting rifle when I was a kid” and I’m like yea sure somethings gonna walk away after you pop it with a 30.06 Yea right kekw

[@micjordan1919]

These stories should be on tv,more entertainment than the crap they turn on on mainstream TV. Well done again.

[@florianlaur5300]

If they were, they'd eventually become mainstream or they'd be forced to dumb it down, like they did with Game of Thrones.

[@reesedaniel5835]

“Because it is so unbelievable, the truth often escapes being known.” ― Heraclitus

[@gabo8954]

I really believe in this story & maybe they should have tried something else, easy for me to say but judging the different witnesses experiences apparently this creature wanted some sort of friendly contact. But if it is as terryfying, ugly & stinky as they say I will understand the fear reaction.

[@truthseeker2321]

@@gabo8954 If it's real,it's just an animal, and a wild one at that.

[@ulyssesm.daniels6927]

*Looks at current events* Checks out

[@weekendmom]

Three cryptids/entities came to mind that might bear some relation to the Van Meter Visitor: the Jersey Devil, Mothman, and the Piasa Bird of which there was once a carving of along the Mississippi River on the Illinois side on a bluff.

[@SteelyBud]

I feel bad for those creatures suffocating / starving to death in the mine shaft. Maybe it could be excavated in modern times to look for remains of any unusual creatures.

[@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812]

Great idea!

[@realbrat40]

Maybe deep in the mine shaft was the road/portal to where they really came from and blowing it, was a missed opportunity😢or blessing😂

[@anthony-kelly]

Perhaps they originated from the mine.

[@taniamushroom]

Yeah. Maybe there is some other entry/exit or air flow.

[@catsmith8520]

So do I, and with the last two years basically being Pandora's Box, I say why not? I may have watched too much Doctor Who and Torchwood, but what do you think of them being miners from a different dimension who slipped into our reality? Or captured miners from decades prior who were taken for experiments by otherworldly beings? The images gave me some really weird vibes xxx

[@bluegreenglue6565]

What an interesting tale! The light shining from the creature's head is what makes this one most unique -- but the biologist in me wonders why a creature that lives in the dark would even have such an adaptation. Still, very spooky in the telling.

[@tadhgmcelligott3693]

Blind its prey maybe? If it often enters and leaves cave systems at dawn and dusk like many bat mayhaps during its nighttime jaunts when its prey's eyes have become accustomed to the dark the light can briefly blind its prey like when people wearing night vision goggles look at light sources

[@whyccan9063]

@@tadhgmcelligott3693 Or luring, like a cave version of the angler-fish

[@SamuelBlack84]

I wonder if it was some kind pterodactyl or even a thunderbird?

[@victory8928]

It is also possible that the creation of the critters was done with say fireflies or flashlights in mind. I feel especially given the context behind the story, that most of the story as told by the town back then was fabricated due to particular details and lack of evidence. But it could have been based on say some residents getting spooked by bats from the mines so they tried to scare the critters away with guns. But I wasn’t there so, really don’t take my word at face value. EDGE covered the story and even made a critter to match/fit the van meter vistor story,

[@victory8928]

@@SamuelBlack84 i would say bat is more accurate, given the time, place and authenticity of the reports in question. And if it was pterosaurs, we should have more evidence of them being in the area then a short time frame in the 20th century. Not saying that no one didn’t tie a lamp to a poor bat though.

[@morgant.dulaman8733]

A story for us here in the Midwest. Thank ya kindly. Have any on the team ever been to the states, per chance?

[@MrPhilm00r]

The theme music for Bedtime Stories has to be influenced by The X-Files. I totally hear the influence in the keys. If so; that's super cool 😎

[@WillMunny22]

MrPhil if you interested is "Undaunted" Kevin MacLeod. He's a composer that makes alotta little pieces like this that KZbinrs use as their channels theme music

[@scockery]

Mark Snow did the X-Files theme, just to give him some credit here.

[@MrPhilm00r]

@@WillMunny22I see. I'll look him up and give him a listen then. Thanks 😊

[@jackalope2302]

The Van Meter Visitor might be the most anomalous Cryptid in all of US lore. There's other creatures that are stranger looking but they are sighted with UFOs (the Crazy Critter of Bald Mountain, Palo Verde Brains, Prospect Monoliths) so I consider them ETs not Cryptids. Excluding those ETs, the Enfield Horror (which I think was a normal Cryptid seen in a strange position, a Devil Monkey carrying it's infant so it looks like a three legged beast), Crawfordville Monster, Kinderhook Blob, Medford Smoos, Gargantuan Gliders of Nevada (all four I theorize are the same species [Atmospheric Beast] but in different stages of their life cycle) and the Jersey Devil (still not sure what that thing is) are stranger. The VMV does vaguely remind me of Mothman/La Lechusa/Owlman/Black Bird of Chernobyl/Bat Beast of Kent in that you have a large nocturnal, flying creature. But I think those are giant owls (large and luminous eyes, large round head with no neck so they look like their eyes are in their chest when seen in shadowy light). The VMV has a toothy beak, clawed wings and a spotlight horn so it doesn't sound like a giant owl. If anything, they sound like a relict pterosaur with some kind of bioluminescent bacteria in their crest. However a few Cryptid sightings do report strange glows on the creature reported (a Westmoreland County Bigfoot had a glowing orb in its hand, the Riverside Monster had sparks coming off it and the first Loveland Frog sighted carried a wand that discharged sparks) so maybe the lights are a side effect of interdimensional travel. You see, I theorize that Cryptids are from alternate Earths where familiar creatures evolved in different ways (New World Monkeys to Bigfoot, Devil Monkeys, Dover Demon and Dogmen; huge eels and turtles as lake monsters; giant birds like Thunderbirds and Mothman and dinosaur and pterosaur like beasts) that involuntarily cross dimensions temporarily.

[@barkerbits5562]

Your theory do hold a bit of sense in the multiverse theory, of which I am a fan of the multiple world hypothesis. The speculative evolution of different animals into new species is highly intriguing to me, so the idea that Bigfoot is an evolved ape from another dimension crossing into ours is very interesting. What other theories do you hold for these accounts? I am very interested to hear about them

[@jackalope2302]

@@barkerbits5562 A few years back, I noticed that Missing 411 hotspots tend to also be Cryptid and/or UFO hotspots (and often has a natural feature with a seriously sinister sounding names, like the Devil's Wash Basin). Native Americans call these areas"cursed' I hypothesize that there's places on this planetwhere creatures and vehicles can slip from one universe to another. This is both involuntary and temporary. When it happens to a hiker, David Paulides calls it a Missing 411 case. When it happens to an animal, we call that animal a Cryptid. If it happens to a vehicle, we call it a UFO. After a period of time lasting from several minutes to a little over a year, interdimensionally displaced matter returns to it's home world, usually within a few miles of where it left. Living, dead, dismembered, decayed or digested; missing hikers, Cryptids and UFOs go home. This is why when we find the missing, they are usually in areas that were previously checked or are inconceivably difficult to get to. This is also why Cryptid remains and UFO wreckage are hard to find and always turns up missing when it collected.

[@____K_____989]

Even with only two comments to the above post…..this is great reading. Thank you all!

[@arjentromp12]

@@jackalope2302 so if its random vehicles that get shifted between dimensions, why are they always hyper futuristic? Why not a simple cart getting pulled by a unicorn?

[@Paladin_Green]

could they be a strange evolved species? or maybe an alien species left behind?

[@shawnaellcey6970]

Very very very good episode! Iowa, yeah, drive out of the towns and there is something spooky and remote…

[@morgellon9449]

Cool. Always happy to see new uploads from this channel. Since I'm early, the Paul Bennewitz and Richard Doty story and peripheral stories like the Myrna Hansen's abduction case would make for an interesting multi-part series; would be really cool to see some of that stuff illustrated. That whole saga is very much the origin of much of our modern UFO/E.T. lore, with some well-documented military disinformation involved (extending to Bob Lazar, in my opinion), but there's still a lot of very strange stuff that was happening according to Bennewitz' own documents and some police reports from the Dulce area which were photocopied the book Underground Bio Lab at Dulce; the Bennewitz Papers. Greg Bishop's book Project Beta is highly recommended, as well as his talks on the subject, and the book Dulce Base the Truth and Evidence From the Case Files of Gabe Valdez by Greg Valdez. The movie Mirage Men is also a good source of info on the subject, but only pertaining to the disinformation.

[@tierneylogan5943]

Yes! Project beta and mirage men are excellent books and i agree the story of Bennewitz would be good for an episode here.

[@morgellon9449]

@@osakarose5612 Interesting! The general consensus among researchers is Dulce Base is a disinformation campaign concocted by the military as anti-Soviet counterintel, and there's a lot of evidence to suggest that is the case, but I've learned there has also been a long history of UFO and other paranormal phenomena in that area. This book I have has a police report by a cop who said he went to an elderly woman's house to investigate her claims of being harassed by a humanoid carrying a black cube and he saw a UFO hovering over her property. I believe he said he saw the being, but I can't remember. It looked pretty legit; it was a photocopy of the police report. The whole book is photocopies of various documents. Some people think maybe there is a base where they tested a nuclear bomb underground in the Dulce area; it created an underground cavern, and there's a youtube video somewhere of an old military film where it shows workers walking around in it in radiation suits. I've thought maybe there's a connection between "aliens" and nuclear weapons, like maybe the radiation provides a means for them to access our planet, and maybe they were able to establish a base in there after the nuclear test, but that's just crazy speculation. I think they may be cybernetic from the future, though; even Whitley Strieber described the first being he saw as robot-like in Communion, and asked in a group therapy for abductees, "perhaps we're seeing robots?"

[@LateNightRewrites]

@@morgellon9449 what makes you think Lazar is military disinformation? Aside from knowing the base layout all of his ties to S4 were destroyed (except a phone book entry). Someone like Lou Elizondo I could see, he's got all his credentials

[@tierneylogan5943]

@@morgellon9449 there’s a book on that idea called UFOs and Nukes, if you haven’t seen it.

[@morgellon9449]

@@tierneylogan5943 I haven't heard of that one, but I'll definitely check it out. I have heard other people talk about that same idea, or something similar. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@PawsOnTheBalcony]

This is a great one, I love it! Artwork and narration top-notch 👍 Kinda sad to think that these creatures - if they were real, which is of course highly unlikely - were entombed in the mine and possibly starved to death there. They never actually hurt anyone. Perhaps they were allergic to the sun and thus could only go apartment shopping during the night, which is why they were examining the buildings in the town? Also, love the stinky self-defense mechanism.

[@LateNightRewrites]

Stinky self defense mechanism? 15 year old me feels attacked

[@-Blue-_]

"if they were real, which is of course highly unlikely" Why ?? and without any proof and research, look if you want to proof something give some evidence and this method is same for close minded skeptics I am not saying I am believing this but what if this creatures are real there are many eyewitness in this world including this case

[@jackalope2302]

@@-Blue-_ The VMV is possibly the weirdest American Cryptid.

[@gabo8954]

@@-Blue-_ I truly believe in a lot of the animal cryptids, we think we have discovered everything but I think specially the sea creatures some of em can be real, if cockroaches have survived 1,000,000s of years how come any other creatures havent,, specially reptiloids who dont need to eat that often such as some snakes who can be months without food. Even a mammal as the Tazmanian Tiger has been apparently captured years after mainstream science considers it extint. With the humanoid cryptids I am more more skepctical, but this one in particular I actually wuld believe it to be real . Its easy for me to say they should have reacted differently to such a stinky & terrifying monster, but if we exclusively judge it by its first encounter it seems the creature wanted to do no harm & judging by the next encounters it seems it actually wanted to establish sme sort of contact. The fact that they went in an out of the mine might suggest they fed on rocks or some mineral only found in the depths of the dark which would also explain the light, there are deepwater fishes that EXIST that have this characteristic. Sometimes we think we know it all & that everything has already been discovered but the first sign of a fool & an ignorant is to dismiss things he doesnt know much about. As you said many witnessess for this creature. Im open to believe things I dont know about & we should all be.

[@maximillian1109]

Yeah, same. The creatures makes me think of some massive type of bat (or just a few regular flying foxes which was exagerated by word of mouth as the people there would not know what that animal is as they are not native to the US), and bats are scared of brights lights, which is why they hide away during the day. Their sight is designed for nocturnal use, and they just get overwhelmed by sunlight. Bats are also far from aggressive towards humans and mostly live on a diet of either fruit, insects, anphibians, or mammal blood (only the vampire bats though, and they legit just give an animal a small cut that dont hurt, use their saliva to make it cuagulate slower, and then lick up a few droplets before they are full, so yeah...not very scary) so I can’t imagine this creature would have been at all dangerous to humans either. At most they would eat pray the size or rabbits, or fruits and insects.

[@glendanison3064]

Just about to go to bed for an early work day tomorrow and a surprise BTS notification comes up. Never have heard of this bizarre story before. Kind of combination of Mothman, Jeepers Creepers and Unclassified Encounters with the unusual addition of bright lights and lack of hygiene. Bed will have to wait, I have to look into this one some more. Thanks again for another superb episode.

[@pookiepook7351]

I love the atmospheric music at the end of the video. Reminds me of Tangerine Dream's musical score for the film Near Dark (1987).

[@theellis8951]

This channel has come so far, I have been with you for so many years and you keep improving and blowing me away. Good job

[@Tsotha]

This story sounds vaguely familiar to me. Perhaps John Keel mentioned it in his Mothman book as another manifestation of the "monstrous winged humanoid" archetype? It should be mentioned that the ropen, a Papua New Guinean cryptid often theorised to be a surviving pterodactyl, is frequently described as bio-luminescent.

[@codafett]

I think this creature might be a Thunderbird, same as those pterodactyls.

[@SoLDMG]

Keels book is an interesting insight into what people thought about these kinds of things at the time. I immediately thought the same thing 😅

[@Tsotha]

@@SoLDMG and @codafett To be honest I suspect that the Ropen started out as a daemonic/ghostly entity in the local folklore whom Western cryptozoologists then started re-interpreting as a flesh-and-blood animal, either a giant bat or a surviving pterodactyl.

[@mkull3067]

I'm very happy this was recommended by a friend. 9-10 years ago this exact thing flew over my head(maybe 100 feet in the air) while I walked home from a friend's house alone on a overcast night. It looked at me and I immediately turned my head away in fear of it realizing i had spotted it. I won't disclose the exact location but it is relatively close to the area in the video (upper great lakes) and full of abandoned mines. I've only told my immediate family, best friend, and years later my wife about what I've seen. I know how ridiculous it sounded. This thing still exists, or did up to very recently.

[@vintagelover4207]

Not heard this one before! When you post a new video I'm always torn between watching it straight away cos I know it will be great or waiting a bit so I have a few to binge...I always end up watching straight away 🤣 miss the days when i first discovered this channel and had loads of new videos to watch 😁

[@waynehiggs7335]

I have never heard of this story but you have my provoked my interest, another well researched and well animated story. You guys continue to raise the bar in this genre.

[@czjonny8933]

Something about Iowa. We always get excited when someone talks about Iowa here.

[@h.calvert3165]

All of Canada is like that, bro. Trust me! 🍁

[@LunaticTrumpet]

Iowans 🤝 Canadians being excited about being mentioned.

[@johnytwotimes4072]

Thanks guys. Wasn't expecting a new Bedtime Story so soon. Best channel on KZbin imho

[@ianswinford5570]

Since you mentioned it, could you do a video on the Lawndale Thunderbird? I find these creatures interesting.

[@JohnnyStroud]

Great Video and presentation. The Van Meter Visitor is one of my top five cryptids. I have researched the subject extensively and thoroughly enjoyed your rendition. However, one correction should be noted. There indeed have been other cryptids that exhibit similar characteristics of the Van Meter Visitor, two in particular, and both relatively recent. 1. The Ropen of Paupa New Guiney has been described as having the very same characteristics even down to the emission of light at night. 2. Two years ago the show "Caughtrmal Caught on Camera" aired a particular Ropen looking creature caught on video actually SCALING the underside of a bridge at night in a European country. What links this second creature to the Van Meter Visitor, in my view is the peculiar locomotion of the creature that can be clearly seen in the video. There was one witness in Van Meter who described how the visitor made its way down a telegraph pole and then loped off into the night. It was described somewhat like how a parrot comes down a pole. I vote for an expedition back to Van Meter to un-earth that old mine shaft. My theory is one of the shafts must have broken through into some kind of underground cavern or huge subterranean eco-system where these, and other creatures cut off from the surface world live. These Visitors may have for the first time, been exposed to the surface world, at least on the segment in the United States. Science now states that there may be huge swaths of underground systems that have been cut off from the surface world for thousands, perhaps millions of years. Maybe every now and then, some earthquake or mining project breaches both our worlds. Thanks again.

[@thoughtfuldevil6069]

This is one of my favorite paranormal things, mostly because of how truly bizarre it is. The Visitor deserves just as much popularity as the Chupacabras, if not more so.

[@clayturner5777]

Hands down one of my fav episodes to date. Fantastic!

[@jtown1022]

I'm from Des Moines, and Van Meter is a essentially an outer suburb. I've been into Iowa folklore for sometime, but this story didn't really make headlines until about 5-10 years ago, after someone writing a book supposedly found old news clippings describing a gargoyle that jumped up and around the roofs of buildings and then jumped back down the mineshaft never to return about 100 years ago. I never heard anything about a light until now. The description you provided sounds like someone strapped a helmet with lantern (or a flashlight, they were just becoming a thing at the time) to a turkey vulture - or the vulture just found it and decided to play with it. They're quite common in Central Iowa, and would be about the perfect size for the creature described. This was either a stunt pulled by the mine, or straight BS by the people who were telling a story. And I'm sorry, no salesman would be out in Central Iowa at 1am on business. Everything except the pub would be closed by sundown. Dude was drunk walking home, or coming back from an affair - possibly with the doctor? Also - Mountains? Central-West Iowa is flatter than Kansas lmao!

[@AyeNj]

Why do Iowans feel the need to over-explain/analyze and correct/nitpick? He covered the story similarly to what I’ve heard over the years. Is anything {illustrations included} hurting anybody?? Honest questions…coming from an Iowan.

[@gremlin7665]

@@AyeNj Iowans gonna Iowa 😂

[@brandenhill71]

This sounds like the most likely explanation. Or…..it could be a demon from hell. Haha 😂 People will believe anything.

[@raymondtonns2521]

Justin you ought to have been a detective!

[@arjentromp12]

Things is, so often stories get told from the perspective of the characters that people forget that someone else could have just fabricated the entire story and characters altogether. How many paranormal stories "happened 150 years ago" but only became public knowledge 15 years back when some unknown no-name writer supposedly found some evidence on which to report.

[@andrewbarten7347]

Always puzzled why cryptids aren't shot at more in well-armed America. This story seems real because they were shooting at it.

[@dominicwaghorn6459]

You send me to sleep in the best way. I have to watch each episode 3 times. I’m not due up for an hour so thank you, and hopefully I’ll be passing back out in a sec

[@JudgeDrey]

LOVE THIS! The combination of the writing, the narrating, and artwork, is so masterful and compelling. There is no other channel like this one. I absolutely love it! And in all honesty, I feel like it would be missing a huge piece if presented in just audio as in a podcast. It would surely still make for fantastic storytelling, but the artwork gives it that "3rd dimension" that captivates the listener into imagination, but no so much as to show every single detail of the story, but just enough that we fill in the blanks with our own imagination. It's hard to describe. But it kind of reminds me of early video games versus the latest generations that have beautiful graphics but doesn't allow for any player interpretations, as in the great earlier games like DOOM for example which has pretty primitive graphics compared to today's standards, but was just as if not more scary that some of today's horror games because of the need and ability for players to fill in the blanks with the scariest things our minds can imagine. "A child's imagination is their greatest strength, and weakness."

[@zew1414]

Ooh, nice! Wasn't expecting a Tuesday night episode. 💯

[@chrisdixon892]

Going back over it all and also available on Spotify (hint hint) made me realise coming up to 5 years of the channel. Congrats guys, I remember watching from the 2nd episode and binging them all from time to time. Been great and thought provoking content that I can't stop hearing. Beautiful artwork and excellent narration.

[@angusmcnay5449]

"no honorable man would have business on a rooftop at such an hour" okay so he's just me, got it

[@spidiq8]

Got to wonder if any honourable businessman would have business at 1am in a sleepy small town.

[@midwest1389]

Drug dealer

[@ProcyonDei]

​@@spidiq8 Band of the Hawk?

[@frippp66]

dishonourable business perhaps

[@Pembroke1]

I remember hearing about this story years ago. It's a fascinating tale, thanks for your hard work. Not to mention the artwork is incredible

[@doncarlton4858]

Another chilling tale rescued from the dusty archives of the past! Well done!

[@keithweiss7899]

Very good! Thank you for that very interesting story. There are so many strange stories to be re-told out there!

[@dredgenakira8571]

I remember this story. LORE podcast did a segment on this, also going over another tidbit this guy skipped over. It was said that there was three of these guys and one managed to escape the blast

[@oneoflokis]

THAT was a great story! Great artwork too. 🙂👍 I thought possibly I had never read it before, until you got near the end, and said "two creatures": then I realised I had, maybe through Brad Steiger. Yes. Weird, definitely!! A creature with a horn on its face, which can beam a spotlight using it?!? Amazing! Must have been astounding to watch. Pity no pic with a box camera and a flash!! Wonder why it was so keen on haunting the business district?? 😏😏 Thought vampires, if it was one, hung round where there were a good selection of people? 😏 Well - definitely couldn't have been a human! Couldn't have been a giant bat, as in Borneo. I think it sounds most like a cross between Mothman and Spring-Heeled-Jack! (Only this was less humanoid than SHJ.) The noxious smell emitted is interesting, though. Was it a sulphurous stink, like devils are reputed to emit, or a more chemical one? This part reminds me of that creature in the 1950s with the ace of spades shaped head - you know the one. 🙂 Anyway. I don't see how this could have been a hoax. The tourism argument was skew-wiff, as the creatures were sealed in a mine which was never reopened. (Hopefully!) And it, or they, was/were never seen again! Incidentally: I would like to commend the people and the elders of the town, for dealing with the threat so matter-of-factly, and materially! They certainly dealt with it better than Puerto Ricans or Mexicans have dealt with the Chupacabra. Did the mine explosion kill it?? I doubt it, because I don't think it was from this earth/plane. I think I have heard that underground spaces can be portals to other dimensions. Still wonder what things like that want over here!! And why they make themselves so visible with a searchlight! 🙄

[@benhanson887]

The miners of Van Meter delved too greedily and too deep, awaking something in the darkness... shadow and flame

[@HartfordHD125]

I am familiar with the story usually referred to as the "Van Meter Creature", but the part about the projected light beam was new to me. On a broader note, there have been, even in the 20th and 21st centuries, a number of witness accounts of prehistoric creatures in remote locations of the world, from the Yukon to the jungles of Borneo, from the Amazon to Central Africa. These include pteranodons and pterodactyls, or at least, creatures strongly resembling these species.

[@victory8928]

Interestingly enough they also fail to match new discoveries regarding these critters (especially in the case of critters like the ropen or the inca stones). These creatures feel as if they were made by people who tried to match what was seen with something that they believed was true (e.g how pterosaurs or plesiosaurs look like). Not saying they were all fabrications but many have the feel of that. And I feel it is also important to understand the context of the reports and try to find good explanations to them. There was talking about massive reptilian beasts in an area of the US only for one of the believed beasts to just be a green iguana that escaped captivity. I guess that is something we all have to understand about these reports, the mind can create something that isn’t there or exaggerate what was there. As for if these prehistoric creatures are around, I would say no. If we find evidence that the pterosaurs did survive the KT extinction event, then we just have no evidence for it that can be analysed, same with mosa and the marine reptiles that did die out during the time.

[@0therun1t21]

Once again you've found a story I've never heard even though I've been interested in strange things all of my life. I really appreciate all the research and work you put into your all around excellent videos, thank you! Flying cryptids are my favorite, I think the weird little rounded off horns on Mothman's head are adorable. If I ever see one and it's cute, it will probably be the last thing I ever see.

[@antonkovalenko364]

Woohoo! Another awesome Bedtime Stories episode! Also, cryptid farts are the worst...

[@johnv6806]

Take vitamins, specially fish oil and your farts will smell significantly worse

[@markus7166]

Cringe

[@treylewis5281]

I thinks he prolly pooped himself! If I were getting shot I would prolly poop some too😔🥺🤨

[@SweetUniverse]

The creature farted and flew off ....

[@moflow8873]

@@markus7166 Dude, did you just say “Cringe”? That’s so awkward. I’m literally wincing in embarrassment for you.

[@pineapplepizzasandwich1974]

I feel like after all the screaming and shooting and running, it might be time for a different approach. Someone ought to try offering these cryptids a treat, or if its of the more sophisticated sort, a glass of wine, have a pleasant little chat.

[@thegreencat9947]

True. If I were new to the neighborhood, I'd have second doubts about meeting the locals if I was met with yelling and shotgun blasts.

[@gotdangedcommiesitellyahwa6298]

Offer it a pineapple pizza sandwich. It will either leave town, or burn it down.

[@truthseeker2321]

@@thegreencat9947 Unless you have huge bat wings protruding from your back, I doubt you would have anything to worry about.

[@jarongreen5480]

"It was carried out by a local group of youth pranksters" Which were apparently bullet proof...When the "Logical" answer starts to sound more ridiculous than the alternative I prefer to see sense and believe that yes there are such things as undiscovered creatures and beings on this earth. Which is usually when someone says to me "Then why hasn't anyone seen them yet?" To which I say, they have. But you all call them crack pots for it and ruin their lives.

[@henrymedrano8255]

Big facts. Then you have the bozos that block you when you challenge their fairytale world and they can’t accept something like a bigfoot ever existing

[@meganwatson2491]

Exactly. I'm so tired of people like that. This channel did another video on the Scape Ore Swamp Monster-I got into an argument with a guy who claimed he knew people from there that knew it was all fake. Like okay dude explain all the physical evidence and eye witness accounts. They're so blind.

[@meganwatson2491]

@@henrymedrano8255 and you wonder why they even bother listening to these stories in the first place

[@RaoulDukeSr]

Another excellent work, best channel out there as far as I'm concerned. Amazing on all levels, cheers !

[@calmguru1274]

I love how this channel gives you the scary story and then has extra context at the end. Both interesting and entertaining.

[@exlibrisas]

Such a beautiful writing expression! Almost like a book. An audio book.

[@skippylenny7119]

Another fantastic job guys! Thank you so much for all the great stories. I wish you guys all the best and have a wonderful day.

[@j.1759]

the illustrations are impeccable, they have a great deal of depth and are detailed and vivid

[@MikeB071]

Another great video! I've never heard of this one! Almost (but not quite) sounds like an American version of Spring heeled Jack, but then again, Jack was always described as a humanoid, rather than some bizarre type of avian like these things were. Interesting timing, though, since I think the last sighting of Jack in the U.K. was in 1904.

[@spinyslasher6586]

I love how nobody dared to go inside the mineshaft and they just blew up the entrance. I'd do the same too, no way I'm entering a cramped mineshaft that I just saw two bat demons go into.

[@CaptOrbit]

Especially since they for all appearances seemed to be completely unfazed by small arms fire.

[@SamuelBlack84]

We should explore and investigate

[@alsmith9853]

@@SamuelBlack84 LoL you go in first!

[@SamuelBlack84]

@@alsmith9853 Gladly. I have nothing to fear

[@mausolos8]

It’s Miller Time !

[@G0LLYDJ]

Have to say man I’ve been listening since day 1 and not once has the quality of your work ever dipped, top class 💯

[@MrBattlefield68]

I can't tell you how excited I am about you covering the story of one of my favorite cryptids.

[@jonathanmcfadden8499]

A brilliantly original story it was outstandingly narrated and animated as always.

[@historywatch-4U]

You guys and Wartime Stories are my favorite creepy channels to watch. I've seen other channels do drawn illustrations for their creepy content, but it doesn't have the same punch as this channel.

[@veryconcernedjesus2584]

Townspeople: “You came to the wrong neighborhood fool”

[@junkscorpion7011]

I swear you guys stories and illustrations are EPIC I dig this channel.👍🏿👍🏿

[@erichinkle7347]

Interesting coverage of the Van Meter Monster. You also mentioned the Lawndale Thunderbird; have you previously covered that one? I read about it in Coleman and Clark's 'Creatures of the Outer Edge' when I was about the same age as the kid supposedly attacked by the giant bird. I jumped whenever a bird flew past me for a few days afterwards!

[@mottski1]

I'm an Iowan and I've never heard of this! It's a fun story! Great art and narration as always.

[@brycealthoff8092]

I’m a ghost story buff who’s lived in Iowa my whole life, but I somehow missed this one. Nice work folks! Don’t make this your last trip to the Hawkeye State though! There are all sorts of creep things bumping around out here. I recommend starting with the the Ham House in Dubuque.

[@lasooannie]

Brilliant story as always guys! I always look forward to seeing your videos 😀

[@cecollins68]

I love how every single one of the people who came directly face to face with the creature immediately pulled out the grip and licked shot. One of the most realistic stories in terms of that aspect and makes me belive it alot more.

[@grimsonforce7504]

Simply extraordinary thanks very much for these episodes.

[@unicorngirl6058]

Love ❤️ your well researched stories, and amazing artwork!! Kudos to all the hard work!! Always well done !! I’ve done a lot of research in aliens 👽 criptids etc .. So I know how accurate your content is

[@joanhoffman3702]

I’ve never heard this story before. I loved it! It would make a good basis for a book or film.

[@dollyhorton2579]

Most excellent, new narrations! This is a crazy story, I've never heard of it. Very interesting.

[@garyreid6165]

Great artwork and narration, as always! Keep up the great work and keep these stories coming!😎❤️✌️

[@nathanrawlinson2614]

I had a horrific nightmare about a criptic last night. Just realised this was playing whilst I was asleep. Thanks guys 🤣🤣😅

[@besthobbit]

This kind of stuff makes me wish they'd dig back open the mine shaft and see if they could find anything weird. Caves/mines are so fascinating and creepy.

[@scockery]

Yeah, but you just know it would come down to "the location of the original mine has been lost" or some shit.

[@porkerthepig]

scockery yes that would definitely be the case

[@TheFirefist13]

Love your depiction of the Visitor. A nice change from the pterodactyl with a spotlight depictions that so many other videos use

[@alexpatyababa5221]

Love you guys, great work to all of you; Thank you!

[@dirtypms]

Thank you so much for posting this! I love the Van Meter case.

[@Mean_Jean]

I can't wait for the weekend, I need to binge some of your episodes

[@PansexualPancakes2]

I believe these creatures are, or were, real. Something in me feels that these people were not lying, but truly did encounter something terrifying and otherworldly. My only concern is, these creatures didn't ever seem to directly attack anyone; the townsfolk instead launched an attack and ambush on them. These creatures may have been big, intimidating, and unnerving, but did they really hurt anyone? Perhaps they had the capacity to, and the townsfolk were rightfully scared of that... But something about these creatures doesn't come off as malicious. At least, to me. But... I know I may be wrong.

[@TigerLily61811]

It's likely some sort of mix of fact and fiction ... they encountered something big that scared the crap out of them, and then the details got more fantastic as the story made the rounds.

[@Subject_Keter]

I think just cuz the monster didnt attack not mean it cant or wouldnt give someone a friggin big scare. As all animals can decide what to do, these cryptids may be even worst.

[@taniamushroom]

Agree. Shoot first and ask questions after. They didn't even attack after being fired at (if the story is accurate). Who knows what's in the depths of the cave systems

[@enragedkaiser237]

Please do cover the Emilcin alien encounter. It's one of the most fascinating alien encounters but its hardly talked about on the internet. Love your videos! The illustrations, editing and narration are all top-notch!

[@AspieGirlArianaHale]

Whether real or not, I thoroughly enjoy the cult horror feel you get with stories like this! I quite enjoyed the “Jeepers Creepers” movies as an example ... which I suppose is considered a “Mothman” type of creature? IDK, but this story was very refreshing! I think I’m going to continue binge-watching some more, since I can’t get to sleep anyway, LOL. Might as well learn about a few things I haven’t heard before! 😊❤️👏

[@nicholaslienandjaja1815]

Would like to see the Van Meter Visitor incorporated into the MonsterVerse. My guess is that in the MonsterVerse, the Van Meter Visitor is actually a creature that's native to Hollow Earth and it somehow managed to find an opening to the surface world that leads to Hollow Earth.

[@SasquaDash]

Bringing smaller cryptids into the MonsterVerse would be really cool. I could easily see the Van Meter Visitor being a relative to the Hellhawks.

[@worldcomicsreview354]

I was just thinking myself of recasting it as a Spring-Heeled Jack kind of thing, especially as I have a series of detective stories set right at that time. A genius but outcast local man invents a crude wing-suit and liquid-fueled rocket pack, and uses them to rob banks and generally terrify people.

[@similaritiesendhere]

The real mysterious creature is the bank teller who was allowed to spend the night in bank with a shotgun. I'll believe in unicorns before I buy that story.

[@einienj3281]

Sounds like humanoid dragon..

[@jaroslavpesek6642]

Hollow earth is nonsense. People simply like to lie, when they think they can get something from it.

[@josesierraromero8316]

To learn English fonetics was a nightmare for me until i begin to hear great channels like yours,the way you pronounces and speak is incredible and make all comprensible for me. Thanks from a young Spaniard student boys!

[@jamieweir645]

Sounds like me creepin down to the Co-op at 7am tbh.

[@rneustel388]

I have never heard of this cryptid. Thanks for sharing and narrating in a very pleasing manner!

[@TheGreatest1974]

Never heard of this one before! Brilliant story and amazing artwork. The art never fails to amaze me with its quality.

[@mad-pit3832]

3am and 4k views within half hour, that just shows me how many others there are out there struggling to sleep and finding it hard to just switch yt off. Well this ones a bedtime story so what harm will it do staying up for another half hour, i just love sleeping in the day and find it so much more relaxing for some reason.

[@chrishadley147]

As always, top quality prose, narration and artwork from the team. Nice to see such a focus on quality is at the heart of this channel.

[@kawadashogo8258]

Very interesting. In my opinion it was most likely an as-yet undiscovered species of animal that lives in caverns beneath the ground. We know of species of fish in the darkest depths of the ocean that can emit light, so it's not so far-fetched that other types of animals which have spent their entire existence underground might do the same.

[@landlordsandfoodstamps.8771]

Simon good job. I can always tell when it's your story.

[@codafett]

What makes this story interesting to me is how self contained it is. This creature appears in this town presuambly from the mine, and then disappears right when they barricade the entrance. As far as I can tell, there's no other record of this thing existing anywhere else in the world. It's completely unique.

[@TheHikerDad]

This is why aliens (if they are here) never reveal themselves, because humans first response to anything they don't immediately understand and out of their experience is to shoot and try to kill it and or injure it and hope it goes away. And if they do corner it, entomb the creature to certain death, never knowing if their intent was hostal or not. Nice going guys, great way to treat visitors!

[@thegreencat9947]

He'll of a welcome wagon.

[@lila2028]

I live in Iowa and for 29 years and have never heard of this! How interesting...and terrifying!