Case file · Cryptid
Elsie, the Lake Elsinore monster
A serpent-like creature has been reported in Lake Elsinore, Southern California's largest natural lake, since 1884, with renewed reports in the 1970s and 1990s.
1884 CE · 33.66, -117.35 · status: legend
The account
Sightings tend to follow high water after the lake refilled from droughts. The town has embraced 'Elsie' as a mascot.
The sceptical view
The lake has dried out completely several times, most recently in the 1950s, which rules out a resident population of large animals.