Wild Auger Handle (& subspecies) - [fearsome critter]

 Wild Auger Handle. - [Fearsome Critter]

• About this critter: One of several 'Auger' (hand drill) family critters, But very few critters are quite as mysterious and elusive as the "Wild Auger Handle" – The creatures 'track' has been spotted on occasion in the snow & mud along the St Croix river along the border of Maine (USA) & New-Brunswick. (Canada) As far back as the early 1900s. - The legend used to be well known in logging camps across the St Croix valley (Minnesotan Lumbermen, Girl Scouts & Light house keepers alike have all heard of and passed on this tale: Apparently the creature is known to leave a single, oddly shaped foot print in the snow along the St Croix River & in the valley. (The records do not say whatever shape the creature might have been; Only that it left a 'single footprint.')

• History: Augers [as I probably dont need to explain but will anyway.] are of course, fairly common tools used for drilling or digging, in either wood or dirt, they're hand powered drills. (though today there are electric ones available as well.) "Augers" are also a class of fearsome critter, a number of which are animals with drill like features, which they use to do as their name implies. There are avian, aquatic, reptilian & even marsupial augers! 

The 'Wild auger handle' is one such story, as recounted by Marjorie Edgar. (A Marine & Girl Scout Leader who worked on St Croix as a scout leader during the late 1920s) - In Minnesota history [1940] she recounts several of the 'Fabulous fauna' passed to her from rangers, scouts, lumber-workers & an eccentric lighthouse keeper in the Minnesota area, Among them where the "Wild Teakettle' 'the Agropelter' "Snow Snakes" and "The Boghop. " as well as the story of the 'Wild Auger Handle' a strange and elusive animal that left only a single footprint as It hopped about in the snow. –

[the wild auger handle as seen in 1940]

[view of the StCroix River Light: image source.]

[an article about marjories troop from 'American girl magazine 1929 - The Girl Scouts in 'Mrs. Edgars' Beaver Troop on Lake Superior used to share stories about these odd creatures in the late 20s, simply describing it as a 'strange animal' - They wrote plays and sang songs about the lighthouse too. [very cute]

[a news article about Marjories creatures 1941] 

You might think that would be it and that perhaps this odd creature began and ended with one scout leader & their troop - However, it seems that it was once again mentioned in "The St Croix: Midwest Border River" written by James Taylor Dunn in 1979. – The book tells the history of the area, and the creature is mentioned in the chapter about "Pinery ballads and Valley saws" the section covers well known local yarns and songs usually spread by lumber workers.

Of course the creature has been best remembered and brought to my attention thanks to Lenwoods critters rotunda.

Seeing as whenever this critter is mentioned its extremely vague on details (both the creatures appearance & even the single detail: the footprint, are left undescribed thus however this critter might have actually looked is up in the air. all we have to go off of is the name.) So, I decided to have some fun and draw it as another 'tool' critter similar to the Wild 'Teakettle', 'Ax handle hound' or 'the pickaliker' (Being called the "Wild Auger Handle" i decided to draw it as a literal, 1800's Auger Handle. a tool used for digging or drilling wood.) [though I'd suppose in hindsight it looks more like a pogostick, which was a recent invention at the time! so it could be correct?]

• Variants & Similar Critters: although the "Wild auger handle" is indeed best known on the St Croix river, over the years there have been several other fearsome critters with 'auger'-like body parts or attachments. - A few of the better known ones include:

• The "Augerino" - A massive digging spiralling worm or lizard, best known as an urban legend shared between farmers, it would draining Irrigation tunnels on farms in rural Arkansas, Residents apparently believed the creature was real, remarking, "Hell, the ditches still leak, don't they?" (Some humorous scientists later named an actual dinosaur-aged snail fossil after it!!)

• "Swamp-Augers" - Either a Large fish or a bird best known for its sharp spiralling beak or snout, known for drilling holes in the mud or in boats, the fish version is known to drill into to fishing boats vessels, but can be stopped easily by making it sneeze. (see also: "whiffenpoof.")

• The "Pinnacle Grouse" - a Bunyan bird with uneven wings (sometimes a spiral beak) known to fly in a spiral around a mountain top, picking up speed until it "catches up to itself" – (see also: the kaput bird)

• The 'Happy Auger' - An kangaroo like Auger (and apparent relative to the 'Dismal Sauger') it joyfully bounces around on its screw-like tail making holes in the ground, included in was in  "Febold Feboldson: Tall tales from the Great Plains." - [Febold Feboldson was a Swedish-american "Miracle Man" similar to Paul Bunyan who can control the weather.] 

[Art sticker by Samkalensky, part of my fearsome critters collection of stickers. this post is brought to you by patron support and readers like you! Thank You!!]