Happy Auger - [Fearsome Critter]

 Happy Auger - [Fearsome Critter | Auger] - aka: 'Post Hole Digger', 'snollygoster'

• About this critter: A lanky, light-hearted gun-shy, creature, once endemic to the fields near Gothenburg, Nabraska. It was not too dissimilar in shape to that of a kangaroo. When startled by the sound of gunfire, the cowardly critter would leap 20ft+ into the air!! It had a long sturdy corkscrew of a tail, which it used to rebound on its landings, or to dig into the ground (certain farmers would use this technique to create picturesque 'perfect holes' primed for putting up fence posts.) The invention of both machine guns & powered drills, caused them to vanish from their natural habitat, rebounding over the Rockies and to parts unknown. - it is yet, another critter belonging to the family of odd earthly Augers. (& supposedly a first cousin to the "Dismal Sauger.")

• History & early appearances: The happy auger is a 'Fearsome critter' which stems from stories told in the early 1920's, in this case its from Gothenburg, Nebraska and has to do with stories related to Febold Feboldson, a 'Gutsy Hero' Paul Bunyan type, who's stories earliest began to appear in and around 1923 in the Gothenburg Independent newspaper. - Over time the stories appeared across various folklore pamphlets & in books. – Febold is best known for working as an incompetent horticulturalist, animal breeder and for figuring out how to control the weather. - The story of the 'Happy Auger' can be attributed to one such story first written by Paul robert beath, the story can be found earliest in newspapers in 1932 promoting his book featuring Febolds various exploits.

The creatures story was later mentioned in the 1950s "Quarterly Folklore Journals" section about "the nomenclature of pioneer fences" - (Apparently 'southern fence lore' goes pretty deep, who knew?) - The entry for the "Post Hole Digger" included there summarizes the other aforementioned stories about the critter quite well, it goes as such: 

". . . Before the days of machinery, Febold Feboldson used the happy auger (cousin of the dismal sauger) to pinch-hit as a digger of post holes. . . . The auger, a peculiar animal resembling the kangaroo, had a habit of spinning round on its heavy corkscrew tail every time it sat down, thus screwing the tail several feet into the ground. Febold then would sneak up behind the poor creature and fire a six-shooter, scaring the auger so that it jumped 20 feet into the air and left the prettiest post hole imaginable.” 

Although one could easily pick apart or shrug this critter off, what is important to remember is that many of these Fearsome Critters stem from the minds of a generation where-in most farm work & labour would have had to be done entirely by hand. - in fact: The first powered post hole digger was invented later than you might expect, during the 2nd world war in 1943. - before then, Ranchers and farm hands had to hand-dig holes for each fence posts on their farms (which often went on for miles, monotonous, boring & intensive work!)  if you wanted a 'perfect post-hole' you would have to dig it out manually using a auger or a shovel. - So, You could also say perhaps, that this critter is the result of farmers fantasizing about a critter that would do the hard, boring work for them. - Spinning yarns and creating imaginary creatures is good fun, many 'Fearsome critters' would stem from Jokes, Hazing, or Pranks played out from times where sheer boredom was prevalent. - [see also; Snipe Hunting, Wild Auger Handle. & "Left Handed Monkey Wrenches"] - these creatures stemmed from a need for entertainment and where perhaps sort of a coping method for those in these labour-heavy work environments. 

[The first powered post hole digger.]

All the stories I've read about this critter, mention that it is a cousin to the "Dismal Sauger" - A swamp-dwelling critter which is described as the "Mournful-est animal there ever was.' - however none of the stories ever elaborate on why/how the 'happy auger' and 'Dismal Sauger' are related, just that they are. - (what few early illustrations that exist of that critter have them looking nothing alike.) - Given that the Auger is described as 'Happy' and the 'Sauger' is not. - it could be implied that they are polar opposites, a natural yang to its yin. - But then again, perhaps that thought is better reserved for the "Happy Hodag of the hills" (Seeing as it and the sauger, supposedly caused each others mutual extinction. Huck-a-haw-huck-a-hoo!  [or perhaps its just for the sake of their names kinda rhyming.]

 • A timeline of earlier appearances include:

[Happy Auger as it appeared in papers in 1932 by paul robert beath] - the webbed feet remind me of the similar "Billdad" (which can also leap to ridiculous heights.)

[the author demonstrating how febold would scare the creature.]

[happy auger as it appears in the hurricane children - 1937]

[a version of the happy auger story as described in Yankee doodles cousins 1941]

\

[a dopey-looking Happy auger, As it appears in the revised - Febold Feboldson: Tall tales from the Great Plains. 1948] - interestingly, this book also refers to it as the "snollygoster." (likely named after the critter from 1910 which also digs a hole using its tail.)

This critter has been mostly forgotten by the public conscious, thankfully its name was archived & remembered by the lumberwood unnatural hisory museum's critter routunda. Most notably Len, (the curator) also spun a fanciful Lymric about the critter in his Lexicon of lumberwoods lore. [2006] - Which has since been copy-pasted to various cryptid wiki's around the web, usually unaccredited and thus, causing confusion for the poems origin (& lacking any real context for what a 'happy auger' might've been). - Len's delightful poem goes as such:

[Art sticker by @samkalensky (yo thats me!) part of my fearsome critters collection of stickers, check my shop and support for many more!]