A Tiny Indiana Town’s Titanic Turtle Tale
By: Kassondra O'Hara
Tags: Animals, Myths, Nature, Legend, History

Alligator Snapping Turtle / Source

A Tiny Indiana Town’s Titanic Turtle Tale

We’ve all heard the stories of the Loch Ness Monster, Champ, Bigfoot, El Chupacabra, and other mythical creatures that are claimed to exist in modern times. Have you, however, heard the one about the massive turtle deemed the “Beast of Busco?”

The Beast of Busco

The story actually began in 1898, when farmer Oscar Fulk in Churubusco, Indiana claimed that he saw a giant turtle living in his seven-acre lake. It wasn’t long until the account was forgotten, as he was the only witness and there was no other proof of the creature.

50 years later, in 1948, the lake — now known as Fulk Lake — was owned by farmer Gale Harris. He allowed some of the townsfolk to fish on the lake, and one day, Churubusco citizens Ora Blue and Charley Wilson approached Harris with quite the tale. While fishing, they allegedly observed a HUGE alligator snapping turtle.

According to the two, they guessed it to weigh about 500 pounds. They stated that it was at least six-foot-wide and had a spiked shell the size of a large dining room table. Harris and others reported seeing the same enormous creature and Harris became determined to catch it.

Can Turtles Even Grow That Big?

The largest modern-day turtle ever to be located was a leatherback sea turtle that washed up on the shore of Harlech Beach in Northern Wales. It was determined to be approximately 100 years old, measured nine-foot in length, and weighed in at 2,016 pounds. So yes, some turtles can grow to be monstrous in size. The problem with this is that leatherback sea turtles live in saltwater, not freshwater lakes.

Sea Turtle Comparison Chart / Source

Also, the witnesses to the “Beast of Busco” were certain that it was an alligator snapping turtle that they had seen. Alligator snapping turtles have been known to reach up to 403 pounds, so it would be possible. They continue to grow throughout their life, generally live to be about 120 years old, and according to some herpetologists, can live to be almost 200 years old in the right conditions.

It’s really not a far-fetched claim, as these witnesses reported seeing an extremely large turtle, not a three-headed swimming Bigfoot. The question is, were they able to prove that what they had seen actually existed?

Did They Find What They Were Looking For?

Harris, in his excitement of seeing this massive turtle on his land, spread the word to everyone in town. With pressure from the citizens of Churubusco, Harris decided to try to capture the creature. Naturally, news of a turtle this size was bound to bring fame and fortune to him and the town.

Phase 1 of Harris’s plan consisted of a trap that he built using wooden stakes and rolls of chicken wire, creating a funnel effect. He used raw bait to lure in the animal. The people of the town crowded on shore, waiting for this mysterious turtle. A few hours later, the turtle made its way into the trap, only to bust through the chicken wire and make its escape. This really made local tongues start wagging!

Gale Harris and his trap / Source

Harris and the two fishermen who originally witnessed the turtle began to speak with reporters and soon, this “turtle tale” was nationwide. Newspapers around the country deemed the reptile “The Beast of Busco”, but the townspeople referred to him as Oscar (after the original farmer Oscar Fulk).

People came from all around to try to get a glimpse of this oversized Oscar, and some just came to ridicule Harris and the people of the town for believing what they deemed a fabricated story.

Capturing the Beast of Busco: Phase 2

The next attempt at gaining physical proof of the turtle’s existence was through the use of a homemade periscope. Unfortunately, the water was too murky to see anything, and the tube that was used damaged Harris’s eye.

Then they decided to try using a diving suit, also initially failing, as the helmet began to leak. After it was repaired, they tried again but had to abandon the search two hours later. The diver, Walter Johnson had got stuck in mud up to his chest at the bottom of the lake.

Gale Harris and Walter Johnson / Source

Harris even used dynamite to try to blow the turtle up to the surface. It had become an obsession. It was also obvious that Harris no longer cared about recovering a feat of nature, but only wanted proof to salvage his reputation.

A Last-Ditch Effort

Finally, Harris decided that enough was enough and he was going to get his turtle by draining the lake. Crowds returned to Churubusco, but this time they had to pay an entrance fee to be able to access the farm. Harris used the fees to purchase a large pump that he attached to his tractor that began to pump water from the lake.

When he was able to decrease the lake from seven-acres to one, with only a five-foot depth, Oscar reared his scaly little head, literally. A duck landed on the water and Oscar devoured it in one chomp!

The trap that Harris made. Housed in the Churubusco History Center / Source

Unfortunately for Harris, his pump started sucking up the mud from the bottom of the lake and clogged it up so badly that he could no longer remove water. Harris then used the last of his money to rent a crane, which dragged the lake, but like all the times before, Oscar evaded capture.

Within a few months and after a stretch of bad weather, the rainfall had the lake filled back up to its original state. Only after Harris was defeated by debt and health problems and he gave up his search for Oscar. He was forced to auction off his farm after declaring bankruptcy. Oddly, the Beast of Busco was never seen again.

What Happened to Oscar?

Of course, there is speculation that he never existed at all and that the whole spectacle was a hoax. Locals claim that, because of underground tunnels underneath Falk Lake, the turtle probably made his way to some of the other connected lakes in the area. Some even fear that Oscar was killed during the attempt to drain the lake and sunk into the mud at the lake’s bottom.

Oscar’s memory lives on, however, during Churubusco’s Turtle Days festival held every June. Activities include a parade, live entertainment, a fish fry, a poker run, turtle races, and even fireworks.

Turtle Racing / Source

When visiting the Churubusco community park, you will be greeted with a 15-foot statue depicting their mascot Oscar. What else would you expect from the town nicknamed “Turtle Town U.S.A”?

Oscar the Turtle / Source

Sources:

https://pinebarrensinstitute.com/cryptids/2018/8/18/cryptid-profile-the-beast-of-busco-aka-oscar-the-turtle

https://dinoanimals.com/animals/largest-heaviest-longest-turtle-top-10/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alligator_snapping_turtle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_of_Busco