Beast of Busco Giant Turtle
In 1949, farmer Gale Harris spotted a giant turtle in his lake—estimated at 500 pounds with a shell the size of a dining room table. The hunt for 'Oscar' the turtle drew national media, thousands of spectators, and even the governor. Oscar was never caught.
The Giant Turtle of Fulk Lake
In the summer of 1949, a giant turtle terrorized—or at least fascinated—the small town of Churubusco, Indiana. Named Oscar, the enormous reptile drew national attention, thousands of visitors, and endless hunting attempts. He was never captured.
The Discovery
July 1949:
- Gale Harris’s farm
- Fulk Lake
- Giant turtle spotted
- Enormous size
- Impossible
The Witness
Gale Harris:
- Farm owner
- Lake on property
- Saw it clearly
- Multiple times
- Others too
The Size
Estimated:
- 500 pounds
- Shell like table
- Dining room sized
- 4 feet across
- Maybe larger
The Name
Oscar:
- Named by locals
- Affectionate term
- Famous quickly
- Media darling
- Legend born
The Hunt
Capture attempts:
- Multiple methods
- Nets tried
- Traps set
- Divers hired
- All failed
The Media
National coverage:
- Newspapers everywhere
- Radio broadcasts
- Newsreels
- Major story
- Summer sensation
The Crowds
Visitors came:
- 3,000+ spectators
- Daily crowds
- Carnival atmosphere
- Vendors arrived
- Tourism boom
The Governor
Official interest:
- Indiana governor
- Visited site
- Media event
- Legitimized hunt
- Political moment
Lake Draining
Desperate measure:
- Attempted to drain
- Pump brought in
- Lake too fed
- Underground springs
- Failed effort
Scientific Interest
Experts weighed in:
- Giant snapper possible
- Alligator snapper
- Could reach size
- Not impossible
- But rare
Species Theory
What Oscar was:
- Alligator snapping turtle
- Can reach 200+ lbs
- Record specimens
- But 500 lbs?
- Exceptional
The Legacy
Churubusco today:
- “Turtle Town USA”
- Annual festival
- Turtle Days
- Town embraces
- Economic boost
The Festival
Turtle Days:
- Every June
- Since 1950
- Parade
- Contests
- Community event
Did Oscar Exist?
The question:
- Multiple witnesses
- Credible farmer
- But never caught
- Possible escapee
- Or wild population
Modern Sightings
Continued reports:
- Still seen?
- Giant turtles
- Area lakes
- Descendants?
- Unknown
Significance
Mass witnessed cryptid hunt with national media coverage and physical evidence of giant turtle existence in Indiana.
Legacy
The Beast of Busco proved that cryptids don’t have to be scary to capture imagination—a giant turtle created more excitement than most monsters ever could.