Is the Beast of Bray Road Still Out There?

Witnesses who've allegedly encountered the Beast of Bray Road portray it as a towering, fur-covered creature with luminous eyes, razor-sharp claws, and an overwhelming odor of decomposing flesh.

By Faun Grey

Along the outskirts of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, stretches Bray Road, a 17-mile thoroughfare with roots tracing back to colonial times, when it was commonly referred to as the King's Highway. While it appears ordinary like countless other American roads, it harbors a chilling secret - a mysterious creature that reportedly prowls its surroundings.

The inaugural sighting of what would later be dubbed the Beast of Bray Road took place in 1936, when a security guard at the nearby St. Coletta School for Exceptional Children was traversing the fields. He encountered what he characterized as a furry, humanoid being, measuring between six and seven feet in height, bearing similarities to both a wolf and a bear. The creature's vocalizations were a disturbing blend of animal and human sounds, and the guard detected a powerful stench of decaying meat.

While he never encountered the entity again, the memory of this experience haunted him for the remainder of his days.

This initial sighting marked just the beginning of a series of encounters with the Bray Road Beast. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, numerous individuals stepped forward, sharing their own experiences with the Wisconsin Werewolf, each offering unique perspectives on its possible nature.

The First Encounter With The Bray Road Beast

Elkhorn, Wisconsin, 1936. A quaint rural community of approximately 6,500 residents. As documented by author Linda Godfrey in her book The Beast of Bray Road, Elkhorn earned the nickname "the Christmas Card Town." Located an hour's drive from both Madison and Milwaukee, the town was surrounded by fertile prairie land, scattered with cornfields and dairy farms - a seemingly perfect setting, far removed from the dark tales typically featured in true-crime podcasts.

However, an event would soon alter Elkhorn's peaceful existence forever.

The story centers on Mark Shackleman, a night watchman employed at St. Coletta, a Catholic convent - the same institution where Rosemary Kennedy was later placed after her father Joseph Kennedy arranged her lobotomy in 1941 to address her "agitated depression" and violent mood swings.

Around midnight, while patrolling the fields near the school, Shackleman spotted something atop a nearby "Native American burial mound." The entity appeared wolf-like but stood on two legs, seemingly scratching at the earth. When Shackleman attempted to approach for a closer look, the creature quickly disappeared.

The next morning, Shackleman recounted the incident to his wife, noting the creature's distinctive hands, with "shriveled" thumbs and pinky fingers noticeably shorter than its other digits. Upon returning to the mound during daylight hours, Shackleman discovered distinct "raking" marks in the soil.

After nightfall, Shackleman made his way back to the burial mound, where he encountered the creature once again. This time, rather than fleeing, it remained in place, turning to confront him. Shackleman would later describe the being as reaching nearly seven feet in height. According to his account, the creature was "completely covered in dark or black fur and emitted a horrific stench... reminiscent of decomposing flesh... Its eyes seemed to pierce right through me, and it vocalized a distinct sound - a three-syllable growl, deep and menacing, that sounded approximately like 'gadarrah,' with emphasis on the middle syllable."

Despite his background as a former heavyweight boxer and his robust physical condition at age mid-30s, Shackleman felt his skin crawl during the encounter.

"In that moment, I could only think to do one thing - I prayed to the Almighty for protection... The creature then turned away and departed at a slow pace... I remained frozen in place for what felt like an eternity, the putrid odor lingering in the air, before offering another prayer of gratitude. Never again did I encounter that being or anything similar."

Some individuals who heard Shackleman's account suggested the entity might have been a hellhound, a supernatural creature frequently mentioned in ancient European folklore and Biblical texts. According to researcher Bob Trubshaw, a hellhound's growl exists in a realm "between coherent speech and complete silence... filled with raw emotion and strength, yet devoid of any rational thought..."

Intriguingly, the creature's utterance of "gadarrah" bears a striking similarity to "Gadara," a Biblical location in ancient Judea where, according to scripture, Jesus performed an exorcism on a demon-possessed individual who emerged "from the tombs" - paralleling how Shackleman's creature was discovered disturbing a burial mound.

However, even among those who accept supernatural explanations, the hellhound theory regarding the Beast of Bray Road finds little support. Instead, it demonstrates how the creature seems to resist conventional categorization. When confronted with phenomena beyond our comprehension, we often resort to comparing them with familiar concepts.

Shackleman's narrative concludes there. The creature he encountered at the burial mound disappeared temporarily - or perhaps merely retreated into hiding, as nearly five decades after Shackleman's experience, reports of the entity began to resurface.

Subsequent Sightings Of The Beast Of Bray Road

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, reports of the Bray Road Beast increased significantly. While most encounters occurred near Elkhorn, residents also reported sightings of the creature extending to Walworth, Racine, and Jefferson County.

The first notable encounter with the alleged Wisconsin Werewolf in this modern era took place during autumn 1989. Lori Endrizzi, a manager at The Jury Room, an Elkhorn lounge, was driving home along Bray Road at approximately 1:30 a.m. She noticed an enormous being on the roadside, initially viewing its back, but as she continued driving, she managed to observe its front aspect.

"The creature was in a kneeling position!" she recounted. "Its elbows were raised, and I distinctly remember the prominent claws extending outward. Those long claws are permanently etched in my memory."

According to Endrizzi, the being appeared to be clutching something within its extended claws, possibly roadkill. Unlike typical wildlife that scatter when illuminated by headlights, this creature deliberately turned to face her, meeting her gaze. Thoroughly frightened, Endrizzi hastily retreated to her home.

The following day, determined to understand her experience, she visited the local library to research potential explanations. Her search led her to The Golden Book of the Mysterious, a 1976 publication, which contained an illustration labeled "werewolf" that resonated with her sighting.

"Despite the late hour and darkness, I'm certain about what I witnessed," Endrizzi insisted. "Such a sight isn't easily misidentified... I remain convinced it was something demonic. While I don't necessarily believe in werewolves as such, I think it's possible something could have been... summoned."

The next significant sighting occurred two years later. On Halloween night of 1991, local resident Doris Gipson encountered the creature while driving through foggy conditions on the same road. Her vehicle struck something, causing the front wheel to momentarily lift. After traveling another 50 feet, she stopped to examine any potential damage to her vehicle or whatever she might have hit.

The road behind her was empty. As she circled toward the rear of her car, the creature suddenly emerged from the woodland.

"This thing came charging straight at me!" Gipson described. "It was definitely not a dog; it was larger than me... Its movement was unlike any human I've ever seen, and I say this having had a track star for an uncle."

Gipson quickly scrambled back into her vehicle and accelerated rapidly. At that instant, the creature leaped onto her car's trunk, only losing its grip due to the rain-slicked surface. Gipson believed she would have become the creature's "dinner" had it successfully caught her, but she managed to escape unharmed.

However, her encounter wasn't over. Later that evening, while picking up a friend from a social gathering, she experienced another sighting. Her companion suddenly exclaimed, pointing through the window, "Look at that creature!" Without hesitation, Gipson accelerated away from the scene. Upon reaching home, she discovered disturbing evidence: distinct claw marks marring the surface of her blue Plymouth Sundance.

Reflecting on her experience, Gipson later characterized the entity as "an aberration of nature, one of the Creator's oversights."

Is The Wisconsin Werewolf Still Out There?

Godfrey documented both Gipson and Endrizzi's encounters in the community newspaper, The Week. Following these publications, numerous additional witnesses emerged, sharing their own experiences with the alleged Beast of Bray Road.

In coverage by Milwaukee Magazine, Godfrey offered a nuanced perspective on her website, stating: "It's highly likely that witnesses aren't all observing the same entity. Some may encounter a tangible, biological creature, while others might experience supernatural manifestations from various origins. A small number of reports could be attributed to misidentification or deliberate deception."

While reports of the Wisconsin Werewolf have significantly decreased since their peak in the 1990s, some locals maintain that the creature continues to inhabit the vegetation along Bray Road. Naturally, there remain those who have always dismissed the phenomenon entirely.

Regardless of one's beliefs, the Beast of Bray Road has secured its position in American folkloric tradition. Perhaps it still roams the area, waiting to be discovered.

If you've encountered the Beast of Bray Road or a similar creature, please share your story with us.

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