I have been trying to do a cryptid for each state. Then I come across a great story, and I get sidetracked. If you are into cryptids, then you have heard of the Mothman. Point Pleasant, West Virginia, first reported the winged cryptid with its infamous history.

So, it is surprising to hear reports of Mothman sightings in Illinois. That’s pretty exciting news, so I got sidetracked once again. This week will be about the Chicago Mothman.

Mothman like creature sightings were first reported in 2017 at O’Hare airport. More sightings have come from the state’s surrounding Lake Michigan. The majority of sightings have been reported from O’Hare airport.  Unlike West Virginia’s Mothman, the Illinois Mothman likes hanging out at the airport. There have been numerous sightings around Illinois since then.

There were two sightings in Rosemont, Illinois, in October 2019. That doesn’t sound a lot; that’s true. Then you add the O’Hare reports, and that adds up. There have been more sightings from O’Hare than out of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Point Pleasant is considered home to Mothman sightings. In fact, the city built a memorial statue honoring their state cryptid. The first reported sighting was October 15th, 2019, at O’Hare airport, of course. Then the two sightings out of Rosemont, which is a suburb of Chicago.

The witness didn’t supply their name either. At first, the witness tried reporting the sighting to MUFON. It is interesting to note that MUFON is the world’s oldest and largest civilian UFO Investigation & Research Organization. Concerned about their privacy, the witness decided to talk to Lon Strickler of Phantoms and Monsters’ fame.

I don’t know about you; a Mothman like creature doesn’t fit descriptions of Aliens. Although, seeing a tall black creature with enormous wings can appear like an alien. Or something out of a horror story anyway. Another sighting reported four short days later, on October 19th. Manuel Navarette of UFO Clearinghouse spoke to a man who saw the creature. The poor guy was attending a wedding at the Edward Hotel. Outside smoking, the witness heard a scream then saw the creature fly overhead in the sky. Talk about creepy.

Not surprising is the fact that the hotel is only three miles away from the airport. There were three other witnesses that night, and all the descriptions are the same. They reported seeing a tall, dark figure with enormous black wings and red glowing eyes. Since 2017, there have been several sightings of this tall, dark bat-like creature with red glowing eyes. The witnesses stress seeing the glowing eyes when making their statements.

The Singular Fortean Society is a paranormal news publication. They state that a 15-year veteran of the USPS reported seeing the Mothman. The sighting was in September 2019 at O’Hare airport. The witness was leaving work on the 24th when she encountered the monster. She states she thought it was a man at first. He looked like he was wearing a black coat. Except, it wasn’t a coat at all, but massive wings. Although it walked on two feet, it wasn’t a man.  It was over seven feet tall with red glowing eyes. She stated it made chirping noises before it screeched and flew off into the darkness.

Point Pleasant sightings started in West Virginia in the 1960s. There were so many sightings at Point Pleasant that it became known as the home of the Mothman. The sightings died down around 2002. What is funny is that many think the Mothman is a fake. Now the non-existent Mothman pops up in Illinois. Rosemont and O’Hare’s reports began in 2017. The descriptions from Illinois are exactly like descriptions in West Virginia. Is it the same creature? Well, Point Pleasant is over 500 miles away from Chicago. That is quite a distance for a bird of any kind to fly. Yet, birds can travel up to 16,000 miles to get where they need to be during migration.

A Mothman flying 500 miles from Point Pleasant to Chicago doesn’t sound impossible to do. Does the Mothman have a migration schedule like the birds do? Is the Mothman related to birds that have mutated? Or is it a creature that existed before man spread out across the globe?

There are new sightings of cryptids reported daily. Every state has a cryptid, and with wild areas decreasing, they have fewer places to hide. It does seem extreme that the Mothman would fly from a wilderness area to a congested one.

There have been countless sightings from Park Ridge near O’Hare. The monster seems to not only to like airports but also parks and bodies of water. Which makes sense as reports of the Point Pleasant Mothman places it at a bridge. In 1967, citizens of Point Pleasant reported seeing a bird-like near a bridge. A year later, the Silver Bridge collapsed, killing forty-six people. To the citizens of Point Pleasant, the Mothman’s appearance was a warning.  They thought it was trying to warn them about the bridge collapsing.

If the Mothman does send warnings, what is he trying to say at O’Hare? Is he predicting an airplane disaster or something wrong with the planes?

Whatever you believe, the legend of the Mothman is fascinating. It is no longer a West Virginia legend. It lives now in West Virginia and the states surrounding Lake Michigan. The Mothman seems to be moving, traveling west. Wouldn’t it be cool to see the Mothman in Arizona?

Oh, wait! Richard Christianson posted a picture he took in Laveen, Arizona. It was a picture of a Mothman like creature took January 1st, 2017. Is it the Mothman?

Laveen is a suburb of Phoenix, and being that it’s a desert, not much water, but Alford Lake is in Laveen.  That fits in with other stories about the Mothman liking bodies of water. The majority of reports have Mothman near water, and the Laveen Mothman fits right in. True or not, I am excited about the idea of having a real-life Mothman in my back yard. Oh, that’s right, this article is on the Chicago Mothman.

Well, if you happen to fly out of O’Hare one night? Look to the skies. You might catch a glimpse of the Chicago Mothman.