What the heck is a Hodag? The Hodag is a mythical creature found in the Northwoods. According to Wikipedia “It had “the head of a frog, the grinning face of a giant elephant, thick short legs set off by huge claws, the back of a dinosaur, and a long tail with spears at the end”. The first was mention in Paul Bunyan stories. Gene Shepard, of Rhinelander, found the Hodag and set out to capture it with a group of people. Wikipedia reports they used dynamite to kill the beast.
As it turns out the Hodag is a is a fake but that did not stop Gene Shepard from making a Hodag and displaying it at various places including the Onieda County fair. He charged people to see the Hodag at the fair. One story I heard he had his daughters hiding behind the curtains pulling wires and growling.
But the Hodag lives on in the hearts of all those who have lived here or visited. It is the school mascot. The Hodag statue can be found all around town. Many of the statues around town were painted by an artist friend of mine, Linda. It is also the name of the annual country festival here in Rhinelander. The Hodag Country Fest happens in July and it attracts big bands and people from all over the world. I have never been to Country Fest but maybe someday.
I have lived a lot of places in this country as an adult, but I have lived in Rhinelander the longest. I almost feel like a native so does that make me a Hodag? The photo above is the Hodag located at the Pioneer Park with a logging museum.
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