The Legend

The Big Sinkhole on Inman Lake in Inman, Kansas is home to the legend of Sinkhole Sam.

The first report of a large snake seen in the sinkhole came from two unidentified fishermen in October of 1952.

The next sighting of the creature was reported by George H Regehr, who was a farmer and lived in the area. He said that he was driving home and heard a splash from the sinkhole. He stopped to take a look and saw a large snake in the water. Mr. Regehr reported that it was the largest snake he had seen in the area, but stopped short of estimating its size.

A young man, identified by the as Albert Neufeld, went to the sinkhole to look for the serpent. He reported that he was standing on a small iron bridge when he spotted the snake swimming toward him. He shot at it, and thought that he might have hit it twice, but he said the creature kept coming at him, so he “retreated to higher ground”.

Reportedly, Myron H. Dick, editor of The Inman Review, believed that the stories could be true. He stated that the area around the sinkhole had been swampy and “infested by reptiles”, before it was drained for farmland. The sinkhole was the result of core drilling, and was filled in by groundwater.

After their reports, curious crowds began arriving at the sinkhole, hoping to catch sight of the creature.

An Alternate Explanation

A newspaper article in 1969 offered another explanation for Sinkhole Sam’s origins. It reported that the creature was “born in a tavern one afternoon,” where the tavern owner happily provided colorful details about the mysterious creature.

The tavern owner may have been embellishing the story, but I haven’t found enough evidence to know whether he actually created the legend or was simply adding to a story that was already circulating.

Sources

Flynn, M. K., (1953, October 15). Seek Sight of Sink-hole Sam, The Monster of Inman, Kansas. The Leavenworth Times, p 2.

Giant Snake Seen Cavorting in Sink Hole Near Inman. (1952, October 10). The Evening Eagle. p 11.

Creature from Kingman Swamps – Hunt on for Giant Snake. (1969, August 1). The Wichita Eagle. p C4.