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Altamaha-ha - "Altie" The Altamaha River LbNA #56857 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:N/A
Plant date:Jun 27, 2010
Location:
City:Baxley Georgia - Edwin I Hatch Roadside Park
County:Appling
State:Georgia
Boxes:1
Planted by:Gators 88 Contact Inactive
Found by: caja
Last found:Feb 16, 2014
Status:FFr
Last edited:Jun 27, 2010
The Legend of Altamaha-ha - "Altie"
I bet you never knew that Georgia had its own version of the Loch Ness Monster!!! Well, it does. One of the largest rivers in Georgia is the famous Altamaha River in the southeast portion of the state. The river actually empties in to the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Georgia. It is said to be one of the largest river basins in the country, and as such, there are a lot of tributaries to this river.
Legend has it that in the waters of the Altamaha, near the city of Darien, there is a strange creature. It appears ever so often and sightings of this creature go back to the times before whites settled the area. The Tama Indians from that area told stories about the animal. According to Jim Miles in Weird Georgia, "Centuries ago, the Tama Indians first told tales of a huge water serpent that hissed and bellowed." In the 1920s, timbermen who rode the river reported sighting something that fits the description of Altamaha ha, also known as Altie. Other sightings include a Boy Scout troop from the 1940s and two officials from the Reidsville State Prison from the 1950s. One of the most recent reports was from 2002 when a man who was pulling a boat up the river near Brunswick reported seeing something over twenty feet in length and six feet wide break the water. The man reported that the animal seemed to emerge from the water to get air and then submerge again beneath the depths. Others who have seen the animal say that it has dull gray skin and looks to be spotted in some places.
There is some speculation that what people are seeing are snakes, dolphins who come inland from the coast, alligators, or even beavers. But some of those who have reported seeing the creature swear that they know the difference and are not seeing those things. One report mentioned that the animal swam under a boat and gave it a big "whack" with its long tail. Others speculate that the animal could be some oceanic cryptid that actually swims in to the Altamaha and spawns before going back out to sea.
The legend is quite popular in the McIntosh and Glynn County areas, which both border the Altamaha River and are on the coast. In fact, The Darien News has covered the story on many occassions. In addition, there was even a childrens book written on the topic by Ann Davis called The Tale of the Altamaha Monster. Perhaps Monsterquest should visit the Altamaha River and take a look around!!!

TO THE BOX:

Take US 1 - (4, 15) North - towards Vidalia. Pass the Hatch Nuclear Plant on the right. 1/4 mile past the plant you will find a turnoff highlighted by a picnic table sign. The turnoff is the Edwin I Hatch Roadside Park. Turn into this park and drive as far to the end of the road as possible and park on the right side. You will notice ahead of you a large tree and several concrete picnic tables, a chain link fence and a treeline. If you go to this treeline and look through the trees, you catch a glimpse of the Altamaha River - where Altamaha-ha is supposed to reside. If you look to the right you will notice two more concrete picnic tables. Walk between those two tables towards the treeline behind them. About 6 steps into the woods, you will see a medium sized multi-trunk tree with a tall pine tree to the left of it. Altie is hiding inside this multi-trunked tree in the center where the trunks meet. You will find it about knee high up from the ground covered with sticks. Please be sure to re-double bag the log book and stamp to help protect them. Please email us to let us know you spotted the River Monster (or if our box is in need of repairs) Thanks for looking for our box.
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