Episode #53: 1903 Timeline Twist & The Van Meter Monster/Visitor

1/15/2025: On today’s episode, Valerie’s Timeline Twist features a number of firsts for women, the introduction of the term ‘crayola’, a favorite American motorcycle brand, and Calvin peeing decals. We also discuss one of the first cross-country road trips, musical theater of the day, and the serious debate about whether Nascar is a sport. Next, Amy Jo tells the mysterious tale of a lesser-known, but still totally badass cryptid from the early 20th century midwest, and the truly American (and extremely non-scientific) reaction the prominent men of the town had when they encountered it. We discuss numerous former cryptids that are now mostly well-known animals (Teddy Roosevelt?). And finally, Amy Jo recounts the actions of the Van Meter Vigilantes who enacted a not so genius plan for ridding the town of the monster. It worked. That is until the creature got a rebrand!.

Cover Photo: Artistic representation of The Ven Meter Monster/Visitor spotted in Van Meter, Iowa.

1. A wide variety of crayon boxes have been produced over the years.

2. Photo from Roadside Pictures’ Flickr Photostream shows chronology of instant Sanka labels.

3. An unidentified man inspects a 1905 Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

   Wisconsin Historical Society.

4. The first Harley Davidson shop, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Files.

5. Old 97 wreck at Stillhouse Trestle in Virginia - 1903.

6. View of Tom Fetch in 1902 Packard car during the 1903 Packard Transcontinental Tour. Detroit Public Library

7. The Houses of Parliament, Sunset, 1903, National Gallery of Art Washington, DC.

8. Maurice Garin, the winner of the 1903 Tour de France.

9. Location of Van Meter, Iowa

10. A sketch, by Kevin Lee Nelson, based on century-old descriptions of the Van Meter Visitor. Van Meter Public Library/Special To The Register

11. Newspaper article about & artists sketch of the monster.

12. A photo of the "1901 Bachelors of Van Meter," which include several men who claimed to have seen the mysterious "Van Meter Visitor." Front row, left to right: William Moore, Uly Griffith, Earnest Trindle. Second row: Harry Phillips, C.A. England. Last row: O.V. White, H.T. Smith, Sidney Gregg, Al Jordan, and Mr. Scott (no first name was found on this). Van Meter Public Library/Special To The Register

13. Sketch of the Van Meter Monster

14. Okapi - “ also known as the forest giraffe, the okapi is a blend of a zebra, donkey, deer, and antelope. Yet, its closest genetic link is giraffes.

15. Bondegezou is one of the ancestral spirits of the Moni people in Western Papua New Guinea.

16. A newspaper article on the supposed Van Meter Visitor. Van Meter Public Library/Special To The Register.

Sources/Photo Sources

Intro Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%E2%80%93Kennedy_coincidences_urban_legend

Timeline Twist Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1903 

​​https://genius.com/Johnny-cash-the-wreck-of-the-old-97-lyrics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Social_and_Political_Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Products_introduced_in_1903

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile_clip

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falstaff_Brewing_Corporation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia-Ora

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Ginger

https://www.wired.com/2016/05/tale-epic-coast-coast-road-trip-1903/

https://irishartmart.ie/this-week-in-the-art-world-a-glimpse-into-1903/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1903_in_music 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1903

Timeline Twist Photo Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wreck_of_the_Old_97#/media/File:Old_97_wreck_at_Stillhouse_Trestle_in_Virginia_-_1903_(2).jpg 

https://www.wired.com/2016/05/tale-epic-coast-coast-road-trip-1903/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crayon#/media/File:VariousCrayonBoxes.jpg

https://www.jsonline.com/picture-gallery/news/2023/07/12/visual-look-harley-davidsons-first-60-years-1903-1963/12235468002/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houses_of_Parliament_(Monet_series)#/media/File:Claude_Monet_-_The_Houses_of_Parliament,_Sunset.jpg

https://beachpackagingdesign.com/boxvox/tag/sanka

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1903_Tour_de_France#/media/File:Garin03winner.jpg

The Van Meter Monster/Visitor Sources:

https://youtu.be/z8d42MA-Rwc?si=6tVIf9ABwIEKj0UU 

https://hangar1publishing.com/blogs/cryptids/van-meter-monster?srsltid=AfmBOoqgu4xXWORmyx7bVoBrSsJjbrrOEA5U-pOplE7EaY1bvM1Egxzm

https://www.cracked.com/article_31109_meet-the-bulletproof-bat-monster-of-van-meter-iowa.html

https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Van_Meter_Visitor

https://astonishinglegends.com/astonishing-legends/2018/10/14/the-van-meter-visitor 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Meter,_Iowa

https://www.iowapbs.org/article/11624/local-lore-van-meter-visitor

https://archive.org/details/vanmetervisitort0000lewi/page/12/mode/2up 

https://coffeehousewriters.com/iowas-van-meter-monster/#google_vignette

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chimera

https://dailyyonder.com/visiting-with-the-van-meter-visitor-as-the-festival-takes-shape-this-fall/2021/08/06/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_gorilla#Research

https://northamericancryptids.com/van-meter-monster/

https://northamericancryptids.com/van-meter-monster/

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/picture-gallery/news/2015/07/01/6-photos-van-meters-winged-creature-reportedly-seen-in-1903/29582693/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yopTNk6dUQ 

https://www.discovery.com/shows/expedition-x/3/the-van-meter-monster 

https://dailyyonder.com/visiting-with-the-van-meter-visitor-as-the-festival-takes-shape-this-fall/2021/08/06/ 

https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/2020/12/12/seven-cryptids-species/#:~:text=Yet%2C%20gorillas%20remained%20cryptids%20until,species%2C%20calling%20it%20Gorilla%20gorilla.

https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/2020/12/12/seven-cryptids-species/#:~:text=Yet%2C%20gorillas%20remained%20cryptids%20until,species%2C%20calling%20it%20Gorilla%20gorilla.

The Van Meter Monster/Visitor Photo Sources:

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/picture-gallery/news/2015/07/01/6-photos-van-meters-winged-creature-reportedly-seen-in-1903/29582693/

https://jasonrobertsonline.com/the-van-meter-visitor/

https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Van_Meter_Visitor?file=Van_meter_visitor.jpg

https://www.reddit.com/r/ImaginaryMonsters/comments/gatuj3/the_van_meter_monster_an_iowan_cryptid_that/

https://horoscopes.astro-seek.com/calculate-birth-chart-horoscope-online/?narozeni_den=21&narozeni_mesic=1&narozeni_rok=1903&narozeni_hodina=05&narozeni_minuta=14&narozeni_mesto_hidden=Unknown%20place&narozeni_stat_hidden=XX&narozeni_podstat_kratky_hidden=&narozeni_city=&narozeni_sirka_stupne=0&narozeni_sirka_minuty=0&narozeni_sirka_smer=0&narozeni_delka_stupne=0&narozeni_delka_minuty=0&narozeni_delka_smer=0&narozeni_timezone_form=auto&narozeni_timezone_dst_form=auto&house_system=placidus&hid_fortune=&hid_fortune_check=on&hid_vertex=&hid_vertex_check=on&hid_chiron=&hid_chiron_check=on&hid_lilith=&hid_lilith_check=on&hid_uzel=&hid_uzel_check=on&&nick=Sun%20enters%20Aquarius

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Meter,_Iowa

https://images.app.goo.gl/1LTif68qjy4kd68L8