A beast of a tale

Recent sighting adds to lore of Bray Road beast

By Todd Mishler

Copy Editor

Danny Morgan, a resident of Menomonee Falls, was driving north in the area of Townline Road in Spring Prairie at around 10 p.m. Jan. 27, returning home after visiting a friend in Lake Geneva.

Morgan, 32, admitted to being unfamiliar with the rural Walworth County roads he was traveling. And he didn’t know anything about the local lore that goes with the countryside around the Lafayette and Spring Prairie township line.

However, he became a character in just such a tale, slamming on his brakes to avoid hitting something approaching the road from one of the numerous cornfields that dominate the landscape.

He instinctively snapped a photograph with his cellphone before whatever creature he nearly came face to face with disappeared into the darkness to the west, opposite the side of the road from which it came.

Morgan talked to friends and his brother before sending the picture to Southern Lakes Newspapers on Jan. 28.

Needless to say, Morgan remained stunned after his encounter in recounting the story last week.

“I mean, I’ve had deer run out like that before, but it still was pretty freaky to see an animal run in front of my vehicle,” Morgan said. “You just don’t expect something like that … it was kinda scary because I thought I was going to hit something. But then it turned to more like bewilderment, because it was something I couldn’t explain. You don’t expect a wolf to rear up on its back legs like it did.”

One wouldn’t blame local residents for automatically envisioning the cryptid Beast of Bray Road upon hearing Morgan’s story.

To read the full story and a separate feature about a filmmaker’s effort to create a documentary about the beast see the Feb. 8 and 9 editions of Southern Lakes Newspapers’ publications. Copies are available at retail outlets throughout the area. Subscriptions may be obtained by clicking here: SUBSCRIBE