Thunderbird

Many Native American cultures honor a being called the Thunderbird. It is said to be a giant bird that offers protection. The Ho Chunk in particular have stories of the Thunderbird protecting their people from outside forces and have come to see the Thunderbird as a symbol of leadership.

Starting in the 1800’s western settlers began to report sightings of Thunderbirds all over North America. In fact, two cowboys were allegedly killed by a Thunderbird back in 1890.

There are still sightings of Thunderbirds today. One that I have read about comes from Linda Godfrey’s book, American Monsters. In her book, Godfrey interview a Minnesota man who stated that he saw such a bird near Webb Lake while on vacation with his family. The man said that he had seen emus before and initially he thought it was one escaped from a nearby emu farm. However, as he got closer to the creature, he stated the animal was far bigger than any bird he had ever seen. 

Is the Thunderbird real? Who knows. Some say it’s a bird, some say it’s a plane. I say it’s a folktale.

Sources and Further Readings:

American Monsters: a history of monster lore, legends, and sightings in America by Linda S. Godfrey

https://lindagodfrey.com/2016/06/28/giant-bird-or-spirit-avian/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbird_(cryptozoology)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbird_(mythology)

https://www.theepochtimes.com/was-the-mythical-thunderbird-a-real-creature_1245556.html

The Death of Jacob Limberios

Jacob Limberios was hanging out with his friends one night in March, 2012. Evan, Brittany Bowers, and Will Lewis were close with Jacob. The four were “paying with” a 357 Magnum. Before the night was over, Jacob would be shot and killed.

But who did the shooting?

Law Enforcement initially ruled Jacob’s death a suicide.

Jacob’s parents, Mike and Shannon Limberios, had his body exhumed and reexamined by a new examiner. The new medical examiner said it was impossible to Jacob to have killed himself because he was shot on the left side of the head, but he was right handed. This led them to seek help from the Dr. Phil show.

Two of Jacob’s friends who were with him that night, Brittany and Will, decided to also go on the show in an attempt to clear their names. Brittany and Will took polygraph exams while they were on the Dr. Phil Show. It should be noted that polygraph exams are inadmissible in court, meaning they legally mean nothing. However it should also be stated that Brittany and Will both failed.

In an interview with Dr. Phil, Brittany looked up at the ceiling and said, “Jake why are you doing this to me?” Throughout the interview, Brittany was rather indignant about the death and I wasn’t sure where her attitude was coming from. She came across as very irritable and insensitive to the situation. She also said she saw the shooting, but she doesn’t remember what happened. I’m not accusing her of anything, I am simply pointing out how she was portrayed on the show because it left me feeling uneasy.

In 2013, a grand jury agreed with Jacob’s family that he did not commit suicide.

I don’t know who shot Jacob in the head, but I don’t think whoever did it, did with premeditation. There’s no way it was a suicide, that much is obvious. That doesn’t he couldn’t have shot himself. I just mean whoever did it, probably didn’t do it intentionally.

Jacob’s father, Mike, passed away in early November of 2014. Later in 2015, Shannon Limberios filed a lawsuit against the original coroner. As of today, Jacob’s death has still be ruled a suicide on his death certificate.

For more updates on this story….

….Stay Tuned….

Sources and Further Readings:

“Justice for Jake & Ella Dr. Phil Must see Video”, “Dr. Phil & Jake Limberios Friday Show”, and “Justice for Jake and Ella”, video from JusticeforJake&Ella, YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S21uOWjOYG4&index=42&list=PLfbqAkC2Zs6qbTdSCOAhlyKCyATt6Yhln

https://www.drphil.com/shows/2114/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2510978/Jacob-Limberios-death-ruled-accident-witnesses-failed-Dr-Phil-lie-detector-test.html

http://fox8.com/2013/11/20/family-feels-victorious-over-grand-jury-finding-in-sons-death/

http://www.thenews-messenger.com/story/news/local/2014/11/05/mike-limberios-father-jacob-dies/18566013/

http://www.thenews-messenger.com/story/news/local/2015/01/07/shannon-limberios-refiles-lawsuit-coroner/21405055/

The Dark Angel of Oakland Cemetery

According to its homepage, Oakland Cemetery claims to be the oldest establish cemetery in Minnesota. Although created in 1853, I would beg to differ, but that's different story altogether. For arguments sake, I'll just say that it is one of the oldest cemeteries in St. Paul. The cemetery website boasts of being the resting place of some of the most famous residence of St. Paul.

What you don't see on the Oakland Cemetery's website is the story of the Black Angel.

Legend has it, the Black Angel was a statue erected in the cemetery and if you kissed it, you would die a painful death. There are no known deaths surrounding the statue. Even so, people who knew about the legend might dare each other to to take photos with it or even dress it up for the holidays. (Yeah Minnesotans are weird). Then all of a sudden, one day the statue disappeared without a trace.

Over the years rumors have grown about what happened to the statue. Some say it was stolen by Satanic worshippers. Others say, it was never there to begin with.

I, however, did some digging. Turns out the answer is not quite as exciting as all of that. According to my sources at the Oakland Cemetery, the statue was taken down due to... vandalism. Currently it sits in storage. Not such an exciting end for the Black Angel... or is it just a new beginning?

... Stay Tuned....

Sources and Further Readings:

http://www.mnopedia.org/place/oakland-cemetery-st-paul

http://www.strangeusa.com/ViewLocation.aspx?id=5718&Description=_Oakland_Cemetery__St._Paul__MN

http://oaklandcemeterymn.com

http://kcur.org/post/how-black-angel-statue-iowa-went-heartfelt-memorial-spooky-legend#stream/0