The Minnesota Iceman

During the 1960s a strange creature frozen in ice was exhibited at carnivals throughout the Midwest. It appeared to be some kind of neanderthal man.

In 1968 the creature came to the attention of two cryptozoologists: Ivan Sanderson and Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans. These two gentlemen were convinced that the creature was real, but they could not explain where it came from. Through their interest in the creature, it came to the attention of a wider audience.

As interest in the creature grew, a number of competing theories emerged to explain the iceman's origin. For instance, its exhibitor, Frank Hansen, claimed that it was an early human frozen in ice during the Ice Age thousands of years ago. But a woman named Helen Westring argued that it was a modern animal. In fact, she said that it had attacked her in the woods in 1966, and that she had shot it through the eye, killing it. But the most likely explanation came from a Hollywood special effects artist, Howard Ball, who explained that he had constructed the monster out of latex and frozen it in ice.

Interest in the creature gradually died down as most people concluded that the 'Minnesota Iceman' was a hoax. Its current whereabouts are not known.




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