Then, one week, that peace was broken.
It began with a salesman, traveling alone in the dark, who swore he saw something impossible: a giant winged figure perched on a rooftop, glowing like a lantern. Over the next five nights, doctors, farmers, watchmen, and businessmen all told the same story. A monstrous being with wings like a bat, eyes like burning coals, and a beam of light shining from its forehead stalked their little town.
Guns were fired, search parties were formed, and the stench of sulfur filled the air. They called it the Van Meter Visitor. And when the terror ended, Van Meter was never quite the same again.
Who or What Is the Van Meter Visitor?
Descriptions of the Van Meter Visitor vary slightly, but the core details are consistent:
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Winged, humanoid cryptid — shaped like a man, but with enormous batlike wings.
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Horn or light beam — witnesses swore a bright light shone from a horn-like growth on its forehead, powerful enough to illuminate entire streets.
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Glowing eyes — blood-red and visible even in the pitch black.
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Three-toed tracks — enormous footprints unlike any known animal.
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Overpowering stench — a sulfuric, rotten odor that made men gag.
And perhaps most disturbing of all, it seemed immune to bullets.
For five terrifying nights, the creature stalked Van Meter before disappearing into a local mine—never to be seen again.
The 1903 Encounters: Night by Night
Night 1: The Salesman’s Encounter
On September 29, U.G. Griffith, a traveling salesman, trudged through Van Meter after midnight. Suddenly, he spotted what he thought was a man sitting on a rooftop. But then the figure turned. A blinding light, like a searchlamp, blasted into his face. He staggered backward, covering his eyes. When his vision cleared, the creature spread enormous wings and took off into the night sky. Terrified, Griffith fled and vowed never to walk alone in Van Meter after dark again.
Night 2: The Doctor Takes Aim
The next evening, Dr. Alcott was returning home when he saw the glowing light again. As it swooped closer, he realized this wasn’t a trick of the eye. The winged creature landed just yards away. Raising his rifle, he fired at nearly point-blank range. The blast should have killed anything alive. Instead, the creature simply leapt into the air and flew away—untouched. The doctor was left shaking, certain he had stared into the face of something unearthly.
Night 3: The Bank Watchman
By now, whispers of the strange being were spreading through town. On the third night, Clarence Dunn, the bank’s night watchman, heard strange noises on the roof. Convinced burglars were at work, he crept upstairs with his shotgun. When he flung open the rooftop door, the glow nearly blinded him. The beast crouched like a gargoyle above the bank vault. Dunn fired once, twice, three times. The creature didn’t flinch. With a screech, it spread its wings and glided into the night. Dunn later told neighbors he had never been so afraid in his life.
Night 4: Tracks and Stench
The next morning, curious residents followed the rumors to the edge of town. There, near an abandoned coal mine, they discovered enormous three-toed tracks sunk deep in the earth. Several men tried to follow them, but were driven back by an unbearable sulfuric stench that seemed to radiate from the ground itself. Later that night, farmers claimed the Visitor swooped over their barns, spooking horses and sending chickens fluttering in panic. The whole town buzzed with talk of demons and omens.
Night 5: The Mine Showdown
On the final night, a large group of armed townsmen gathered near the old coal mine, determined to end the terror once and for all. Just before dawn, the Visitor emerged—only this time, it wasn’t alone. A second, slightly smaller creature crawled out of the mine, wings flapping in the early light. The men opened fire, a storm of bullets echoing through the valley. But once again, nothing seemed to harm the beings. Calmly, they retreated back into the mine. The men waited all day and all night for them to reappear. They never did.
Theories and Explanations
More than a century later, the mystery remains unsolved. But theories abound:
Mass Hysteria
Some skeptics argue that the Van Meter townsfolk simply whipped themselves into a frenzy. One person sees something strange, tells a neighbor, and suddenly everyone “sees” it. History is full of examples: the Salem witch trials, or the 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast that sparked panic across America. But can hysteria explain glowing lights, strange tracks, and consistent eyewitness accounts from respected townsmen?
Escaped Animal
Others suggest it could have been a large bird or bat escaped from a traveling circus. Exotic animals weren’t uncommon in the early 1900s. But no bird glows, reeks of sulfur, or shrugs off bullets.
A Demon in Iowa?
Van Meter in 1903 was a devoutly religious community. To many, the Visitor’s sulfuric stench and immunity to weapons were unmistakable signs of something infernal. Some believed God had sent a warning. Others whispered that the mine itself was cursed, a gateway to hell.
An Alien Encounter
Modern cryptid enthusiasts argue that the Van Meter Visitor fits descriptions of extraterrestrials. A glowing light, technology impervious to bullets, retreating into a hidden base—it all sounds eerily similar to later UFO accounts. Perhaps what Van Meter witnessed wasn’t an animal at all, but something from another world.
Similar Legends
The Van Meter Visitor isn’t alone in winged folklore. Its story echoes other terrifying legends:
Mothman (West Virginia, 1966–67)
Perhaps the most famous winged humanoid, the Mothman, was seen dozens of times in Point Pleasant, WV. Witnesses described glowing red eyes and enormous wings. After the Silver Bridge collapsed in 1967, killing 46 people, many linked the sightings to an impending disaster.
Batsquatch (Washington, 1980s)
Spotted after Mount St. Helens erupted, Batsquatch is described as a bat-winged humanoid standing over 9 feet tall. Like the Visitor, it is said to appear near chaos and destruction.
Jersey Devil (New Jersey, 1700s–present)
Born from a colonial curse, the Jersey Devil is a winged beast said to stalk the Pine Barrens. Like the Visitor, it has been blamed for livestock deaths and has terrified generations.
Thunderbirds (Native American Legend)
Among many Indigenous tribes, Thunderbirds are massive supernatural birds tied to storms and lightning. They are revered as powerful but dangerous beings—not unlike a glowing-winged creature terrorizing a town.
The Van Meter Visitor sits at the crossroads of these tales: part cryptid, part omen, part nightmare.
The Festival That Keeps the Legend Alive
Unlike many small-town legends, the Van Meter Visitor hasn’t faded away. In fact, it has become a point of pride.
Since 2013, Van Meter has hosted the annual Van Meter Visitor Festival, drawing cryptid enthusiasts, paranormal researchers, and curious locals. The event includes lectures, guided tours of the town’s historic sites, art exhibits, and even reenactments of the 1903 encounters. Vendors sell everything from T-shirts to glowing “horn” headbands.
Much like the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, the Visitor Festival transforms fear into folklore. What once terrified the town now brings people together, proving that sometimes the scariest legends become the strongest traditions.
How to Survive an Encounter
If the Van Meter Visitor ever returned, what would you do? The 1903 townsfolk tried everything—guns, torches, sheer numbers—and nothing worked. But urban legend survivalists suggest a few rules:
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Avoid Mines and Caves at Night — That’s where it was last seen. Don’t go looking for it.
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Don’t Chase the Light — That mysterious glow lured many closer. Curiosity is deadly.
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Stay in Groups — Most encounters happened to lone witnesses. Fear spreads slower in company.
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Forget the Firearms — If a shotgun blast at point-blank range didn’t work, yours won’t either.
Your best defense? Keep your distance.
Final Thoughts
The Van Meter Visitor appeared for only five nights in 1903, but more than a century later, its shadow still looms over Iowa. Was it mass hysteria? A misidentified animal? Or something darker, drawn to a sleepy town for reasons we’ll never understand?
Perhaps the real terror isn’t the creature itself, but what it represents: that the impossible can appear anywhere, even in the most ordinary of places. And when neighbors, newspapers, and men with rifles all agree they saw the same monster—who are we to say it wasn’t real?
So if you ever find yourself in Van Meter, take a stroll near the old mine at dusk. Watch the treeline. Listen for wings. And if you see a sudden, blinding light cut through the darkness, remember the townsfolk of 1903.
Because some visitors never truly leave.
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