Canada 1860 - Reports of Cannibalism Raise Windigo Fears.

[Trogluddite]

The first story below was published in the Lynchburg (VA) Daily Virginian on May 3, 1860; it is the earliest mention of a Windigo (or Wendigo or Windago) I found on Newspapers.com apart from three stories in 1789 that named a Chief Windigo as one of the signers of a treaty with the young United States.  A short summary of the Red River colony and Selkirk can be found at https://www.britannica.com/place/Red-River-Settlement.  It's an interesting part of Canadian history.

 

The second story appears to be a different incident; it was published in the Ebensburg (PA) Democrat and Sentinel on September 12, 1860.  It is unclear whether either account is based on actual events or are examples of yellow journalism.

 

 

                        

Edited December 11, 2025 by Trogluddite