[Transcript]

Journey Through the Black Hills

We're about to drive a long and lovely stretch of Custer State Park Forest. As we do, I want you to let your mind wander. Try to imagine what it must have been like to travel through these woods back around the year 1900. 

You'd probably be traveling on horseback, right? What do you suppose you'd see? Lots of wildlife, sure. Perhaps a few mining camps? And definitely a cattle ranch or two. By the early 1900s, there were several well-established ranches in the area, and things were relatively peaceful. 

The Rise of the Custer Wolf

That is until... A ferocious monster began terrorizing the Black Hills. People living out here in the wilderness were accustomed to dealing with predators. The influx of cattle meant that most prey animals, like bison and elk, were getting pushed out.

So ranchers were always on guard when it came to wolves, coyotes, and mountain lions that were trying to make meals of their livestock. But no one had ever seen the likes of the Custer Wolf. The beast began its reign of terror in 1911, attacking cows in the dead of night.

Within a single week, the wolf mutilated over 30 cattle across the Black Hills. This was way more destruction than a wolf usually caused. And this one didn't just kill to survive. 

The Legend Grows

It seemed to enjoy the kill, as if it had some sort of vendetta against the ranchers. Soon, stories of the Custer Wolf spread throughout the Black Hills. Local newspapers called the wolf the cruelest, most sagacious, and most successful animal outlaw, and the master criminal of the animal world.

It got to the point where ranchers actually put a bounty on the wolf's head. That year alone, hunters killed 55 gray wolves, but none turned out to be the wolf. For nine years, from 1911 to 1920, hunters continued the search. 

Meanwhile, the Custer Wolf cost the local ranchers a staggering $25,000 in lost livestock. Folks in the Black Hills were beginning to think that the Custer Wolf was invincible. Could it be some grotesque hybrid of wolf and mountain lion? Was this wolf seeking vengeance for the killing of its brethren? Could it actually be a supernatural monster? Well, finally, in 1920, they got their answer.

The Hunt Concludes

The U.S. Department of Agriculture sent their best hunter, H.P. Williams, to settle the matter. His orders were to stay there until that wolf is dead. For six months, the Custer Wolf eluded the master hunter.

H.P. saw it many times, and he observed that the wolf had made allies with two coyotes, which walked in front of it sort of like bodyguards. And just to be clear, that is not normal behavior for wolves nor coyotes. Finally, on a chilly morning in October, H.P. spotted the wolf fleeing from one of the traps he'd set. 

The trap had injured the wolf, and it couldn't outrun H.P.'s rifle. With one pull of the trigger, H.P. ended the Custer Wolf's reign of terror. Well, naturally, the locals wanted to see the beast that had tormented them for nearly a decade.

The Reality Behind the Legend

But they were stunned to find that their nemesis was just an ordinary North American gray wolf. Not only that, but it was actually kind of small for a male. It weighed just 98 pounds, and its fur was white with age.

H.P. Williams went on to write a book about his adventures tracking the beast. There's even a restaurant in the town of Custer called the Custer Wolf. We'll never know why the Custer Wolf acted the way it did.

But one thing is for certain, while it may be dead, its legend lives on.