Halloween Countdown 2009: Monster #5

For over a century a creature known only as "The Gromb" has haunted those who would wander out into the rocky sun-baked areas of Western Nevada naive enough to think that the harsh elements were the worst of their fears.

Early silver miners told a tale of a bear-sized beast with fangs as long as pick-axes and paws the size of wagon wheels hiding among the shadowed crevasses and natural rock caves that jutted the bleak landscape.

Most assume the stories were concocted to keep would-be claim jumpers and other competition away from the promise of silver and other valuable minerals, but others believe the stories hold some ancient truth, and that the spirit of a long forgotten Indian totem haunts the land seeking retribution for the sins of western settlers.[Artist Sketch of "The Gromb" based on several eyewitness accounts.]