Latest / PNW Haunts & Homicides / The Bizarre Tale of Jake the Alligator Man
Transcript
- 0:00In 1978, Wellington Marsh senior passed away, but his museum is still in the family.
- 0:08And Wellington must have had a soft spot for Jake too, because his likeness is carved
- 0:14on his headstone.
- 0:15Oh my god!
- 0:17To which his granddaughter says, "Well, 100 years from now, you'll be like, 'What the hell
- 0:22is that?'" and quote.
- 0:24I don't think I need to wait 100 years. I feel as though my default reaction is, 'What
- 0:31the hell is that?'
- 0:33Hi, Caitlyn.
- 0:39[BEEP]
- 0:41[LAUGHTER]
- 0:43I was like, "That would be ready to start."
- 0:45I know, and I was like, "I thought I was," and then that just snuck out of there.
- 0:52Hi, Cassie.
- 0:53Was it from the Cortado?
- 0:55Probably.
- 0:56Coffee makes me really burpy.
- 0:59Cortado cult.
- 1:00Can we please do like a bleep button on the burp?
- 1:04I love you so funny.
- 1:07Well, this is PNW, Hanson Homicides, where we chat about true crime, the paranormal, and
- 1:13all things spooky in the Pacific Northwest.
- 1:17Or the PNW.
- 1:18If you're in a nasty.
- 1:20And hi, creepy people. We know you're nasty. I think we forgot to say hi to you after we
- 1:25said hi to each other.
- 1:26And there's a burp situation.
- 1:28Uh-oh.
- 1:29Yeah.
- 1:30But we hope you stick around for the end because we're going to do a little tarot for a little
- 1:36deeper insight into our topic, which we do in every episode.
- 1:39Yeah.
- 1:40Well, before we start today, I did want to mention something.
- 1:43I think we kind of chatted about it last night.
- 1:46But Morbid, covered crater lake.
- 1:49Oh, yes, yes.
- 1:50Okay.
- 1:51I remember this.
- 1:52Yeah.
- 1:53And I just, I thought it was interesting to bring up because I, I almost like didn't listen
- 1:57to it because I was like, oh, you know, obviously I've researched like the shit out of it.
- 2:01I know every detail of the story.
- 2:03Like, I've heard it a million times, you know.
- 2:05Yeah.
- 2:06So it's like, oh, me.
- 2:07I'll just skip that one.
- 2:08But I was like, no, I'm going to listen to it because like, I love the spooky episodes.
- 2:11Obviously.
- 2:12Yeah.
- 2:13And it's just, it's so different.
- 2:15And like, everyone has their own like different take on things and different commentary.
- 2:20And so I just thought it was interesting to bring up like even if you heard a topic a million
- 2:26times, like everyone does it completely differently.
- 2:29I agree.
- 2:30I mean, I think people just have their own personalities.
- 2:33Yeah.
- 2:34Their own takes.
- 2:35They do?
- 2:36So, I mean, some people like, we're not all those copies of each other.
- 2:39Carbon copies.
- 2:40But yeah, it was really funny, really entertaining for me still.
- 2:44And yeah, so I thought I'd bring it up.
- 2:46Excellent.
- 2:47And I, oh, the other reason is that's kind of like why we, one of the reasons we started
- 2:53a PNW podcast because I would always get excited when other pods would talk about our,
- 2:58our, our, our neck of the woods, you know.
- 3:01So it's still exciting when they do.
- 3:05Yeah.
- 3:06Yeah.
- 3:07They know about us.
- 3:09Well, today we are going to be talking about a topic from the PNW.
- 3:13That we're old.
- 3:15We're going to Long Beach, Washington.
- 3:17Oh.
- 3:18That's a long beach.
- 3:21Is about three hours southwest of Seattle on the Washington coast.
- 3:25Population, 1756 as of 2023.
- 3:29Really?
- 3:30That's it.
- 3:31Yeah.
- 3:32I mean, like a small, you know, beach town.
- 3:33Yeah.
- 3:34I've been there that just seems really small.
- 3:36Yeah.
- 3:37It's pretty small.
- 3:38I'm sure it's like full of tourists though, you know.
- 3:40That, yeah, that's it.
- 3:41It's like, seem bigger.
- 3:43Popular for its boardwalk, drive on beach and the Washington State International Kite
- 3:48Festival.
- 3:49Through.
- 3:50And the archway declaring the world's longest beach.
- 3:54Hmm.
- 3:55Which is actually true.
- 3:57I was going to ask.
- 3:58Although it's technically the world's longest beach on a peninsula.
- 4:02Oh.
- 4:03It's at, it's 28 miles long.
- 4:05And if you're wondering like me, what the longest beach of the world is, it is.
- 4:11And I can't roll my R, so I apologize.
- 4:15Praya Do Cassino and Brazil.
- 4:18Brazil.
- 4:19Praya.
- 4:20150 miles long.
- 4:21Oh, wow.
- 4:22Okay.
- 4:23It's so much longer.
- 4:24Yeah.
- 4:25I just rolled my R's pretty good.
- 4:26I don't know.
- 4:27That sounds fun.
- 4:28I want to go to there.
- 4:29Can we go?
- 4:30Can we go to Brazil?
- 4:31The quad trip.
- 4:32Yeah.
- 4:33Why not?
- 4:34The subject of our topic today has been dubbed the Crowned Jewel.
- 4:39Another crowned jewel is something.
- 4:42All right.
- 4:43Of a place called Marsh's Free Museum.
- 4:46Hmm.
- 4:47Where, quote, lies a collection as a wonderous as it is bizarre.
- 4:52Okay.
- 4:53And quote.
- 4:54Sounds about right for you.
- 4:57Probably.
- 4:58It really actually reminds me of the museum of the weird that we went to in Austin.
- 5:02Oh, really?
- 5:03Yeah.
- 5:04It's, that was cool.
- 5:05Pretty similar to that.
- 5:07Okay.
- 5:08Full of oddities and taxidermy and like the two headed calf, a one-eyed lamb, an eight-legged
- 5:16lamb or spider lamb.
- 5:18If you're nasty.
- 5:19Wow.
- 5:20That is nasty.
- 5:21I don't know.
- 5:23I just called it spider lamb because like eight legs.
- 5:26Well, yeah.
- 5:27I mean, that makes sense.
- 5:28I don't know if anyone else calls it that.
- 5:31They should.
- 5:32They should.
- 5:33I made up a new thing.
- 5:34They have things like shrunken heads, human skeletons and antiques, like a roulette wheel from
- 5:42the Alaskan Gold Rush.
- 5:44Oh.
- 5:45And I am like, I don't know what's wrong with my brain.
- 5:48I kept reading it as Russian roulette wheel.
- 5:51Oh.
- 5:52And I was like, they had just like a wheel of guns.
- 5:55Like, what?
- 5:56Like the gold rush was like, what does a Russian roulette wheel?
- 6:03The gold rush.
- 6:04Right.
- 6:05It's a gold rush.
- 6:06Like that's just brutal.
- 6:08I'll tell you.
- 6:09So I read it like 10 times and I was like, oh my god, it literally just says roulette wheel.
- 6:13Like, I'm so dumb.
- 6:17Your brain really wanted to take that to the next level.
- 6:21They were just gambling.
- 6:22They weren't shooting.
- 6:23Well, they might have been shooting.
- 6:25I mean, there was probably some of that too.
- 6:28There could have been wheel of guns.
- 6:29Who knows?
- 6:30Who knows what was going on in that gold rush?
- 6:32I mean, the Wild West.
- 6:34Am I right?
- 6:36There's antique arcade games where you can get a fortune or measure the intensity of your
- 6:42romantic passions.
- 6:44Ooh.
- 6:45And I do have a photo.
- 6:47Test your passion.
- 6:49Passion.
- 6:50Test your passion, factor, chair.
- 6:52Oh, okay, say that.
- 6:54Literally ever again.
- 6:55Test your passion, factor, chair.
- 6:56I have a chair.
- 6:57I have a chair.
- 6:58Oh.
- 6:59Do you notice anything weird about this, chair?
- 7:01The slit right there in the middle of the seat.
- 7:03Why is there a hole in the seat?
- 7:05Y'all.
- 7:06I don't know how I feel about that, but I don't think it's positive.
- 7:11Isn't that weird?
- 7:12I assume it's just from people sitting on it through time, but it seems kind of weird that
- 7:18it's like a test your passion, chair, and there's a fucking hole in it.
- 7:21You know what that reminds me of?
- 7:23The glory hole?
- 7:24It's always sunny.
- 7:25Oh.
- 7:26The exercise bike that Mack makes.
- 7:28Oh, my God.
- 7:30We need you to describe it to us.
- 7:32No, I'm going to need someone to get a YouTube clip of, oh, yeah, I need YouTube clip.
- 7:41There are no words.
- 7:42You just have to have visual already.
- 7:46Moving on from the glory hole chair.
- 7:49On November 9, 1993, the headline on the front page of the weekly world news was, quote,
- 7:59half human, half alligator discovered in Florida swamp.
- 8:03Okay.
- 8:04Exclamation point.
- 8:06I mean, the location at least makes sense.
- 8:09Right.
- 8:10That's all I got.
- 8:11I'll show you the photo.
- 8:14That looks totally real.
- 8:17Yeah, it's interesting, right?
- 8:18Uh-huh.
- 8:19So the article claims this is, quote, "man's missing link, a grotesque hissing creature
- 8:26with the head and upper body of a human and the dragon-like lower body of an alligator."
- 8:33That's good.
- 8:34Has been captured alive just miles from here in the big cypress swamp end quote.
- 8:41Okay.
- 8:42So I thought it was funny that they like said, dragon-like lower body of an alligator.
- 8:48Yeah.
- 8:49Just say alligator.
- 8:50Just say alligator because dragons aren't real.
- 8:53Yeah, I agree that that also struck me as odd.
- 8:57I'm like, you could have just said alligator.
- 8:59Just leave it at alligator.
- 9:01If the word you're looking for is alligator, well, there it is.
- 9:04There it is.
- 9:05Just use that one.
- 9:07The article goes on to say, quote, "Of course, an intense search is underway to locate
- 9:12any other gator man creatures."
- 9:14End quote.
- 9:15Of course.
- 9:16Or a hunt them down.
- 9:19For the years, there was several other articles on this same gator man from the Florida swamp.
- 9:26I'm going to read you some of them.
- 9:28Oh boy.
- 9:29Half alligator, half human kills Miami man and escapes from laboratory.
- 9:35Laboratory.
- 9:36It's alive.
- 9:37Yeah.
- 9:38That's exactly what I was thinking.
- 9:39Well, that's one of the, that's one of the, oh, okay.
- 9:46It's alive.
- 9:47Yeah.
- 9:48It's alive.
- 9:49Half human, half alligator captured in Florida everglades.
- 9:53And then, last but not least, half alligator, half human gives birth.
- 9:59Oh, okay.
- 10:00They claim he had a little baby alligator man.
- 10:04Okay.
- 10:05Okay.
- 10:06The bottom half is alligator.
- 10:10So to me, you don't, they don't, they don't give birth.
- 10:17They lay eggs.
- 10:18You know, so I am not going to try to analyze the mysteries of nature here.
- 10:27Okay.
- 10:28I was going to say maybe that's the wrong thread to pull that.
- 10:30I don't know.
- 10:31I don't know.
- 10:32Nature is miraculous.
- 10:33All right.
- 10:34Out there just wild and, but this is not just any old half human, half alligator.
- 10:40No, this is none other than Jake, the alligator man.
- 10:47Okay.
- 10:48The crowned jewel of Marsh's free museum.
- 10:51Okay.
- 10:52Okay.
- 10:53All right.
- 10:56The picture used for these stories was actually stolen from a souvenir postcard sold
- 11:02at the museum.
- 11:03Oh.
- 11:04Okay.
- 11:05Which they've now sold over 30,000 by the way.
- 11:08Oh, yeah, I bet.
- 11:11But it did put Jake on the map as one of the founding fathers of Freaks right up there
- 11:16with the Fiji mermaid.
- 11:17Great.
- 11:18Love that.
- 11:19Yeah.
- 11:20Have you seen the Fiji mermaid?
- 11:22I think so.
- 11:24I've heard of it.
- 11:25I don't know if I've actually ever seen the original.
- 11:29Oh.
- 11:30Alrighty.
- 11:31It's very convincing.
- 11:34I'm just going to play with these wires to comfort myself because I forgot my rock.
- 11:41So this is Jake, the alligator man at Marcia's free museum in his enclosure.
- 11:46And I'll show you more pictures later.
- 11:48I can't wait.
- 11:50There's so many pictures.
- 11:52Hopefully.
- 11:53Besides the kind of obvious fact that he is a mummified, a seemingly mummified, half-man,
- 11:59half-alligator, not much is known about how Jake came to be in this state.
- 12:05You don't say.
- 12:07Yeah.
- 12:08Not like the state of Washington, but just like his state of being, you know, existence.
- 12:13Yeah.
- 12:14How did Jake come into this world?
- 12:16No one really knows.
- 12:18His life prior to being purchased in 1962 to be a feature of the Marsh's unique collection
- 12:26remains a mystery, which seems to be part of Jake's allure.
- 12:30Sure.
- 12:31It's very mysterious man.
- 12:32We all like a mysterious man, right?
- 12:34A man of mystery.
- 12:36But naturally, people have their theories and stories.
- 12:40Sort of a chicken or the alligator, chicken or the egg.
- 12:44The dinosaur, the dragon?
- 12:46Yeah.
- 12:47Yeah.
- 12:48Go with that.
- 12:49Some of the activities people claim that Jake was up to when he was alive, it's alive!
- 12:55Are things like hanging out in New Orleans brothels, smoking cigars, drinking whiskey, performing
- 13:03in carnivals, terrifying anyone who came across him in the sand dunes of Pakistan or casually
- 13:09just being a serial cannibal?
- 13:11Oh.
- 13:13Some of those make me real uncomfortable.
- 13:16The sand dunes in Pakistan was very specific.
- 13:19Yeah.
- 13:20I mean, how's he getting to Pakistan, by the way?
- 13:24They think that's where he came from.
- 13:27I really don't know.
- 13:28Okay.
- 13:29Nobody knows.
- 13:30It's a mystery.
- 13:31Sure is.
- 13:32Sure is.
- 13:33But the people of Long Beach embrace their weird little unofficial mascot.
- 13:38Okay.
- 13:39Hopefully by now everyone knows one like we say weird, it's totally a compliment.
- 13:44Oh, absolutely.
- 13:45I think Jake is the coolest.
- 13:47This is a pretty high weirdness factor.
- 13:51Oh yeah.
- 13:52High weirdness.
- 13:53They really love him in this town and you'll see I break for Jake bumper stickers.
- 13:58Oh, that's cute.
- 13:59I did have pictures.
- 14:01I don't see an I break for Jake bumper sticker, but I see like this is one of their stickers
- 14:06that they sell at the museum.
- 14:08Oh my.
- 14:09It's my friend Jake and it has a you know, cartoon of him Long Beach, Washington.
- 14:16And then there's also like a shirt with his silhouette on it.
- 14:20March is free museum.
- 14:22It says establish in 1921.
- 14:23I think we'll get there.
- 14:25Honestly, I think the silhouette is more horrifying.
- 14:29I think so too.
- 14:30Yeah.
- 14:31Yeah.
- 14:32Cause it's like what the fuck is this?
- 14:33Yeah.
- 14:34I think silhouettes are often more horrifying.
- 14:37Like that's like shadow people are scary because like you can't see their features, you know?
- 14:43That's true.
- 14:44He's also been given a key to the city.
- 14:46Where does he keep his key for the city?
- 14:49In his alligator butt.
- 14:51Around his neck.
- 14:52I don't know.
- 14:53In his little enclosure, maybe a buried in the sand.
- 14:55We don't know what he Jake's up to.
- 14:57They've even celebrated his birthday since 2007.
- 15:00Oh.
- 15:01Now with a weekend festival.
- 15:04It used to be like just kind of like a small birthday party, but it evolved into a weekend
- 15:09long festival.
- 15:10It's become a whole big Shindig.
- 15:12At this festival, there is live music, a vintage car show.
- 15:17Okay.
- 15:18And the Burlesque Bachelor party.
- 15:23What is that exactly?
- 15:25Well, yeah.
- 15:26Like why does Jake need a bachelor party, you ask?
- 15:30Well because after that is the bride of Jake Beauty Pageant.
- 15:35Okay.
- 15:36Where women compete to be Jake's bride.
- 15:40Excellent.
- 15:41They do say it's more of like a funny lighthearted talent show than like a beauty pageant.
- 15:48But I do have pictures.
- 15:50Oh, oh boy.
- 15:52So here is Jake at one of his birthday parties.
- 15:55It's called little hat on.
- 15:58They take him out.
- 16:00Okay, that person who is also in the shot their face is almost more horrifying than oh,
- 16:07Jake with his girls.
- 16:08No.
- 16:09Jake party and drinkin.
- 16:12Okay.
- 16:13There's a very sexy photo of Jake and a woman on a picnic blanket.
- 16:17Okay.
- 16:18I was going to say this is very like weekend at Bernies, but that is just too weird.
- 16:24Isn't it amazing?
- 16:25And here's Jake with this key to the city around his neck.
- 16:28Oh.
- 16:29That's where you keep your key to the city.
- 16:30That's right.
- 16:31You don't have one.
- 16:32You know what?
- 16:33That's true.
- 16:34That's true.
- 16:35That's true.
- 16:36Valid criticism.
- 16:37Maybe we'll have to see if we can find an alligator or something.
- 16:47Well, it's funny.
- 16:48You say that.
- 16:49It's because now that I have given away what's it?
- 16:54I have.
- 16:55Okay.
- 16:56All right.
- 16:57Alligator feeds.
- 16:58From New Orleans.
- 16:59How cute.
- 17:00And you know, that's where Jake liked to hang out supposedly in New Orleans brothels.
- 17:07So which is I have a lot of concerns.
- 17:11Yeah.
- 17:12Follow up questions potentially about.
- 17:14I will save those for later.
- 17:17So since no one really knows how old Jake is since they don't know when he was born, where
- 17:22he came from, how long he's been around, they celebrate his 75th every year.
- 17:28On or around August 1st.
- 17:35So he's only oh also that's another significant date in your life.
- 17:42Yeah.
- 17:43Ruh.
- 17:44I don't know.
- 17:45Do people know that you're wedding date?
- 17:47I think so.
- 17:48I think so too.
- 17:49I think we talked about it.
- 17:50I think anybody cares.
- 17:51Yeah.
- 17:52I just don't want like out your wedding data.
- 17:54Yeah.
- 17:55And by the way, this was top secret before now, but I take it very don't I guess first.
- 17:59So this year we can't celebrate your anniversary.
- 18:01We will have to celebrate Jake's birthday party.
- 18:0375.
- 18:04I can't celebrate my first wedding anniversary.
- 18:06I have to celebrate Jake.
- 18:08He's turning 75 all again.
- 18:12I'm sure my husband will be fine with that.
- 18:15Let's go.
- 18:16That would be fun.
- 18:17I feel like that makes sense too.
- 18:21Like with all of the attention he gets that he is a Leo.
- 18:23Oh.
- 18:24But yeah, that branding is it's it's it's on point.
- 18:30Jake used to attend his birthday parties, which you saw on the photos.
- 18:35But now he's actually well, some of the photos you may have seen the real Jake now he's too fragile
- 18:40to attend his parties.
- 18:42Yes, I see in the glass case.
- 18:44Especially since the last party he did make an appearance at.
- 18:50He ended up on the missing mangator list.
- 18:54Okay, so I would assume that's a short list.
- 18:58Yeah, there was it was probably one just him.
- 19:01Yeah, you did get him back thankfully, but the police were involved.
- 19:06But don't worry, there is a stunt Jake.
- 19:11They call the party or excellent.
- 19:14So most of those pictures I showed you was like the party or Jake.
- 19:18Okay, well, that's fitting.
- 19:20We're doing stuff.
- 19:22Now, I know all the stories about Jake's life sounds kind of out there.
- 19:28Obviously, it's all allegedly Jake's early life, you know, the New Orleans stuff, the brothels,
- 19:36the sand dunes, Pakistan.
- 19:38Yeah, I mean, it could be a little bit of a stretch, but you know what ifs.
- 19:43Sorry, if you heard dog barking in the background once in a while, we'll try to get her to shut
- 19:47up.
- 19:48Yeah, we make no promises.
- 19:51Could you come up here and lay down quietly?
- 19:53Come on, baby.
- 19:54That's what oh, she's barking at the little deer.
- 19:57Oh, there's like four of them down there.
- 20:00Look at their little butts.
- 20:02Look at them.
- 20:04There's the kids.
- 20:05Oh, yeah, one just pulled.
- 20:08Oh, such a magical place.
- 20:10Okay, and I know today that this episode is being released happens to be that one very
- 20:17special, tricky day of the year.
- 20:20Oh, so right about now is maybe when you're expecting me to say those three little words.
- 20:28April Fool's bitch.
- 20:30Oh, but I actually cannot because the story's true.
- 20:38I was like, I'm gonna have to figure out the rotation here in advance and take this episode
- 20:45out of your schedule.
- 20:47It was like, we're taking April Fool's off every year for ever.
- 20:51No, we're not.
- 20:52It's too good.
- 20:54I know though that like this, like all of this, like having a bride of Jake, like beauty
- 21:00passion, this sounds like it could be like an April Fool's joke.
- 21:04It really does.
- 21:05It really does.
- 21:06We do a photo evidence.
- 21:09So I mean, nothing is to be said about his, his before life, you know, with all that
- 21:15shenanigans, obviously, you know, maybe that's, there's not a lot of truth in that, but all
- 21:21the rest of it is true.
- 21:26And now I feel like I have to prove it to you by telling you how Marsh's free museum got
- 21:30started.
- 21:31Okay.
- 21:32So picture it long beach 1921.
- 21:34The 20s.
- 21:37Wellington Marsh senior opens an ice cream shop and candy shop and then a tavern and then
- 21:44kind of giving Bob's burgers.
- 21:47He opens a temporary burger stand for crowds that drew to Gawk at a shipwreck.
- 21:53Oh, doesn't that sound like something like Bob's burgers would do?
- 21:56Honestly, it's so 1920s of it.
- 21:59I just, I can't, which then let him to open up a restaurant and bar.
- 22:04Okay.
- 22:05Well, I mean, sure.
- 22:06He's like, listen, this whole temporary thing has worked out well.
- 22:09What if we, what if we just, what if it was permanent made that ship permanent?
- 22:15I thought the shipwreck was kind of interesting too.
- 22:19Okay.
- 22:20So this is the shipwreck and it was kind of giving like Titanic fire.
- 22:24Yeah.
- 22:25This is kind of crazy.
- 22:26This is why I thought it was interesting.
- 22:27So I'll tell you a little bit about it.
- 22:29It was a 300 feet passenger liner steamship carrying 39 passengers and 65 crew members named
- 22:37the Admiral Benson, which we compared the Benson hotel to the Titanic.
- 22:44Oh, that is weird.
- 22:47It's just kind of like a full circle mismatch.
- 22:50Yeah.
- 22:51One of those synchronized things.
- 22:55It is considered one of the biggest shipwrecks in the area known as the graveyard of the Pacific.
- 23:01So it was pretty big wreck.
- 23:04Yeah.
- 23:05It was obviously a few other wrecks to be known as the graveyard of the Pacific.
- 23:10I would say.
- 23:12So people watched it there for days because it was stuck and they couldn't get it out.
- 23:17That is so crazy.
- 23:18Yeah.
- 23:19So that's why there was a burger stand because people were sitting there watching this thing.
- 23:23But it's not still there.
- 23:25I don't know.
- 23:26It's not still there.
- 23:27I think it either like got destroyed or they destroyed it to move it out of there.
- 23:32Like it.
- 23:33Yeah.
- 23:34The beach was later named Benson Beach.
- 23:38So back to Wellington's new restaurant.
- 23:42This was during the Depression when people couldn't really afford their tabs so they would
- 23:46pay with items of interest or as like a placeholder until they could pay their bill.
- 23:52So I think that's kind of like a pawn shop or you like give them something in exchange.
- 23:58I don't know.
- 23:59I was like a placeholder.
- 24:00Like you either keep this or I'll come back and call my bill.
- 24:03Yeah.
- 24:04That's the word I'm thinking.
- 24:05Yeah.
- 24:06Thank you.
- 24:07So Wellington would put these items on the wall and it sort of drew people in to come and
- 24:11look at like the random weird stuff on the wall that people would leave there.
- 24:16And that was the start of Marsh's free museum.
- 24:18Oh my God.
- 24:19In 1935 he opened the museum and its own building next to the world's largest frying pan and
- 24:27world's largest razor clam.
- 24:29Okay.
- 24:30And I actually have a pick of the frying pan and that's Wellington.
- 24:37He's like in the frying pan.
- 24:39In the frying pan and I'll read you what it says quote, "Marsh senior spread eagled in
- 24:44front of the world where the frying pan to show its size."
- 24:48I mean it is accurate.
- 24:50And they do mean spread eagle like arms.
- 24:53But when I think spread eagle I think legs and it's like showing its size when I think
- 24:59it's funny.
- 25:02But he is spread eagle with his arms.
- 25:04In 1968 Wellington's children bought Jake the alligator man from a local antique dealer
- 25:10for $750.
- 25:12Today's money is $6,848.36.
- 25:17So I think I'd be pretty upset.
- 25:20There's a point to end nearly $7,000 on that but it's not like not a small amount.
- 25:25And at first they were like this is too much and actually left.
- 25:30But Mrs. Marsh was infatuated with Jake so she persuaded her husband to go back and buy
- 25:35him.
- 25:36Okay.
- 25:37So I don't know Jake the lady's man.
- 25:41I mean, really?
- 25:43Saying something.
- 25:44Wow.
- 25:46Before that Jake's first known origin was the cliff house in San Francisco.
- 25:52Which there's a lot of info on that and we will be coming back to that in the future.
- 25:58Oh, I'm not going to tell you anymore about the cliff house in San Francisco right now.
- 26:04Right now.
- 26:05Then in 1972 they moved to a newly built location across the street from the frying pan and all
- 26:11that.
- 26:12And I think the frying pan and razor clams are still there as far as I know.
- 26:18And then in 2010 thanks to a senior project they installed the world's largest chopsticks
- 26:2530 feet long in front of Marsh's free museum.
- 26:29Oh my gosh.
- 26:30So they still got free.
- 26:31They still got big old biggest things outside their museum.
- 26:35I love that.
- 26:37In 1978, Wellington Marsh senior passed away but his museum is still in the family.
- 26:44And Wellington must have had a soft spot for Jake too because his likeness is carved on
- 26:50his headstone.
- 26:51Oh my gosh.
- 26:52To which his granddaughter says, well, 100 years from now, you'll be like, what the hell is
- 26:58that?
- 26:59End quote.
- 27:00I don't think I need to wait 100 years.
- 27:04I feel as though my default reaction is what the hell is that?
- 27:11No one really cares how Jake came to be and something it's better not to know.
- 27:15Oh.
- 27:16Gives him that.
- 27:17The mystique.
- 27:19But if you're a knowledge seeking bitch like me, you must know.
- 27:24I need to know.
- 27:26I mostly wanted to know that this wasn't like a house of a thousand corpses situation where
- 27:33they turned white shrewt into fish boy.
- 27:36I know you probably haven't seen this movie.
- 27:38No.
- 27:39And all is that sounds terrible.
- 27:40So the rain Wilson was in this movie and they're murderers and they so they like, they make
- 27:47him into a fish boy for their like oddity.
- 27:50Oh yeah.
- 27:51Yeah.
- 27:52Yeah.
- 27:53Yeah.
- 27:54They put like tail on them.
- 27:56Yeah.
- 27:57It's it's gruesome.
- 27:58Yeah.
- 27:59I can imagine.
- 28:00Yeah.
- 28:01So yeah, I wanted to know like this wasn't like a real purse like a real head, you know.
- 28:06I was concerned.
- 28:08Yeah.
- 28:09But it is not it is not a person or creature.
- 28:12It's art.
- 28:14Most people think that this might be the artwork of Homer Tate and this is someone who did
- 28:20very similar artwork in the 40s and 50s.
- 28:25He was the top supplier for tourist traps inside show attraction items.
- 28:30Okay.
- 28:31Okay.
- 28:32Which for the record, I am a sucker for tourist trap.
- 28:36And I don't think it's like a negative thing.
- 28:38I think it's so fun.
- 28:39Well, it just depends on what you're looking for.
- 28:42Yeah.
- 28:43I mean, you can take trips where you're going to go and you're going to eat it.
- 28:45Like all of the fun, so you just risk rolls.
- 28:48And then there are going to be trips where you eat like chili cheese fries and go and
- 28:53see the largest frying pan or or jake gale get her man.
- 28:56Yeah.
- 28:57Some of the things he made were like shrunken head replicas because obviously you can't
- 29:02have real like shrunken heads.
- 29:04Yeah.
- 29:05Wolf Boy, which is in season six episode two of American pickers.
- 29:12And the thing which resides at the Bowen travel center in Texas Canyon, Arizona.
- 29:21Okay.
- 29:22Which is apparently so remote that everything is reading about it specifies that it's about
- 29:2820 miles east of Benson, Arizona.
- 29:32Oh, it's not weird.
- 29:35Another fucking Benson in the story.
- 29:37Yeah, that's weird.
- 29:39And it's like, I just thought it was interesting.
- 29:41Like it really doesn't have anything to it's not in Benson, but like it's so remote that
- 29:45you have to specify where it's at.
- 29:48So like that's the only way we can help give you sort of a geolocation.
- 29:5220 miles east of Benson.
- 29:54Alrighty.
- 29:55So now that we've come full circle with all the Benson's.
- 29:59Yeah.
- 30:00Really?
- 30:01That is the end of my scale detail.
- 30:04But I am left with one question.
- 30:07Is it Jake the alligator man or Jake the man alligator?
- 30:13Not sure, but that's really the only question.
- 30:16And it's not an April full show.
- 30:23Okay.
- 30:24Oh, I did want to show you.
- 30:27Okay.
- 30:28So this is some of the stuff that Homer Tate did.
- 30:30This is him and his little workshop with his art.
- 30:34Very odd things.
- 30:36And then the thing kind of looks like what we saw in Austin with like it was like the Ice
- 30:43Man or something.
- 30:44It was like this.
- 30:45It's like in like a concrete enclosure and you go up and look through the window, the
- 30:50glass window on top.
- 30:51Makes you feel like it could break out.
- 30:53Yeah.
- 30:54Yeah.
- 30:55I didn't really see any pictures of it.
- 30:56That's kind of the only picture I saw of it.
- 30:58But I didn't like dig super deep.
- 31:00I mean, you got a few threads you're pulling on.
- 31:03Yeah.
- 31:04A couple.
- 31:05And then there is also one post I wanted to show you.
- 31:09So it is Jake the alligator man and the unipyper, which the unipyper is a port like a famous Portland
- 31:18street performer.
- 31:19He does the bagpipes with flames on a unicycle.
- 31:24Yeah.
- 31:25Yeah.
- 31:26So apparently he went to the jigsworthy at one point.
- 31:29And then I couldn't find it on the website, but the website said you could put your own
- 31:35Jake fan club ticket.
- 31:36I couldn't find where you could do that.
- 31:38But I found a picture of one of the fan club printout on his enclosure.
- 31:44I like wanted to find one of those and put our names on it.
- 31:48It says, Hell yeah.
- 31:49Jake the alligator man fan club.
- 31:51This certifies that link is a member in good standing.
- 31:55That's so cute.
- 31:56Yeah.
- 31:57That's the end of my Scaly tail.
- 31:59Scaly daily.
- 32:00Do you think we should do some hair over this?
- 32:04Ooh.
- 32:05But of course.
- 32:06I think we're going to have to pause so I can go throw up.
- 32:08I'm not.
- 32:09Be ready.
- 32:10Okay.
- 32:11I brought cards little enough for you to shuffle.
- 32:14Not that full.
- 32:16I brought my cabinet terium deck of cards.
- 32:21So it's like oddities.
- 32:23I thought it was very appropriate.
- 32:26Yeah.
- 32:27Wow.
- 32:28Yeah, they're really cool looking.
- 32:30Yeah, this is the most expensive deck of cards I've ever bought.
- 32:33But it was so worth it.
- 32:35I can't remember where I got it.
- 32:37I got.
- 32:38We were together, I think.
- 32:40Yeah, I feel like I remember you buying these.
- 32:42I cannot remember for the life of me either.
- 32:46We probably talked about it on an episode because I know we used them like right after
- 32:49a bottle.
- 32:50So anyone remembers where we acquired these?
- 32:54And then I go back and listen to all the episodes and see when I probably be sure to listen
- 32:59to all the ads.
- 33:00You know, yeah.
- 33:01Maybe twice, two, three times, you know, probably.
- 33:04You're not doing anything all of that.
- 33:06Yeah, look how small these are.
- 33:08It's just a regular deck of playing cards.
- 33:09I know what it like compared to doing like tarot just seems like these are so tiny.
- 33:14Like I can barely keep them in my hands.
- 33:16They're so tiny.
- 33:17Yeah.
- 33:18Okay.
- 33:19I think I'm about jakey alligator man's is.
- 33:23I was such a fun episode to research too.
- 33:27Oh, yeah.
- 33:29When I was researching and I came across the cliff in, or was it cliff, I can't remember in
- 33:34San Francisco.
- 33:35And I came across that and I was like, there's so much tea here.
- 33:40That's what I was like freaking out yesterday while I was researching.
- 33:46I'm feeling this.
- 33:48Oh.
- 33:50This is like the chaotic alligator man man alligator.
- 33:55I'm just here.
- 33:56I'm just here for the ride.
- 33:58Are you feeling any any areas of interest?
- 34:02I always feel like kind of in the in like the center.
- 34:06I feel like I'm always pulled.
- 34:09Like kind of drawn to like the middle.
- 34:11Oh, okay.
- 34:13Oh.
- 34:15We got like a planter kind of and it's green.
- 34:19Hmm.
- 34:20It could be like an alligator tail and there's a man's face on it.
- 34:24Oh.
- 34:25Yeah.
- 34:26Actually, that is it works.
- 34:29Yeah.
- 34:30I mean, it's not totally unlike him.
- 34:33I will say that.
- 34:34It's the three of the pentacles.
- 34:38Do we need to check clubs?
- 34:41Is that clubs?
- 34:42It is.
- 34:43Yeah.
- 34:44Oh, that's interesting.
- 34:45Cardamansi, clubs symbolizes the five fingers of the hand can represent working with one's
- 34:51hands or making something interesting like home or take making things, you know, with
- 34:58his hands and that is interesting.
- 35:02No.
- 35:03Okay.
- 35:04Are you getting a match to a suit?
- 35:07I didn't look that up yet.
- 35:08I just like for some reason randomly came across that like I just typed in like clubs in
- 35:13Cardamansi to see what would come up.
- 35:16What was your suit?
- 35:17Okay.
- 35:18So I did.
- 35:19I fully thought it was pentacles.
- 35:23Is it cups?
- 35:24No, it's ones.
- 35:26We haven't done this in a while.
- 35:28So yeah.
- 35:30Fully thought I would just like pick up a regular deck and remember everything, you know.
- 35:35Diamonds are pentacle.
- 35:36I was like, okay, I feel like that makes sense.
- 35:39Yeah.
- 35:40Okay.
- 35:41One.
- 35:42This is why we were drawn to look it up and not trust our judgment.
- 35:45I mean, could you imagine?
- 35:47We have ones.
- 35:50I want to say it's a very mysterious car.
- 35:54Okay.
- 35:55Three of ones are keywords are creativity and skill, self-expression, growth, competence,
- 36:06and manifestation.
- 36:08I feel like all of that, especially with like Wellington, Mars, and all of his businesses.
- 36:13Oh.
- 36:14Yeah.
- 36:15Kind of an entrepreneurial.
- 36:16Yeah.
- 36:17That was like one of the words they used to describe him for sure, because he like saw
- 36:20the opportunity of like the shipwreck and all those people just standing there with nothing
- 36:25to eat.
- 36:26Dude, you're gonna, okay.
- 36:28Read on.
- 36:30Now is the time to show the world what you can do.
- 36:34You've worked hard to develop your talents and have confidence in your abilities.
- 36:42You feel passionately about what you do and believe you can inspire others.
- 36:47Express yourself.
- 36:48Express yourself.
- 36:49Okay.
- 36:50In the upright position, it says you've developed a project, business, creative endeavor,
- 37:01or other venture, and now you're ready to share it with others.
- 37:05Yeah.
- 37:06A couple of few of them.
- 37:08Yeah.
- 37:09Maybe like a burger stand.
- 37:10I don't know, whatever.
- 37:11I'm casually amused.
- 37:12You see them.
- 37:13That's lasted till present day.
- 37:16Like, yeah.
- 37:17By devoting yourself fully to your goal, you can succeed.
- 37:22Do what's necessary to bring your dreams to fruition.
- 37:25Oh.
- 37:26Like buying a $750 jake theater man.
- 37:30It would be like almost $7,000 now.
- 37:33No.
- 37:34No.
- 37:35No.
- 37:36I don't know.
- 37:37I'd buy.
- 37:38I buy a lot of things I don't need.
- 37:43Yeah, they're usually not $7,000 though.
- 37:45No.
- 37:46Just these like oddity cards that were like, you know, oh, we needed those.
- 37:50Like $35 for the darkest time.
- 37:53In a reading about money, the upright three shows increase and financial support coming
- 37:59to you.
- 38:01You may have to spend money to make money.
- 38:06But this card promises success.
- 38:09In a reading about work, this card suggests an exciting time when your efforts start to bear
- 38:15fruit.
- 38:16Ooh.
- 38:17You're giving it your all, inspiring others and attracting people who are eager to help
- 38:22you.
- 38:23Your ideas begin to take form.
- 38:26Collaboration can be beneficial.
- 38:29If you ask about a relationship, the three indicates a commitment, an engagement or marriage.
- 38:35No way.
- 38:37That's crazy.
- 38:39Right of jake.
- 38:42Right of jake and stunning.
- 38:44It is kind of a jake and stunning.
- 38:46Well, and then the fact that the celebration is on the same day as my wedding day.
- 38:51Yeah, that is so fun.
- 38:53It's so weird.
- 38:54You and a partner express passionate feelings for each other and celebrate your love.
- 38:59They said one of the things that it could be like a talent show that the woman does to
- 39:04become bright.
- 39:05So she'll do like a talent or she'll like just profess her undying love for jake.
- 39:11Like this.
- 39:12Okay, there's a short extra excerpt.
- 39:16Hidden alliances work to move you into your authentic vocation as soon as you begin to
- 39:22commit to it.
- 39:24Should I try out to be a bride of jake?
- 39:28Should I join the beauty pageant?
- 39:30Is that what the cards are telling me?
- 39:34Sure.
- 39:35I'm doing it you guys.
- 39:36I'm doing it this year.
- 39:38Not that's not April Fool's either.
- 39:40I'm doing it.
- 39:41Oh, you need a slight jacket.
- 39:45Oh my God.
- 39:48That would be me in a beauty pageant.
- 39:51That's all.
- 39:52That's all she wrote.
- 39:53That's all folks.
- 39:54I have been eyeballing this one though.
- 39:59I hadn't but now I am.
- 40:01There's one card sitting here and it's just like on the cord.
- 40:04So I'm just curious what it is.
- 40:06Yeah.
- 40:07Oh, it's another like slightly green.
- 40:11It looks like weird scissors.
- 40:14Yeah.
- 40:15That almost looks like a mermaid, like a fin.
- 40:17Oh, like the Fiji.
- 40:19And it also looks like infinity symbol.
- 40:22Oh.
- 40:23Eight one, baby.
- 40:25Mm-hmm.
- 40:26And I feel like this is in reverse because this would be afraid.
- 40:30Oh.
- 40:31I think.
- 40:32Okay, so what is the space?
- 40:34So, the space is sort.
- 40:36Okay.
- 40:37So I double check but I'm worried.
- 40:39So, sure.
- 40:40Yeah, sort.
- 40:41So we got the four swords.
- 40:43In reverse, he wears our rest recuperation, retreat, solitude, introspection and recovery.
- 40:51That's what Jake needs because he's got to be behind that cape.
- 40:53You know, I was just thinking that I owe boy.
- 40:57Even the, on the original card, like the imagery kind of looks like someone who could like
- 41:02be in a glass case, like just like a land there.
- 41:05Yeah.
- 41:06I meant like last case of emotion.
- 41:10Four symbolized stability.
- 41:12This card represents withdrawing and resting in order to get your bearings after a time of
- 41:17trouble.
- 41:19Went too hard on the weekend with Bernie's thing.
- 41:22You know what I realized, too.
- 41:23This looks like a lock of hair that it cut off.
- 41:26And they did talk about like Jake's wispy, like orange hair that he has on his head.
- 41:34And this kind of looks like it.
- 41:36Roos!
- 41:37That's hilarious.
- 41:39Okay, let's go to the reverse.
- 41:42The reverse for indicates you need to rest but aren't giving yourself the timeout you
- 41:47require.
- 41:48If you continue the way you're going, you could even make yourself sick.
- 41:52I thought what I just did.
- 41:53I was going to say that one feels a little targeted.
- 41:58Unless you allow your mind, body and spirit a chance to recover, the situation will grow
- 42:03worse.
- 42:04Well, I think they're doing that at least for Jake.
- 42:06I feel like maybe I need to take this advice, too.
- 42:10I think you may need to have a little lie down later.
- 42:12Yeah.
- 42:13My therapist would agree.
- 42:14I, yeah, I'm sure.
- 42:18In a reading about money, the reverse for can indicate remorse about a financial matter.
- 42:24Oh, I feel like there wasn't that with Jake, but maybe the husband was like, "Damn it."
- 42:30Because the wife made him go back and buy it, so I mean there could have been some remorse.
- 42:35Could be.
- 42:37Perhaps you continue pushing yourself to make money, depleting your energy even though
- 42:42you really need to take a break.
- 42:44So maybe he just was like, "I don't want to make a museum."
- 42:47It's interesting, too, because it's a free museum.
- 42:52I mean, it's in the name.
- 42:53So they're making money from their postcard selling, I assume, or maybe donations.
- 43:00So I mean, I can't imagine they're making a ton of money, you know?
- 43:05But it's got to be a lot of effort that goes into it.
- 43:07Oh, yeah.
- 43:08I mean, look at us.
- 43:09Oh, my God.
- 43:10You're going to shit.
- 43:11I've already done that today.
- 43:14No, this is, we literally just talked about this.
- 43:20Okay.
- 43:21If the reading is about your job, you have trouble dealing with the stress and demands
- 43:24in your workplace, but can't see away out of the situation.
- 43:29Your head spinning and you're running on empty.
- 43:32Perhaps seeking advice from a counselor or someone you respect can give you a new perspective.
- 43:39Okay, cards.
- 43:40Hmm.
- 43:41This was about Jake.
- 43:43Not about Kathy.
- 43:45That's why I was feeling drawn to that card, though, and you didn't really even notice it.
- 43:50Yeah.
- 43:51Oh, because I'm ignoring it.
- 43:53I'm like, yeah, no, thank you.
- 43:55I don't need to hear those messages.
- 43:57No.
- 43:59In a reading about love, this card can signify giving up on a relationship or giving in with
- 44:06regrets.
- 44:07I mean, he does have to find a new bride every year.
- 44:09Yeah.
- 44:10It's demanding is what it is.
- 44:12It's a lot of work for 75 year old.
- 44:15I mean, come on.
- 44:17In some cases, it may mean a temporary situation so you can heal old wounds, gain clarity and work
- 44:24on yourself or make burgers.
- 44:27Really, I think I'm hungry.
- 44:30I think that's why we keep coming back to the burgers.
- 44:34I'm sorry.
- 44:35Call about those burgers.
- 44:36No extra zirps.
- 44:37No.
- 44:38All right.
- 44:39Well, I'm going to read this little paragraph that I miss because it's so cute.
- 44:44And obviously, I was like, wait a minute.
- 44:46I didn't even say the cute thing that I wanted to talk about.
- 44:50Okay.
- 44:51And it's kind of a circle, another circle moment, too.
- 44:55Oh.
- 44:56So in 1944, Wilts' vacationing in Florida, well, I'm going to notice the successful souvenir
- 45:03shell shops.
- 45:04Say that fact.
- 45:05I said, oh, no, I wouldn't.
- 45:07Successful souvenir shell shops.
- 45:08Dang it.
- 45:09Shush.
- 45:10So he was like, hmm, my museum's at the beach.
- 45:14Maybe I should sell sea shells down by the long shore.
- 45:18Oh.
- 45:19The long beach, get it?
- 45:23Although he did have to import the shells because whole shells, like whole local shells
- 45:29are hard to come by.
- 45:31But they apparently give customers a tiny shell glued to a card to this very day.
- 45:37Oh.
- 45:38It's not so fucking cute.
- 45:41That's adorable.
- 45:42And he noticed that while vacationing in Florida, and then they steal his alligator man photo
- 45:49and then say it's from Florida.
- 45:50So it's just like another interesting thing.
- 45:53Christy.
- 45:54I thought that was so cute, the little sea shells.
- 45:56I want a tiny little glued shell.
- 45:57I love a tiny sea shell.
- 45:59And they just give shit away.
- 46:01We're free.
- 46:02Where's mine?
- 46:03We got to go.
- 46:04We got to go visit Jake and get our free sea shell if they still do it.
- 46:06I don't know, 100% for sure.
- 46:08But we're going to find out.
- 46:10We are going to find out.
- 46:12Long beach isn't that far away.
- 46:14No, it's really not.
- 46:15Yeah.
- 46:16I think we're done.
- 46:17It's fucking Sunday.
- 46:18Let's go.
- 46:19Yeah.
- 46:20We're going to get back to the nothing.
- 46:21Do nothing.
- 46:22Yeah.
- 46:23Rest is important.
- 46:25Allegedly.
- 46:26We're going to go rest to like Jake and a glass case.
- 46:32I just had the best idea.
- 46:33We need to get replicas of ourselves the partyers that we just set out at parties.
- 46:40People can put birthday hats on us.
- 46:42I think maybe you need the rest.
- 46:45I think the ideas and maybe they'll regenerate with a little rest.
- 46:51All right.
- 46:52If you say so.
- 46:53That's a creepy ass day.
- 46:56We'll see you next Tuesday.
- 46:58Or we'll see you later, alligator.
- 47:02You're going to say the second part of it.
- 47:06What?
- 47:07After a while, crocodile?
- 47:08Oh.
- 47:09You don't know that?
- 47:10I was like, I don't know.
- 47:11I didn't realize that was like the second half.
- 47:15After a while, crocodile.
- 47:19Somebody get me a goddam burger.
- 47:22Oh, my head hurts.
- 47:32Am I doing it?
- 47:34Am I doing it?
- 47:36Am I okay?
- 47:37Yeah, I think you sound like yourself.
- 47:39Okay, good.
- 47:40We're going to hope that I can get the pills.
- 47:43So I think we're okay.
- 47:44I'm just hoping the migraine isn't contagious.
- 47:47It better fucking not be.
- 47:49It's the weather though, I think.
- 47:51The weather did it.
- 47:52It's swed away.
- 47:53It is nice for recording those.
- 47:55Not too sunny.
- 47:56So we're not getting blasted from the back.
- 47:58Yeah.
- 47:59Nobody likes getting blasted from the back.
- 48:01Unless you’re nasty.
- 48:04Oh no. pnwhauntsandhomicides.com