It is always fun to find the local stories or folklore that is passed down in the small communities from generation to generation. As I researched the , I came across one of the most unusual stories I’ve ever heard locally.
The Griggstown Cow, or “ghost cow,” as it was commonly referred to. What I enjoy most about this story is the fact it started in 1972.
The cow was reported to have inhabited the Millstone flood plain and the Griggstown lock #9 of the Delaware and Raritan Canal. For 30 years, the legend of a “ghost cow” that wandered local areas of the canal circulated.
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The cow was seen many times but only on foggy nights or times of poor visibility. Tales were being told by hunters and hikers of a cow roaming the paths they used, but tracks were never found.
Some people even attempted to take photos but they were always inconclusive. Reports of a lone, owner-less cow wandering around the canal did not seem to stir the local authorities, and they were skeptical.
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The cow eventually was considered a myth, somewhat like the Jersey Devil. On Nov. 23, 2002, a New Jersey Water Authority employee phoned the D&R Canal park office to report that he had seen a cow and it was lying in a ravine not far from the canal.
The bull, matching the descriptions of the locals, was too weak to get out of the ditch.
Rescuers finally hoisted him out and he was examined by a local veterinarian determined to be too weak to go on and he was euthanized. He was buried near the lock he so loved to roam.
