Thursday, December 22, 2016

Florida - Harper's History Vol 1 #10

by Scott Harper

  "Skunk Ape" is the term commonly used in the state of Florida for Sasquatch—or Sasquatch-like creatures. There is actually ample evidence that the beings in Florida are some type of subspecies, rather than Sasquatch as we tend to think of them. The Skunk Ape, many reports claim, are thinner, leaner, have sparser hair, are more openly aggressive, and tend to have varying numbers of toes. Tracks have been found displaying only two toes—as if the normal five were merged together with only a divide in the middle—up to six, or even seven toes per foot.





  The leading hypothesis as to why the creatures in that region seem to be to altered is inbreeding due to isolation. Still, it isn't only the Sasquatch which are smaller in Florida. Most mammal species are. Deer, squirrel, opossum, raccoon, rabbits, etc. all tend to be smaller, and leaner than their counterparts further north in the United States. At least this is true in Central, and Southern Florida. Given the warmer climate, and very mild winters there, animals don't need the bulky fat supply to keep them warm, and nourished. This may, at least in part, account for the leaner Sasquatch so often reported in the state.
  The name "Skunk Ape" comes from the unspeakably putrid stench commonly reported in association with the creatures. Having lived in Florida for fourteen years, and suffered the legendary Florida heat, and humidity for all that time, it's no stretch of the imagination to think of how it's possible for them to smell so bad! Still, despite this, smell isn't a factor in every sighting; not even in ones where the creature is seen fairly close up. This lends support to the hypothesis that these creatures can emit that signature stench at will, as a warning, or defense, perhaps.





  Presently, Florida ranks as number four in the United States for the most Sasquatch sightings. It is surpassed only by Washington (#1), California (#2), and Oregon (#3) in the number of sightings recorded each year. Many of these sightings come out of the Everglades. However, when I lived in Florida, I lived in Pasco County, about 20 minutes north of Tampa. Pasco County can sometimes see 30 or more sightings reports per year alone. However, it isn't only today in which we find sightings of the creatures in the Sunshine State.
  Native American tribes in Florida have a long, rich history of stories involving Sasquatch. However, they are typically unwilling to speak of these with anyone not of their own tribe. Still, it isn't only the native tribes who have had sightings of, and encounters with these beings.
  August of 1884 saw a very peculiar occurrence in the area of Ocheesee Pond in Jackson County, Florida. After several sightings of a hairy "wild man", a party of men gathered, and forayed into the swamps with the intent of capturing the creature. According to record, they succeeded. The being they brought back was described as "emaciated", and "covered with a phenomenal growth of hair". The creature was sent to Tallahassee. The records regarding the captured being end there. No one seems to know what became of it after the transfer.





  In 1947, or 1948, a young man spotted a Sasquatch among a stand of pine trees while riding his horse. Based on the movements the creature made, the young man thought the Sasquatch may have been scratching its back on the tree in the manner of a bear. This took place near Palatka, Florida.
  While boar hunting in the everglades in 1957 a man sighted what he first thought to be a bear. However, the creature stood up on a pair of legs, standing roughly 8-feet-tall. The being had reflective orange/yellow eyes. The hunter didn't wait to see more; he ran back to his truck, and left the area.
  Near Hollywood, Florida—not far from the Everglades—in 1960 a driver spotted what he described as a 5-foot-tall "adolescent Skunk Ape" walk out of a drainage ditch alongside the road.
  1969 saw two sightings near the town of Davie, Florida. In the first, a man encountered a "smelly, growling" Sasquatch in an old, abandoned guava orchard. In the second, a "huge, black" Sasquatch was treed by dogs in an orange grove. The creature swung through the trees, and dove into a canal to escape.






  The state of Florida boasts a wide, diverse ecosystem. It has plenty to offer in the way of resources for a being such as Sasquatch. Parts of the state are still heavily forested, and swampy. These areas would provide plenty of cover, water, and food in the way of plants, fish, birds, eggs, insects, larva, amphibians, and prey mammals. Not to mention the abundance of human garbage for those with an inclination—or need due to age, illness, or injury—to scavenge close to people. Given the sightings records, and native awareness of these creatures, it seems apparent that not only are they taking full advantage of what Florida has to offer them now, but they have been doing so for quite some time.


About the Author

 Scott Harper is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 published short stories, and several novels. Harper grew up in Ohio, and graduated from Marysville High School in 1993, and began screenwriting in 2007, after the publication of several short stories and novels. He has worked on projects for James Tucker Productions, and 11th Dimension Films. He is currently involved with several projects, covering literature, film, and comic books. He was also a contributing writer for "Nuclear Winter Entertainment" for several months before that site shut down. Scott is very happily married to bestselling paranormal author Desirée Lee. Together, they have a wonderful little girl, and are working jointly on several projects. Those projects include multiple books, as well as the hit webcomic "MoonWraith." 


  More information about his work can be found on his website: www.scottharper.net



Blog Post by Dan Lindholm





Monday, December 5, 2016

Delaware - Harper's History Vol.1 #9

by Scott Harper


  Delaware seems to be another state without any real history where Sasquatch is concerned. Although Delaware is a long way from Colorado, the two states share this in common, at least. While researching this article, I ran into the same issue—a distinct lack of historical sightings—that I had in the Colorado piece for this series of articles.





  Why is that? Let's take a look at American history. Delaware was the first US state; it was one of the thirteen colonies to partake in the American Revolution. Since Europeans have been on land now know as the United States, we've been in the area we know today as Delaware. Back then, there was no dearth of trackless forest for Sasquatch to retreat into in order to avoid the new settlers arriving from England. Given that, it's really no surprise that people back then didn't have a lot of encounters with Sasquatch.





  Add to that the stiff religious beliefs of the time, coupled of the common labeling of Sasquatch as "demons" or "devils" and such. Even if settlers encountered such beings would they be apt to speak out about their sighting in such conditions?
  Looking at Sasquatch sightings today, we find a few in the state of Delaware. Have a small population been there all along, and people are only now talking about them? Or have a few Sasquatch ventured into the tiny state simply because they have nowhere else to go given human encroachment upon the wilderness?





  The earliest account I'm aware of for the state of Delaware is the one mentioned in John Green's iconic book "Sasquatch: The Apes Among Us" on page 227. Mr. Green speaks of a newspaper article collected in his files of reports, which lacks a date. He surmises that it "seems to be fairly recent". Given as the book was first published in 1978, that would likely put the sighting sometime in the early-to-mid 1970s. The report is simply that a group of teenagers claimed to have spotted a "half-man, half-animal running on two legs in the woods near Cedar Swamp, near Selbyville." From there we jump to the 1990s for the next report I've been able to find from the state of Delaware.

  Did early Americans see Sasquatch in the forests, and just not talk about them? Or did the Sasquatch flee West, North or South keeping ahead of the settlers, and avoiding contact with them? It's a question we may never have a definitive answer to.


About the Author

 Scott Harper is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 published short stories, and several novels. Harper grew up in Ohio, and graduated from Marysville High School in 1993, and began screenwriting in 2007, after the publication of several short stories and novels. He has worked on projects for James Tucker Productions, and 11th Dimension Films. He is currently involved with several projects, covering literature, film, and comic books. He was also a contributing writer for "Nuclear Winter Entertainment" for several months before that site shut down. Scott is very happily married to bestselling paranormal author Desirée Lee. Together, they have a wonderful little girl, and are working jointly on several projects. Those projects include multiple books, as well as the hit webcomic "MoonWraith." 


  More information about his work can be found on his website: www.scottharper.net



Blog Post by Dan Lindholm





Friday, November 4, 2016

Connecticut - Harper's History Vol.1 #8

by Scott Harper


   Research history in Connecticut with a slant toward Sasquatch sightings, and one topic you'll likely run into, over and again, is the story of "Leatherman". It seems that Leatherman was actually a real person—but not a Sasquatch.

  In the 1800s, Leatherman walked a circuit of three-hundred-sixty-five miles that took him through parts of New York and Connecticut. He did so like clockwork, wearing a 60-pound leather suit which he never took off, even in the hottest of weather—hence his nickname—taking thirty-four days per loop. Leatherman was found dead in one of his crudely-built shelters in March of 1889. He has been immortalized by "Ripley's Believe It Or Not", and a song by Eddie Vedder of the rock band Pearl Jam.





  I suppose it's the strangeness of Leatherman, and his strictly adhered to hobo trail, not to mention his odd clothing, that gives him enough strangeness to be lumped in with an officially undiscovered North American great ape species in people's minds. There are however, some legitimate Sasquatch from the era.

  In August of 1895 a witness, who was picking berries near Colebrook at the time, reported that a Sasquatch ran at him, "yelling", chasing him off. Was the Sasquatch protecting a food source by chasing off a competitor?

  Some versions of the above report state that the creature chased the man's dog, and the dog ran to the man, apparently seeking protection. The interesting point there is that we have numerous reports on file connecting Sasquatch and dogs. In some of them the dogs seemed to be running with the Sasquatch, as pets, or helpers on a hunt. In other reports, the dogs seemed to be prey being carried away. The latter would certainly explain the fear the witness's dog had of the Sasquatch.




  Not long after, seemingly in the same year, a man reported spotting a Sasquatch stealing two chickens from his chicken coop.

  Also in the same year, two women visiting the same area of Connecticut from New York reported seeing what they thought might have been an ape escaped from a circus standing up on its hind legs.

  Again, in the same general region, and time, a police officer saw what he described as a "gorilla". He chased the animal until losing its trail in a swampy area.





  Speculation arose—and seems to still exist—that all of the sightings listed here were of one Sasquatch, spotted several times. If so, it must have either left the area, or learned to hide better, because reliable sightings from the 1800s pretty much vanish at that point in Connecticut. Look into sightings from the early-to-mid-1900s up until today, and there is a steady stream of them. Historically speaking, however, there doesn't seem to be very many.

  What could cause the upswing in sightings in more modern times? Could it be the numbers of people out and about in the Connecticut woods hiking and camping during their leisure time? Or have Sasquatch been forced to migrate into areas they didn't traditionally frequent due to human encroachment upon their habitats? Or is it a bit of both?



About the Author

 Scott Harper is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 published short stories, and several novels. Harper grew up in Ohio, and graduated from Marysville High School in 1993, and began screenwriting in 2007, after the publication of several short stories and novels. He has worked on projects for James Tucker Productions, and 11th Dimension Films. He is currently involved with several projects, covering literature, film, and comic books. He was also a contributing writer for "Nuclear Winter Entertainment" for several months before that site shut down. Scott is very happily married to bestselling paranormal author Desirée Lee. Together, they have a wonderful little girl, and are working jointly on several projects. Those projects include multiple books, as well as the hit webcomic "MoonWraith." 


  More information about his work can be found on his website: www.scottharper.net



Blog Post by Dan Lindholm





Monday, September 26, 2016

Colorado - Harper's History Vol.1 #7

  by Scott Harper


  Researching this particular article taught me a lot. Unlike the previous articles in my on-going series of historical Sasquatch sightings across the United States, this one is something of a paradox. Why? Well, when most people hear the word "Colorado" they mentally leap to images of rugged mountain territory, lush forests, and deep ravines. That's just what much of the state is—prime Sasquatch country.





  Sightings, and stories of "monkey men" in the region supposedly go back to at least the 1800's in the area where the Pikes Peak Highway now runs. We know that in roughly 14,000 BCE our ancestors were migrating through the area, spreading out over the North American landmass.
  The paradox?
  Contrariwise to the above, there isn't much on official record in the way of Sasquatch sightings from times past. I've searched, and searched, and found no confirmed sighting reports older than the mid-1900's.
  It isn't just me. To quote famous Sasquatch researcher John Green from his well-known book "Sasquatch: The Apes Among Us" (1978) "Colorado is one of the states where Sasquatch reports are all but unknown. I do not have a single report from there with the minimum details as of who, what, when, and where." (p. 44) And, "...there is a virtual blank in the sightings report map that sweeps south and east through Nevada, Utah and Colorado." (p. 172) 
 






  The area of land that the world knows as Colorado today has a very long history. The past few hundred years have been rife in Colorado with skirmishes, and all-out war, between Native Americans, and other cultures. Could the violence of these centuries be a major reason why Sasquatch sightings have been so rare until modern times, despite the perfectness of much of the state's habitat for Sasquatch?
  Still, evidence of the presence of Sasquatch in the state is lent by the number of places in the state named for such beings. Devil's Head, Devil's Den Cave, Devil's Backbone, Devil's Hole Mine, Devil's Knob pillars, and other such places scattered around the state suggest a very long habitation of Sasquatch in the area. Often these beings are considered by Native Americans to be demons, or devils. Places where they are frequently seen, heard, or encountered tend be labeled with names such as these.






  We're faced with a region that seems perfect for Sasquatch, and, in recent decades, there has been a steady flow of sightings, and other encounters reported from the state of Colorado. Yet, despite the seeming perfection of the state for Sasquatch, we have zero solid reports once we look back much more than fifty, or sixty years. Given the climate, and environment, we would expect just the opposite of Colorado. Could this situation by brought about be, as mentioned earlier, the times of war between Native Americans, and others? Or is there another, less obvious explanation for this discrepancy within Colorado where Sasquatch are concerned?



About the Author

 Scott Harper is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 published short stories, and several novels. Harper grew up in Ohio, and graduated from Marysville High School in 1993, and began screenwriting in 2007, after the publication of several short stories and novels. He has worked on projects for James Tucker Productions, and 11th Dimension Films. He is currently involved with several projects, covering literature, film, and comic books. He was also a contributing writer for "Nuclear Winter Entertainment" for several months before that site shut down. Scott is very happily married to bestselling paranormal author Desirée Lee. Together, they have a wonderful little girl, and are working jointly on several projects. Those projects include multiple books, as well as the hit webcomic "MoonWraith." 


  More information about his work can be found on his website: www.scottharper.net



Blog Post by Dan Lindholm





Thursday, July 28, 2016

California - Harper's History Vol.1 #6

by Scott Harper

Say anything regarding Sasquatch in the state of California, and most people automatically leap to the world-famous film footage recorded by Roger Patterson, in the company of his friend Bob Gimlin. That recording was made in 1967, at Bluff Creek, which is roughly 40 miles south of the state border with Oregon. The film is 952-frames-long. Frame #352 of Patterson's footage is probably the most recognized image of a Sasquatch in the world. It's the famous shot of the creature, looking back over her shoulder as she walked away from the two men.
California has a very long history of sightings—and other encounters—of Sasquatch reaching back well before Roger Patterson recorded the aforementioned historic film, however.




Going back to 1769, Spanish priests were warned by local native tribes, upon founding a mission in San Diego, of foul-smelling "hairy devils". These creatures were said to live in the forests nearby.
Around 1876, a Sasquatch caught the blame for a series of murders at a water stop on a stage coach line. During a stop for water, one stage coach passenger who had gotten off the coach for a drink reported seeing a large hairy creature watching him from the cover of some brush. Not long after, several people in the immediate area were found dead, having been beaten, or strangled to death. In 1888 two hunters went out looking for the creature. They planned to shoot it, thus ending the string of murders in the area. They also planned to take the body to San Diego, to put it on display. They claimed to have succeeded in killing it, but the body vanished before arrival in San Diego.
November 10, 1870 saw the publication of an article in the "Titusville Morning Herald" called "The Wild Man of California". The piece covered the sighting by a hunter who, upon returning to his camp after a day in the forest, discovered a Sasquatch in his camp. He hung back, watching as the creature proceeded to scatter ashes from the campfire, and generally explore the campsite. As the creature—presumably male—left the camp, it was joined by another that the witness classified as female. The pair wandered quietly away together.





The newspaper "Del Norte Record", from Crescent City, printed a report in 1886 concerning a sighting by several men. The men claimed to have spotted a 7-foot-tall "wild man" near the town of Happy Camp, which is about 60 miles north of Willow Creek. One of the men had a gun, but refused to shoot at the creature, claiming that it looked "too human".
In 1939 a gold prospector claimed to have had an encounter with "upright walking apes" at his camp in the Borrego Sink area. He credited his campfire with keeping the creatures from attacking him during the night. He reported that they seemed to be afraid of the flames.
August of 1944 saw a report from Siskiyou County—the county in which my family, and I live—what seems to be a family of three sasquatch, describing what appears to be a male, a female, and a juvenile spotted together. The sighting occurred near Yreka. Upon realizing they had been seen, the trio of creatures immediately walked into denser woods, and out of sight.
The summer of 1950 brought in a report from San Bernardino County. The witness heard whistling, and "chomping noises". Upon moving to investigate the sounds, a "hairy, man-like creature", which was said to be very muscular, was seen. The creature simply walked away upon being spotted. The witness left, but returned to the site later, and discovered very large footprints.
About the same time of year, in Ventura County, a young runaway girl was on horseback when she spotted three young Sasquatch. She estimated the oldest of the trio, a female, to be a teenager. The other two were smaller, and younger. When first seen, the creatures were drinking from a steam. Upon realizing they had been spotted, the oldest one took the smaller ones by the hand, and led them away from the scene, into denser trees, and better cover. The witness commented that none of the three seemed frightened of her, only cautious.




In the autumn of 1955, a Boy Scout, who was camping with a group, got up during the early morning hours to use the latrine. He heard tree limbs breaking. Upon turning his flashlight beam in the direction of the disturbance, he spotted a tall, shaggy creature with eyes that glowed orange. The Sasquatch was swaying from side-to-side, watching the boy. Frightened, he ran back to his tent, shouting, and made no further attempt to see the creature again. On a side note, such side-to-side swaying, or rocking motions are very commonly reported behavior of Sasquatch.
In the autumn of 1956 a teenager witnessed a tall "ape-like creature" walking along the top of a ridge. The creature was about 40 yards from where the teen sat.
In the summer of 1957, three children claimed a sighting of a Sasquatch near Eureka, California.
Two construction workers reported a sighting of a Sasquatch about 45 miles northeast of Eureka, California in 1958. 16-inch footprints had previously been reported in the same region.

California remains a hotspot for Sasquatch sightings right up to today. Many new sightings are officially reported each year. No one knows just how many sightings actually take place, though, as a large number of them go unreported. People who are afraid of being laughed at, losing prestige at their jobs, or other negative backlash often keep completely quiet about their sightings for years after it occurs. Some researchers have speculated that up to two or three times as many sightings take place as are actually reported in some official capacity.



About the Author

 Scott Harper is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 published short stories, and several novels. Harper grew up in Ohio, and graduated from Marysville High School in 1993, and began screenwriting in 2007, after the publication of several short stories and novels. He has worked on projects for James Tucker Productions, and 11th Dimension Films. He is currently involved with several projects, covering literature, film, and comic books. He was also a contributing writer for "Nuclear Winter Entertainment" for several months before that site shut down. Scott is very happily married to bestselling paranormal author Desirée Lee. Together, they have a wonderful little girl, and are working jointly on several projects. Those projects include multiple books, as well as the hit webcomic "MoonWraith." 


  More information about his work can be found on his website: www.scottharper.net



Blog Post by Dan Lindholm





Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Former Police Officer Shares Experiences in Southern Oregon

By Jerry Aaronson



  It was the fall of 1976. I was 16 years old living in Medford, Oregon. I grew up in a family that hunted a lot and spent a lot of time in the woods. This was my first hunting trip where my cousin and I could go out on our own. We drove his old gold Willies Jeep out to an area approximately 12 miles east on Hwy 140 and at least 8 miles north to north east up the mountain on Salt Creek Road. Even though I have hunted there a lot in recent years I don’t remember the exact location in the Salt Creek area but I know we were still on the south side of the mountain.

  We found an area that we decide to walk through which was mostly Manzanita and
some areas were really hard to get through. We spread out about 50 yards from
each other and walked down hill parallel to one another. We had been walking for
about 4 minutes at the most when I heard my cousin shoot his rifle and then start
screaming “run! run! get out of here!” He sounded absolutely terrified. I could hear
him running back in the opposite direction so I ran back up the hill and came out on
the dirt road ahead of him and closest to the Jeep. I still didn’t know what was going
on and expected a bear to come out behind him, but when he came out on the road he was white as a sheet and barely able to talk and  was crying. I just turned and ran because I wasn’t sure what was going on. He then started panicking more. ( I later found out because he thought I would get to the jeep before him and leave.) I was the faster runner and I got to the jeep a little ahead of him and he came to the jeep and tossed his rifle inside and could barley squeeze out “get in leave! leave!” seeing him this scared, scared me really bad. I fumbled for the keys and was able to get the jeep started and we headed out of the area I kept asking him what happened and he would just say to leave. He was shaking and his eyes were as wide as they would go. It wasn’t till we got down to the lower part of salt creek that he was able to talk enough to tell me what happened.  

  He said as we were going through the brush that he heard something make a noise in front of him in some Manzanita. so he took the barrel of his gun and pushed the brush off to the side a bit and that is when he saw three large sets of feet sticking up and three sets of eyes in the dark brush. When I asked him what kind of feet (thinking it was some kind of known animal that scared him) he just said huge feet all in a row. He said he remembers seeing reddish brown hair and hearing a low growling type sound that he said originally he felt on his body. It scared him so bad that he took a step back and fired a shot into the ground and took off running. He didn’t really want to talk about it much and over the years when asked he would say he doesn’t want to talk about it and eventually would say he doesn’t remember. Even though I wasn’t far away I don’t remember hearing any growl myself but was moving through the brush at the  same time so may not have heard it over my own movement. He passed away from cancer in May of 2016 so I can no longer ask him about it.

  In 1993 I had resigned from being a policeman to move back to Oregon and I started taking my boys hunting in Salt Creek. Eight years of law-enforcement left my memory crowded with other traumatic things so the incident with my cousin wasn’t even on the grid. On several different hunts on the north side of the mountain I had rocks being thrown at me and thought ‘who is throwing rocks?’ Rock throwing is done by hunters sometimes to try and spook game out of brush and is usually done in an area where you are looking down from a good view point (a smart buck won’t easily spook out with this method). But there were no higher places adjacent to where I was. I started looking around to see where the rocks were coming from and hid in the brush for some time waiting and watching the game trail and old skid road not seeing or hearing any hunters. There weren’t too many ways into where I was and I could watch most of them but never saw anybody else during any of those incidents. Not able to make since of where the rocks would be coming from I even speculated that maybe the crows that were flying around where dropping the rocks, but non of them were really close enough to me or where the rocks sounded like they were landing nor do I know if crows do such a thing, I just know they are very intelligent.

  I walked away with no real answers. Several of these rocks sounded like they hit within feet of me but I never saw them. On other hunts in there l also experienced the intense feeling of being watched, but that just made me more observant and was still not even thinking about a bigfoot, because that was the furthest from my mind at the time. They say large cats will make you feel that way, and we have plenty of cougar in that area, so I was on the look out for cats when I had the experiences of being watched.

  It wasn’t until I watched a show on Sasquatch that I had a renewed interest in the whole bigfoot topic and found the BFRO site and started reading a lot of the reports, some were recounting instances where people had rocks thrown at them so it was then that I thought that both my rock throwing experiences possibly could have been encounters with Bigfoot.

  I later found a BFRO report from the same area (Report #674) where two bow hunters found prints and had a sighting at one of the numerous stock ponds in the Salt Creek area . It was then that I remembered the incident with my cousin and thought that possibly his encounter was with a bigfoot family. I just wish he would have talked about it so I could have asked him more detailed questions. We hunted Salt Creek from the Salt Creek Ridge to Wasson Canyon and from the Hwy 140 side south to the Butte falls highway north and it does have a lot of game and ponds. Indigenous game would be, Elk, black tail deer, cougar, bear, bobcat, coyote wild turkey, grouse, quail, and they have a lot of open range cattle. There is a lot of blackberries. Other Indigenous plants and trees would be Scrub Oak, Cedar, Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fir, Vining Willow, and Manzanita to name a few. Sadly as with most areas now all the old growth timber is gone and it has been logged pretty heavily in recent years. Last time I was in there the double day area still had some old growth.

  I do remember a report of somebody spotting a family of three Bigfoot in the Green Springs area above Ashland, Oregon on the south end of the rogue valley area and that would have been in the early 70's. I believe those were reported to have reddish colored hair and that is only about 20 miles as a crow flies from where we were in 1976 when my cousin had his encounter.


  The BFRO report that I mentioned  (#674) was one of the few that actually had the reporting parties name on it, so I looked in the Medford phone book and made a phone call. I was able to get ahold of the man who’s name was *(removed)*, and asked if he could remember which stock pond he was at when he saw Bigfoot, (wondering if it could be the one up by Salt Creek Ridge), or maybe one of several up closer to Wasson Canyon.  He couldn’t remember but was very nice and seemed like a level-headed man.  He said that they had found the tracks at the pond and eventually went and got plaster to cast the print.  It was during the casting that something moved on the hillside above them, and he witnessed two hairy legs running into the brush.  He said he never hunted in there again after that.   I asked if he still had the print but unfortunately he had loaned it to his nephew and never saw it again.



Blogpost by Dan Lindholm







Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Dave Groves Detailed Sasquatch Sighting Account

     


Dave Groves Shares His Sasquatch Encounters With Ed Brown



by Dave Groves

My encounter happened in the spring/summer months of 2010. I took a friend to the Marienville/Timberline ATV trails northeast of Marienville Pennsylvania in the Allegheny National Forest, to ride ATV’s for the day. Allegheny National Forest covers approximately 515,000 acres or 800 square miles of protected wilderness. The Forest is pretty dense in most spots and has many types of terrain. From my understanding the Allegheny National Forest is one of the least densely populated areas east of the Mississippi River. Surrounding the Forest are more woodlands and farm country.
The 2 trail systems we were riding that weekend join together and make an approximate 60-80 mile loop from the northern end down to the bottom, and then back up the other side of the loop. My encounter happened on our return back up, heading North. I remember it rained very hard the night before and through the early morning because my friend, who was new to ATV'ing, didn't bring rain gear. We had to go into town to buy him some cheap rain gear and then headed up to the trail.
It rained the first half hour or so of our ride and I remember the sun coming out and it was turning into a really nice day for a ride. For those that ride ATV’s, they know that the rain makes mud, which is much more fun to ride in than dust. A few hours into the ride, having stopped and observed some beaver dams, some very old oil wells, a couple logged out areas where you could see for what seemed like miles and other cool sites that the forest has to offer, I was getting in more of a hurry to get back - it was approaching the end of the day. My buddy was way behind me so I decided to stop on the trail and wait for him. I usually don't separate from atv buddies when riding, but this part of the trail was an abandoned logging trail and pretty easy so I rode ahead awhile and then decided to stop and wait for him. He didn’t ride fast or dangerous; he "putted" so I knew he was safe, just slow. If he didn't show up I would turn around and meet up with him.
I wasn’t sitting long. I just took my helmet off and my ATV was still running, as I remember hearing the fan kicking on to cool down the engine. That’s when I noticed rocks kept hitting the front right side of my ATV. They weren’t large rocks, maybe about or just smaller than hand sized. It took a minute or so before it occurred to me that I was stopped and that rocks should not be flying through the air and hitting my atv. I was turning my head towards the right to follow the path of these "air rocks" as I called them, when my turn stopped. I noticed this dark figure, approximately 70-90 feet away, that appeared to be in a sitting or crouching, or just a low position, stand up into an upright position. I’ll never forget how it seemed to pop right up like it was on a spring, with very little effort. I never made eye contact with it; my eyesight was lined up right on its right side while it was facing me. It appeared to be taller than a normal human – best guess at this point would be 7 foot or so, and not a bear for sure. It was VERY broad at the shoulders. Almost freakishly broad – I remember that very well. It was on 2 legs and I could see its right arm hanging down, which was on the left side because it was facing me. I remember wanting to watch its arm and hand to see if “it” was armed or what it might be doing. That is funny to me now, because for some reason I assumed it was right handed. I noticed that it didn’t turn and walk away, but rather it stepped straight backwards into the brush and the trees and not take its aim away from me. It stayed square to me as it was moving backwards. This all happened in the span of no more than 30 seconds, from the time I noticed something squatting or sitting, until it moved backwards. When I play it it over and over in my mind, it seems more like 30 minutes. At this point an overwhelming fear just filled my mind, and I remember feeling like I shouldn’t be in this spot right now. I don’t remember shaking in fear or anything like that, but I felt warm and almost like I was going to puke. So I hit the gas and took off.  I wish now that I wouldn’t have just fled, but the feeling that came over me was not like I’d experienced before. I had my smart phone/camera in my fender bag and it NEVER occurred to me to get it out and start video. I honestly couldn’t move for a short period of time.
I have been surprised by people walking up on me in the woods and have hunted all my life, so animal encounters, even bear-from a distance - do not scare or alarm me. I was in the military for 6 years, and actually had the honor to serve as SEAL TEAM 4 and SDV TEAM 2 (the old UDT TEAM 2) support, as part of a spec war boat crew. During that time, I had many highly anxious experiences as one could imagine. (I.e.: in country support for the Grenada team that rescued the college students in the early to mid 80’s, as well as providing small gunship support in Lebanon in the early 80’s and several off shore central American excursions). To summarize, I am pretty observant, I don’t have a tendency to over react and I don’t scare easy. I am very level headed and definitely not crazy. I didnt instantly think "Bigfoot" as I wasn’t a REAL believer then. At least I doubted their existence in the Eastern US and if they existed it was only in the Northwest US, Canada or Alaska.  This encounter took my emotions to places they had not been or at least had not been for a long time. It has been going through my head for over 4 years. I didn't tell anybody except my fiancee within the first year after the encounter. Now - quite a few people know. The person I was riding with that day just found out in 2014. I never told him about the story before, but because I couldn’t remember if it was springtime or late summer/Fall when this happened. I asked him last week if he remembered. When he told me it was springtime, he naturally asked why – what’s up? I told him what happened. It turns out that he believes in these creatures too. He then realized why I was acting so weird when we finally caught back up with each other, and then on the 2 and a half hour truck ride home. Now I wish I would have told him then. Maybe we could have joined together and went back to look for signs or whatever we could find. Instead, the overwhelming feeling of “What the hell was that”, and “I can’t tell anybody-they won’t believe me anyways” took over and I kept it to myself.
Nobody has to tell me what I saw or didn't see. I knew what I saw. I saw a large dark figure with hair that could throw rocks (and very accurately), stand up within 100 foot from me, in a large dense forest where there arent any cabins or people just hanging out.  I still do leave the option open for an extremely large man in a heavily padded Gilly suit with hair on it standing about 100 foot from the trail just waiting for someone to stop in that exact spot so he could throw rocks at him and take a chance of getting shot (most folks on ATVs will pack a handgun when riding in deep woods. At least that's my experience). Now that’s being honest, but trying to make a truth out of what happened. Of course that option is slim, but it will always be there as I didn't walk up to this thing and shake its hand or hug it, so being 100% sure it was a Sasquatch just isn't possible. I am at 99.999% sure though. I do know that a fear like I’ve not felt in a long time, if ever, took over me for awhile. Something told me to go, to move on, that I shouldn't be here right now. Again - I am a very rational person and this just didn't make sense to me at all.
I eventually plan on returning to that general area, on ATV and parking the bike and doing some walking. I just need to look around and feel comfortable with that. Ever since my encounter, I cannot put this down. I’ve been researching since and came across various online groups that discuss encounters. I want to learn as much as I can before returning and looking around and I want to go armed with more knowledge than I have now. I'm getting close and actually want to return this Fall, for at least another day of riding. Some of my biggest questions since learning more about these creatures are “What the hell was it doing there, close to used ATV trails” and “Why did it draw my attention to itself?” If it hadn’t thrown rocks I would not have looked and if it hadn’t stood up, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed it. Someone from another group (Debbie’s name will not be mentioned –lol), told me that maybe it was travelling and recently crossed that trail. The reason for rock throwing and drawing attention to IT was possibly to draw attention to it on purpose so my attention wouldn’t go to something else nearby less able to protect itself. I interpret that as young ones. That NEVER crossed my mind. Just to realize that one was in the area blew my mind away and made me start thinking differently about what could be out there. Now, there may have been more? I’ll never know that for sure, but it does make sense to that question that’s been bugging me.
In the spring of 2014, I had a member of one of the groups I belong to, contact me and ask me if I would be interested in helping him research one of many habituation areas that he knows of. This area is 75 miles North East of my home, and only 20-30 miles West of where my encounter occurred. I took him up on that offer and have been travelling the 75 miles each way, approximately every other weekend. It has been amazing. We have found and photographed many tree breaks, snaps of green live trees. Those snaps are at about 4-6 foot off the ground. We have not located most of the tops of those trees, as they were apparently carried somewhere else. My research partner has figured out, through years of watching this area that something has been making this area “thicker” and bringing in tress. I assume that’s where the tops of those small to medium size live trees are going as well.  We have found other medium sized trees lying near the snap, and followed the tree up to approximately 6 foot high, if the tree were still standing. We found some amazing “grip” marks and tears as if something was holding that tree about 6 foot high. We have found several prints, from 14-16 inches long. Several trees along a track way with bang marks on them at 5-6 foot high – as if something smacked a rock hard against those trees. We have had sounds from one of the hillsides that I cannot explain, nor have ever heard from the Pa. woods before. We will continue to research here and hopefully they will become used to us and trust us. Who knows?
Since my 2010 encounter, I have dropped my long guns and do not deer hunt anymore. Even though I deer hunted over a hundred miles away from this area, I just no longer feel right about going in the woods, in the dark, by myself to hunt and kill something bigger than I am that may be this creatures food. I am not sure why I quit, maybe out of respect for this creature now that I know they exist. I still enjoy the woods and will always ride ATV’s in as deep in as I can get them – where the real wild lives. I will continue to camp when the opportunity presents itself. This encounter didn’t stop me from enjoying the woods, but it made me think differently of the woods when I’m in them.
I remember when the show FINDING BIGFOOT was airing an episode from Allegheny National Forest, maybe 2-3 years ago. The show was named Bigfoot and the Redhead and centered on the Kinzua railroad bridge that blew down in bad winds several years ago, and the valley below it. I texted everybody that I knew at the time, whether they knew of my experience or not, and told them this show was doing an episode from Pa. The show was actually filmed approximately 30 miles from my encounter, but I found it interesting they thought something might exist in the Forest. Today - I KNOW that something out of the ordinary DOES exist in and/or around Allegheny National Forest north of Marienville Pa. For those that ride that trail, keep an eye open and please post if you see something interesting. I for one would love to know if someone else see's something similar there. I will certainly post if I have another encounter or gather evidence from that area when I do return.
Thanks for believing! They DO exist and they ARE out there………..
For those that don’t believe, good for you too. We all have our opinions. But this wasn’t an opinion; it was a truth that happened to me.  Take it for whatever it’s worth. I can only say that now I know what’s really out there. I have no idea what their intentions are, but my encounter wasn’t met with violence or aggression. At least not the kind of aggression that would result in my having to defend myself.  This creature acted on experience, not self preservation. It left me alone for the most part. It could have easily attacked me before I could have gotten off my ATV and drew on it, which by the way NEVER crossed my mind.
So – there is a lot to learn now. I just hope I can return to this area, hopefully soon, and look around in a woods that I’ve been in many times, but looking for something different than I have in the past.

Blog Post by Dan Lindholm









Sunday, May 29, 2016

Bigtruth Presents


Harper's History Vol.1 #5 - ARKANSAS





by Scott Harper

  When it comes to Sasquatch in Arkansas, the thing that tends to leap to mind first is the famous case of the Fouke Monster. Sightings of this creature were many in the area of Miller County, Arkansas in the early 1970's. Reports of the Fouke Monster stretch back to at least the early 1950's, though. However, the Fouke Monster is far from the first time such beings have been sighted within the state's borders.




  1834 saw a report filed of a "gigantic" creature that was covered in hair. The reported creature was said to cover 12-14 feet of ground at one time as it leapt from sight, and into cover.
In 1846, 22-inch-long footprints were found in a place named Crowley's Ridge.
  A "gigantic wild man" was reportedly seen by hunters to be chasing cattle in the year 1851. This report was from Greene County, Arkansas. According to the report, the Sasquatch seemed to be trying to catch a calf that was part of the herd of cattle. When the creature became aware of the hunters, it stopped chasing the calf, stared at the men for a short time, and then ran away. The hunters claimed the Sasquatch left 13-inch-long footprints behind.
  In 1856, a newspaper carried many accounts of sightings of a 7-foot-tall being. The creature had been spotted numerous times by hunters, hikers, campers, and others spending time in the woods. So many reports of what seemed to be the same creature ended up being filed that locals took it to mean that one Sasquatch was wandering the area, responsible for the mass of sightings.
  April of 1856 brought in a report of a tall, hair-covered being breaking through the ice covering a frozen lake. It seems that this sighting took place far enough from the general mass of sightings elsewhere in the state to have been considered a different creature than the one responsible for the larger collection of accounts in the state that year. This sighting spurred one of the relatively few violent encounters on record between human, and Sasquatch.





  A group of hunters went out on horseback. They planned to not only find the creature, but to capture it alive. They succeeded in only the first part of their endeavor. The men tracked down the Sasquatch, but the creature didn't turn, and flee as they had expected. Instead, it charged at the hunters, and their horses. Before the men could properly react, the Sasquatch grabbed one of the hunters, yanking him from his horse—injuring the horse in the process.
  Once the man had struck the ground, the Sasquatch set upon him, scratching violently at him, and even going so far as to bite chunks from the man's shoulder, and several other parts of his body. The frenzied scratching of the creature took out one of the man's eyes, also. The wounded hunter survived the violent attack. When the Sasquatch finally broke off, it immediately left—hauling the injured horse away as it went.
  Why didn't the other hunters open fire on the Sasquatch as it attacked one member of their group? Nothing to answer this question seems to be on record. Maybe they were simply too stunned by the abrupt, and vicious turn of events to react? We don't know.
  The wounded man's friends joined up with a few Choctaw Native Americans who were in the area, hunting. The merged group tracked the Sasquatch deeper into the mountains. Ultimately, however, they lost their quarry in passes clogged with deep snow from a harsh winter.
  In 1865 a trapper discovered a trail of very large footprints. He followed the tracks, not knowing what type of animal had made them. While following the prints up a steep hill, a rumbling sound made the man look up. He discovered a large boulder rolling down the hill toward him, followed closely by a second one. After evading them, the man turned his attention back uphill, spotting a huge man-like figure at the top of the incline. As the creature set about sending a third boulder downhill after him, the trapper turned, fleeing.





  Throughout the year of 1874 several sightings of "wild men" were reported. Most of these reports came in from hunters, trappers, and other people who spent the majority of their time in the woods. Many attempts were made to track down one of the creatures. None were, as far as we know, successful.
  Given the old sightings reports, and footprint finds recounted above, and looking at the steady flow of modern-day reports from the state, it seems that it has a long history of Sasquatch habitation. The boggy swamplands of Arkansas would provide plenty of food for a species such as Sasquatch—in the forms of both vegetation, and prey animals. They would also give plenty of water, and cover in which to conceal themselves. The large areas of swamp would also offer track ways for the creatures to use without leaving footprints.
  Not to say that the state of Arkansas is all swampland! Arkansas boasts a very diverse geography. Within its borders are also valleys, mountains, lakes, forests, and even hot springs. Each of these would also provide Sasquatch in the area with needed cover, and other resources.
Given the mix of elements found within the state, and having reports of Sasquatch reaching so far back, it looks as if Sasquatch have long since made Arkansas home.


About the Author

 Scott Harper is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 published short stories, and several novels. Harper grew up in Ohio, and graduated from Marysville High School in 1993, and began screenwriting in 2007, after the publication of several short stories and novels. He has worked on projects for James Tucker Productions, and 11th Dimension Films. He is currently involved with several projects, covering literature, film, and comic books. He was also a contributing writer for "Nuclear Winter Entertainment" for several months before that site shut down. Scott is very happily married to bestselling paranormal author Desirée Lee. Together, they have a wonderful little girl, and are working jointly on several projects. Those projects include multiple books, as well as the hit webcomic "MoonWraith." 


  More information about his work can be found on his website: www.scottharper.net



Blog Post by Dan Lindholm