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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.

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