Saturday, February 18, 2017

Georgia - Harper's History Vol.1 #11


by Scott Harper


 The people of Georgia commonly use a variety of alternative names for Sasquatch, including "skunk ape", "swamp ape", "booger", and "wood booger" among others.





  Call them what you will, there are a lot of stories regarding these creatures floating around the state. However, many of them carry the air of tall tales. There are accounts out there of them screaming at people in English, riding on the back of horse-and-buggies, and even being 13-feet-tall, and able to survive being shot with multiple rifles at the same time. I've even run across an account in which a man carrying a scythe supposedly fought a Sasquatch. Can I say with one hundred percent certainty that these accounts are nothing more than stories? No. But these seem unlikely to me. Still, there are more credible historical accounts to come out of the Peach State, too.





  Early in 1923 reports were made of a Sasquatch breaking into several buildings belonging to the Church of Latter Day Saints. No follow-up on these reports seems to have taken place.
  In 1934 a group of children claimed to have spotted a Sasquatch running down a dirt road while making car noises. Maybe the creature decided to mimic a car for some reason after hearing one?
 In 1943 a group of men in Georgia reported killing a Sasquatch. Something—the creature, presumably—had been killing calves, and sheep on farms in the area. The legs had been torn from many of the victims, testifying to the strength of the killer. This probably took place in northern Georgia, given that the men reported to have chased the Sasquatch onto a mountain while tracking it. They claimed to have shot the creature sixty times, killing it. However, details are lacking as to what happened next—including what became of the body.





  A group of dogs cornered a Sasquatch on the porch of a house near Boston, Georgia in 1951. A man and his wife both claimed to have witnessed this. The man shot at the creature, but the Sasquatch fled.
  In 1956, near Columbus, Georgia, multiple witnesses spotted a 7-foot-tall Sasquatch standing beside a road.
  A 10-year-old boy saw what he was positive was a Sasquatch watching him on a 98-acre farm in Troup county in 1960. This sighting took place after the discovery of calves and goats that had been found dead.
  1961 brought in an account from Fulton county in which a group of young boys spotted what they took to be a gorilla sheltering in an unfinished basement under a house. They threw rocks at the creature, which "smiled" back at them. My guess would be that the "smile" was actually a threat display. Later, red eyes were seen looking in a window at night, and half-eaten apples, and large footprints were discovered close to the house.





  One end of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, or the Appalachian Trail as it is more commonly referred to, is in Georgia. Northern Georgia, at Springer Mountain, to be exact. The Appalachian Trail was completed in 1937. It isn't only humans who use the trail. Many Sasquatch reports are given from the entire 2,200 miles of the trail. Apparently, Sasquatch like the easy pathway provided by the Appalachian Trail.
  Lizard Men sightings are also reported in Georgia's swampy areas. Despite the name, many researchers suspect that the lizard men are actually sasquatch that are simply covered in greenery from the swamps. Whether this coverage is an intentional attempt at keeping cool, camouflage, or something else isn't known.

  Wood booger, Sasquatch, Lizard Men, or something else—whatever you choose to call them, they seem to have been living in the state of Georgia 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 DesirĂ©e 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