by Scott Harper
The state of Indiana is right
next door to Ohio, where I grew up. Ohio, despite what many people seem to
think, has a wealth of sightings, and encounters with Sasquatch on record.
Indiana is an extension of that with recorded sightings going back well over
one hundred years.
The newspaper "The Saturday
Courier" carried a report in 1839 of a "wild child"—juvenile Sasquatch—having been spotted swimming in a lake. Two farmers spotted a Sasquatch
running into the cover of woods near the town of Sailor, Indiana in 1897.
1937 saw an effort made by a
fisherman in Warrick County to capture a Sasquatch by use of bear traps. The
man believed the creature to be living in a cave along the Ohio River. The man
claimed that the creature killed his dog the previous year. No report seems to
be given on whether or not the man had any success with his attempts at
catching the Sasquatch.
Over twenty residents of the town
of Thorntown, Indiana reported seeing a "gorilla", which had protruding
teeth, in the area. Two fishermen claimed to have been chased by the creature.
This occurred in 1949.
In 1953, near Winamac, in Pulaski
County, a group of children saw a 7-foot-tall Sasquatch near dense woods. They
claimed the creature had only one eye. Claims were also made that it touched
one of the children.
August of 1955 brought in a
report from a woman who claimed that her leg was grabbed by a hairy hand while
she swam in the Ohio River. There are numerous reports on file of Sasquatch
having been seen swimming, or partaking in other activities in water—especially
grabbing fishing nets.
Rabbit hunters, in 1967, in the
Wabash River area, found a trail of
16-inch-long footprints in the snow, in a field. A "rank, musty
smell" was also noticed. The hunters were so badly frightened, that they
fled the area without looking for other evidence, or following the trail of
footprints into the woods.
Sightings reports of Sasquatch in
the state of Indiana continue to pile up in the present—especially in the more
heavily forested southern area of the state. Some researchers hypothesize that
the Sasquatch in the very southern part of the state use caves along the Ohio
River as shelters. This has, as noted above, been the thought of some people
who have had sightings near the Ohio River, as well. The area, rich in
vegetation, and wildlife, would provide abundant resources for a population of
the creatures.
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
