by Scott Harper
When most people think of Sasquatch sightings in the state of Louisiana, the first thing to come to mind is the Honey Island Swamp Monster. Sightings of this being began in 1963—four years before the famous Patterson/Gimlim footage from the Pacific Northwest was recorded. Film footage of the Honey Island Swamp Monster was recorded by a wildlife photographer during the first reported sighting of the creature. Yet is wasn't discovered until the death of the photographer, Harlan Ford, in 1980. Ford had, apparently, squirreled the film away, rather than going public with it.
Reports of the Honey Island
Swamp Monster claim that the creature is around 7-feet-tall, gives off a stench
akin to rotting garbage, and leaves footprints with three webbed toes. The odd
number of toes is something that has come up in earlier articles in this
series, too. This is not uncommon in the southern areas of the United States.
Some researchers think that the unusual number of toes are due to inbreeding of
isolated populations of Sasquatch. Others voice the viewpoint that we could be
dealing with an entirely separate species of beings—one with fewer than five
toes per foot.
Regardless, the Honey Island Swamp Monster isn't the only reported Sasquatch, or Sasquatch-type creature, in the state of Louisiana.
In 1884, railroad workers
near Vicksburg, Louisiana claimed to have been attacked by a group of Sasquatch—which
the workers called "hairy wild men". The men had been working at
clearing trees. They were preparing to remove the cut trees from the area, when
rocks began to pelt them. Accompanying the flying rocks were a series of
growls, and howling. Most of the men fled. Several of them remained, flinging
rocks back in the direction from which they had come. A group of three to five Sasquatch—reports varied on the exact number—rushed into view, howling, and
throwing more rocks at the men. The remaining men ran away. No report was found
of how long it took them to return to work.
In 1888, a female Sasquatch
was spotted multiple times, including being seen in the act of killing a pig.
She fled, leaving a trail of footprints, and pig blood. Apparently, no one
followed the clear trail in an attempt to track her further. These sightings
took place near Catahoula, Louisiana.
Autumn of 1925 found a pair
of men near Bordelonville, Louisiana badly frightened during the early morning
hours one day as they were going out duck hunting. Light from their kerosene
lantern reflected off of two large, red glowing eyes. As the creature moved
closer to them—drawn, the men thought, by the illumination of their
lantern—they turned , and ran. "Large, glowing, red eyes" are
commonly reported in conjunction with Sasquatch sightings.
A woman living in a remote
swampy area of Louisiana claimed to have found an infant Sasquatch in 1964. Her
claim is that the creature weighed 20 pounds, and was hairless at that time.
According to her story, she took the small being in, and raising it, assuming
that its parents were either dead, or had abandoned it. She claims to have
released the creature back into the wild several times, but says that it always
came back to her. This went on, according to the woman, until age, and health
forced her to move into a more populous area. She refused to give exact details,
saying that she wanted to protect the Sasquatch. She doesn't think the one she
raised is the only one living in that area, either. According to her claims,
the creature she raised began bringing "a friend" with it once it had
grown.
Sightings continue in Louisiana
to the present day. There are quite a few, in fact; it seems to be an active
state. So much so that there is even a wildlife removal company claiming to
offer a "Sasquatch removal and prevention service". Their website
doesn't give any claim as to the effectiveness of their efforts on that front.
I think I'd take that particular area of their "expertise" with a
grain—or more!—of salt.
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
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