Friday, May 4, 2018

Louisiana - Harper's History Vol.1 #19






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 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



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