Date Report Submitted to the RFPRP: February 24, 2007
Date of Encounter: 1960. (The witness could not recall the month or date.)
Time of Incident: Late afternoon.
Weather Conditions: Clear.
State: Arkansas.
County: Franklin.
Nearest City or Town: Between the small communities of Combs and Summit.
Location: About 2 or 3 miles due South of the Madison County line.
Nearest highway or road: The incident occurred on Mill Creek Road.
General Land Use Description: Ozark National Forest and some small ranches and home sites.
General Terrain Description: Timbered mountains with creek hollows and a river valley bordered by steep sandstone bluffs with numerous overhangs and small caves.
Nearest Lakes or Streams: The road on which the sighting occurred runs along Mill Creek. The location is only about 5 miles from the Turner Bend of the Mulberry River.
Witness Profile: The witness is a 94 year old male who has lived in this part of the Ozark Mountains since birth. He has been an avid hunter, trapper, tracker and fisherman since early childhood. Those activities continued until he was in his 80s. During the early part of his life those outdoor activities were performed to provide food for his family, and accorded to family members, he did just that. The witness was quick to point out that although he is very familiar with all the animals in the Ozarks that were typically hunted or trapped for food or for their fur, on many occasions he has heard and smelled animals that he could not identify. The property on which he has now lived for many years adjoins the north shore of the Mulberry River. The witness is very well known in Northwest Arkansas. Because of his age, and experiences, and because of his skills as a mountain musician and woodcarver, many articles have been produced and written about him for various media outlets. His family and other area residents all agree, they have never known him to lie. Members of his family said that he had never mentioned the incident described in this report to any of the several media writers/reporters who previously interviewed him because they did not inquire about “strange animals” he might have encountered.
Special Note: The writer interviewed the witness at his small rural home Saturday, February 24, 2007. The witness had been in the hospital earlier that week, but both the and family members felt that he was very able and willing to speak to the writer about his experiences as had been previously scheduled for that date. At the time of the interview three of the man’s daughters, the writer’s wife and a man from the area - whose encounter report is also posted on this web site - were inside the home. Because the witness - like the writer - has some hearing impairments, it was decided that some of the questions normally asked of a witness concerning specific physical details would be omitted.
Activities of Witness Prior to Encounter/Incident: He was driving home on Mill Creek Road.
Details of Encounter / Incident: As his vehicle topped a small ridge that tapered into the creek valley, he saw what he first thought was some very large person in dark clothes stepping onto the roadway from the down-slope side. At the time his vehicle was about 200 yards from the figure. As he drew closer and watched, the figure paused briefly and stared at the vehicle. It was then that the witness clearly saw it was not a person he was viewing, but a large, human-like creature covered in hair. The creature bolted at high speed across the road at an angle and continued up the mountain to the west and out of sight in the timber.
Description of Animal: He said the creature was taller than a man, and covered with dark greyish colored hair, except on its forehead. He stated that hair on the forehead was a very much lighter grey, and nearly white. He said that although the animal was tall and “barrel-chested”, it appeared to be very old, and in very poor condition. He said the animal’s lower body and extremities in fact looked “skinny”. When specifically asked if he had seen breasts or other evidence of the animal’s sex, the witness considered the question very carefully for a long time. He then said he had not seen breasts on the animal, nor had he seen other visible evidence of its sex.
Photos or Drawings Made? No.
Description of Related Sounds: At the time of the sighting, he heard no sounds.
Description of Related Scents / Odors: At the time of the sighting, he smelled no odors.
Other Details: A short time after he arrived home, he and others returned to the location of the sighting. On the hillside they found the tracks the animal left when it ran away. Down slope, and along the creek, they found the tracks of what they thought was the same animal, and the human-like tracks of another smaller animal. He stated the smaller tracks were “about 3/4's of a hand long” (about 5") and “looked just like a small child’s barefoot track.” The larger track was said to be about the size of a large man’s foot. The witness said that during the many years that he hunted and “prowled” the mountains during both day and nighttime hours, he sometimes heard animal sounds that he either could not identify, or known sounds that were so out of place that they puzzled him. He particularly recalled that once during a night hunt he heard a sound similar to that of a rooster crowing from a very remote peak. He was puzzled because no one lived that far back in the mountains. He said that many times while racoon hunting at night, his dogs would strike a scent trail, which they would immediately abandon and come back to him as if afraid. He said the night’s hunt would be ruined because they would not leave his side to hunt again. At other times he encountered very strong animal odors which were not those of bears, hogs or any other animals known to him.
Historical Notes: The residents of this part of the southern Ozark Mountains have reported the presence of enigmatic hirsute primates for many generations. Because of the terrain, only a relatively small part of the mountains have been subject to settlement or development. The general area in which this sighting occurred is near the Mulberry River, and near the river’s large Turner Bend. In recent years the river has become very popular for canoeing and camping. On the west side of the Mulberry River, and near the lower end of Turner Bend, the area’s historical affiliation with the enigmatic primates is reflected in the names of a creek and hollow that empties into the river at that location; Bigfoot Hollow and Bigfoot Creek.
Comments: The writer noted that when he asked the witness if he had seen any evidence of the sex of the animal, the witness paused for a long time before answering. The writer at first thought the slow response to the question was due to the fact that three women were present in the house, but after looking around I saw that all the women were in the kitchen preparing coffee and out of earshot. When the witness did answer, and later when he described going back to the location and seeing two sets of tracks (one a set of small tracks), the writer could tell the witness was - like the writer - not sure that the large animal he saw crossing the road was the mother of the small animal. Although the writer did not pursue that subject because of the man’s slight hearing problem, the writer believes what the witness saw was an older male which was separated from the mother and offspring because of its physical condition. Based on historical accounts of other witnesses, the writer believes that if the animal seen by the witness had been an old female with a recent offspring, her breasts would have been very pronounced and very evident to the witness.
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Report received and recorded by: Tal H. Branco, Field Researcher/Investigator,
The RFP Research Project