In May 1971, Bobby Ford, and his wife Eizabeth moved into a modest home in southwest Arkansas. The home was remote in a rural area and the couple were looking forward to the peace and quiet. Soon though, they would discover that the residence was anything but as they came to confront what would be dubbed, the Fouke Monster or the Boggy Creek Monster.
The first week after moving in, Night after night, Bobby and Elizabeth Ford kept hearing noises outside and strange activity. It was clear to them that something odd was going on. On one night, Elizabeth was resting late in her home when suddenly she saw a hairy bear like creature put its arm through the window. This encounter terrified her and upset both Bobby and Elizabeth.
Fed up with whatever was disturbing them, Bobby and some hunting friends decided to go outside one night to investigate what this creature was.
The next events would shock the men to their core. Ford and the men searching the property and woods with flashlights, said they spotted an unknown creature behind Ford’s house. Horrified, they shot at it and saw it fall. Feeling relieved and victorious, the men were sure it was dead and started to investigate just what was it.
Unfortunately, at this time, the men heard their wives screaming and hustled back to the house. There was another creature lurking around. After running to the front of the house, Ford spotted it and took a shot, but the creature scurried away. After scaring the creatures away, the men hustle inside to check on the women and the group then decides to barricade themselves until dawn. Ford described the being as hairy, breathing heavily, with red eyes, and moving very fast. He said the creature was man-like about seven feet tall and three feet across the chest.
The next day after visiting the Sheriff, investigators returned to the home and found no blood or bodies, but they did find claw marks and strange footprints. Convinced the creature would return, Soon, Bobby and Elizabeth would move out of the home.
Fourke County is a rural town situated in Arkansas. Filled with Dense trees and plenty of remote places, this area would be perfect for a cryptid to live. Even though, the Ford’s account is the most popular, it is not where the story begins.
In 1955 the Fouke monster was spotted by a 14-year-old boy who described it as having reddish brown hair, sniffing the air, and not reacting to a shotgun round.
Still reports from newspapers in the 19th century show the creature roamed around then. An 1851 story in the Memphis Enquirer, and an 1856 report in the Caddo Gazette discuss several sightings in the area that are related to a large, hairy unidentified creature, not being a bear or known animal.
Locals recounted that the creature had roamed the area since 1964, but locals state the sightings had not been documented.
In 1971, in the same month of May, more strange activity would occur. Residents D. C. Woods, Jr., Wilma Woods, and Mrs. R. H. Sedgass, reported seeing an unidentified ape-like creature crossing U.S. Highway 71. They emphasized that it was not a bear.
More townspeople and tourists began making reports over the following months seeing glimpses of the creature. Individuals found footprints and strange claw marks. The most famous of these were found in a soybean field belonging to local Scott Keith. Like the Ford footprints, it appeared that the creature had only three toes.
Initial interest in the case drew crowds of people flocking to the area to search for the creature. Dogs were brought in with expert hunters and trackers. After finding no evidence for several years, sightings and interest would dissipate. In the mid to late 70’s more reports surfaced but there didn’t appear to be any hard evidence, just more eyewitness testimony.
Many in southwestern Arkansas have claimed to have spotted the creature but very few have provided concrete evidence concerning their encounter. Still the sheer number of witnesses over the years raises many theories concerning the cryptid.
It’s believed by many they have been here for centuries. A huge portion of this area and Arkansas in general are rural areas. There’s certainly many who believe these entities live hidden in the woods and are able to hide due the vastness of the forest.
Others believe that this cryptid could be bigfoot or Mothman. Ford described that the creature had thrown rocks at him, something that is common in Bigfoot sightings. The creature was described as being 7 foot tall, a consistent height with other bigfoot sightings. Many people have stated they have heard the creature howling in the woods, something bigfoot investigators have found.
Still the creature also compares to other cryptids as well. Elizabeth Ford described red eyes in her testimony when the creature was in the window. Red Eyes are something that was seen by many Mothman eyewitnesses.
Other less popular theories concerning the entity is that it may be an alien species or perhaps comes from another dimension.
Regardless, it’s clear today that unless a body or hard video evidence is found, the Fouke Monster will continue to be a part of Arkansas folklore.
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