The Boggy Creek Beast

This week’s blog is a mystery and not, in fact, a murder. I thought it would be a nice change in pace. This blog is about a mystery in Arkansas. Have you been to Fouke, Arkansas? Did you know about the mystery and legend of the town? Well, that’s what our blog is about this week.

The legend of the “Fouke Monster,” also known as the “Beast of Boggy Creek,” has been widely known about mystery in Arkansas. People have even made a movie out of it. When I was a little girl, my parents took me there to find the beast for ourselves. We didn’t find anything sadly, but it sure was fun.

On May 1, 1971, Bobby and Elizabeth Ford had a terrifying incident with the monster. Late that night, Elizabeth was sleeping on their couch, waiting for Bobby to come home from a hunting trip. All of a sudden, a creature burst through their screen window above the couch she was sleeping on. She screamed so loud that Bobby, who had come back from hunting with his brother, had heard her and ran to help her. They chased off the monster by firing several shots as it ran into the forest. Apparently, at midnight the next night, the creature came back and grabbed Bobby by the shoulders, raised him in the air, and threw him to the ground. He broke free and crawled into his house, where he got his gun. He was later treated at St. Michael Hospital in Texarkana. Bobby had been smoking on the porch before all of this had happened, so I assume that after nightfall, the creature waited for Bobby to come out of the house unarmed.

The Fords thought they had hit the monster, but no blood was found. The area was searched, but no one could find the creature. The search did find three-toed footprints close to the house, scratch marks on the porch, and damage to a window and the siding on the house. The Fords had only been living in their home for one week before the events and had heard odd noises but had never seen the creature until that night.

In May of that year, three people Wilma Woods, D. Woods, and Mrs. Seagrass, reported to the police that they saw an ape-like creature crossing Highway 71 just south of Fouke. The creature was reportedly 7-8 feet tall, had thick long hair covering its body, and weighed about 300 pounds and walks upright. More sightings were reported in the upcoming months by tourists and residents. Large three-toed footprints along the banks of Boggy Creek and a soybean field. The footprints and the sightings were investigated by a game warden, Carl Gaylon, who had said he had never seen anything like that before. After people heard about the sightings of this creature, Little Rock’s radio station KAAY offered a $1,000 reward for the beast, dead or alive. Only once dogs were able to track the creature’s scent. The three dogs started whimpering and refused to go on, but the hunters only smelled something horrible and felt like they were being watched. Daylight was fading, and they decided to quit their search before it was too dark.

In 1973 a documentary-style horror film was made based on the Boggy Creek Beast. It was a hit and grossed over $22 million. Interest in the beast had declined in 1974. However, in 1978, the same three-toed tracks were found by two brothers. Several ranchers had reported missing cattle, and the body of a dog was found in the woods. The creature was blamed for all the trouble, but nothing was ever proven. Ever since, there have been sightings of the beast, but no one has ever proven its existence.

Sources I used: https://1dustytrack.blogspot.com/search?q=boggy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fouke_Monster https://www.legendofboggycreek.com/history.htm