Miller County’s Bigfoot: The Boggy Creek Monster

 Jennie Overstreet

Many people who live in the area surrounding Miller County, Arkansas claim to have seen a large, man-like monster. This cryptid is known as the Boggy Creek Monster. Cryptid is defined by the Merriam-webster dictionary to be “an animal that has been claimed to exist but never proven to exist” According to the article “Fouke Monster” by Amy Thompson, sightings of this creature date back to 1946. 

The Boggy Creek 

Monster

The Boggy Creek Monster, also known as the Fouke Monster, is a cryptid very similar in appearance to the more well-known bigfoot. According to Jake Carter in his article “The Monster of Boggy Creek: The Real Story of the Fouke Monster,” it was described to be a hominid-shaped furry creature that was 7 to 10 feet tall with a chest 3 feet wide. It has been reported to have large red eyes and a terrible odor. 

Sightings of the Boggy Creek Monster are all in the swamplands of southwest Arkansas. Its alternate name of “Fouke Monster” is derived from an encounter in 1971, where it attacked the home of Bobby Ford in the small town of Fouke. During the month of May, he said he had been out with his hunting friends when they saw the creature behind the Ford’s house. They shot at it, and claimed to have seen it fall, but as the group made their way toward the creature, they heard a woman scream. Bobby Ford immediately ran to the front door, where he was allegedly grabbed by the Fouke Monster. He was treated at a local hospital for scratches and minor shock. When his property was investigated, there was damage to the house and three-toed footprints, but not a trace of blood.

At least three movies were made with inspiration from this encounter. According to Jake Carter’s article, the first movie The Legend of Boggy Creek was made in 1973 and grossed over 22 million dollars. Many eyewitnesses played as actors in the movie. The two other movies made after this were called Return to Boggy Creek and The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II.

Many people have tried to explain the existence of the Boggy Creek Monster. Some have tried arguing that it is really a misidentified bigfoot, despite the footprints of the creature having only three toes versus Bigfoot’s five-toed tracks. Others have claimed that sightings of the cryptid are just misidentified black bears. The Boggy Creek Monster has captivated public attention since attacking the Ford’s home in 1971, with sightings dating back much further. Movies have been made focusing on the cryptid, sharing its existence across the country. Many have attempted to debunk the creature’s existence as a misidentified black bear or bigfoot, but the Fouke Monster continued to keep its identity.

Works Cited:

Carter, Jake. “The Monster of Boggy Creek: The Real Story of the Fouke Monster.” anomalien. 29 Aug. 2020. https://anomalien.com/the-monster-of-boggy-creek-the-real-story-of-the-fouke-monster/. Accessed 20, Oct. 2023.

Mobley, Andrew. “'That's no deer': Fouke Monster legend haunts swamplands of southwest Arkansas with new alleged evidence.” KATV Little Rock/Pine Bluff, 21 Oct. 2023. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/that-s-no-deer-fouke-monster-legend-haunts-swamplands-of-southwest-arkansas-with-new-alleged-evidence/ar-AA1iCVmp. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.

Thompson, Amy. “Fouke Monster.” Encyclopedia of Arkansas. 16 Jun. 2023. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/fouke-monster-2212/. Accessed 20, Oct. 2023.

“Cryptid, N.” Merriam-webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cryptid. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.

Bigfoot. 29 Aug. 2022. anomalien, https://anomalien.com/the-monster-of-boggy-creek-the-real-story-of-the-fouke-monster/.

For Further Reference:

Carter, Jake. “The Monster of Boggy Creek: The Real Story of the Fouke Monster.” anomalien. 29 Aug. 2020. https://anomalien.com/the-monster-of-boggy-creek-the-real-story-of-the-fouke-monster/. Accessed 20, Oct. 2023. Jake Carter explains various topics of information about the Boggy Creek monster. The article goes on to talk about the history of the creature, its potential appearance, and the effects that sightings of this creature had on media. The purpose of this article is to discuss a variety of topics on the monster, from its origins to the movies inspired by it.

Mobley, Andrew. “'That's no deer': Fouke Monster legend haunts swamplands of southwest Arkansas with new alleged evidence.” KATV Little Rock/Pine Bluff, 21 Oct. 2023. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/that-s-no-deer-fouke-monster-legend-haunts-swamplands-of-southwest-arkansas-with-new-alleged-evidence/ar-AA1iCVmp. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023. Andrew Mobley describes some general information about the Boggy Creek Monster. The article focuses on first-hand encounters with various people.

Thompson, Amy. “Fouke Monster.” Encyclopedia of Arkansas. 16 Jun. 2023. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/fouke-monster-2212/. Accessed 20, Oct. 2023. Amy Thompson describes some information on the Boggy Creek Monster that stalks the small town of Fouke, Arkansas. The article focuses on one incident in 1971 where the creature was reported to have attacked the house of Bobby Ford. There is also a short mention of a movie that was made with inspiration from this encounter.