A Night in Fouke, A True Story by The Primateer and J. Options

[primateer]

A night in Fouke
A True Story by The Primateer with J.


Let me recount the series of events that occurred after having left the TBRC convention, late Saturday and ending up in Fouke Arkansas. These events actually occurred and I will tell them to the best of my ability, with the greatest possible fidelity.
First of all, let me regress. I worked the night shift Thursday night and then drove to South Misssissippi and picked up J. Then drove back up to Jackson and hit I-20 west and drove all day to get to Marshall Texas. We got a room , that is Myself , J. my son Bryan, and his friend from college Ryan.
After a wonderful time at the convention , we went looking for the Jefferson Hotel , to meet friends there. It just so happened that there was a motorcycle rally in town, and they had the entire block the Jefferson Hotel was on roped off. Well , I got confused and rolled under the redlight. A sherriffs deputy promptly stopped me and ran a check on me. While he was running the check, he found out that I had been at the convention , when he asked about the white band on my arm. He then proceeded to tell me that he was good friends with someone who was in on the bigfoot hunt , portrayed in the movie " The Legend of Boggy Creek". He was telling me how the dogs wouldn't run the thing, and all , and then decided to let me go with a warning. We then proceeded out of town to the town of Vivian Louisiana and on to U.S. 71 north towards Fouke. On the way to U.S. 71 we encountered the awfullest odor , I believe that I have ever smelled in my life. We stopped there for a few minutes and listened , but to be honest the smell was sickening. We didn't see any dead animals. This smell was really bad. We went first to a road , leading down to Mercer Bayou as that had been a sighting area not too long ago. We came upon a truck in the middle of the road. We rolled down the window and asked " Can we help you?" The guy replied " We just takin' a piss." We made our way around the truck and proceeded on. We spent some more time down there and made our way on back to U.S. 71. Our next destination was Jonestown , the scene of the monster flap back in the early seventies. We were headed for the Sulphur river bottoms down away from Jonestown. We left the paved road and followed a trail to the banks of the Sulphur. We drove right up into the camp of some hunters , who were obviously a bit disturbed by a 2:00 a.m visit. I immediately left the vehicle and introduced myself. There were two gentlemen there who were a bit inebriated. I told them that I had been at a bigfoot convention and was in the area sight seeing. They laughed and proceeded to tell me the history of the Fouke monster. This would prove to be quite interesting.
We got to talking about hunting deer , and how the deer were small in Mississippi, and how thick they were there. We recounted coon hunting trips we had been on in the past and trapping and the like. The fellows then began to talk about the monster. They talked about tracks and Boggy Creek and how far it runs up above U.S. 71. One of the fellows stated that he had found a track up Boggy Creek. The other guy then made a curious statement. He said that the monster was made up in the forties , to keep blacks out of Fouke. The other guy said " Well it didn't work , there are two of them now." He then said: " But there is a real monster you know."he said laughing. He said that the monster was a gorilla that escaped from a circus train. The second fellow then said that there were big cats in the area. I said what? He said that a lady turned her big cats loose to keep the government from getting them from her.He said that he had seen them on plenty of occasions. The other fellow said that we would probably read about the monster in the paper. I said " what?" He then said that his nephew was in a gorilla suit hoaxing , even while we were talking. He said that he had been in camp just before we got there, and he was scaring the hell out of the girls. He left with the girls. Well ..... it occurred to me that we had passed his nephew on the way in. I saw someone struggling in the backseat of the car, and now it occurred to me that it looked like brown fur , but it didn't ring a bell with me when I saw it. J. Michael said it looked like he was trying to get out of a fur coat. I wish we had stopped the car for a better look. I told the guy that I wish I could have been there to see the suit. It would have scared the heck out of my group. He said that he would give me the number of his nephew and I could call him and get him to run across the road in the suit and scare the hell out of my wife. I took the number and put it in my cell phone. He then proceeded to tell me the family history. He said that it was his father that, along with his uncle and cousin , clawed each others backs and turned in a report that they had been "mauled by the monster". The sherriff , being a cautious man examined their fingernails and saw skin beneath them. They were fined 97.00 apiece for filing a false report. This is according to the men. The men offered to take me across the river to the " big woods". This did not sound like a friendly invitation. As a matter of fact , I could hear banjo music in my head , every time they mentioned it. J.was trying to hatch an escape plan , as I talked. I think that if I had been alone , I might have gotten lost in the " big woods".Thankfully I had more people with me, and they knew it. I then thanked the men and said my good byes. They again tried to get me to stay, and I declined and got in the car and left. We drove all night in heavy fog , and on the way back from South Misssissippi, I got a traffic ticket. Don't let anyone say bigfooting doesn't cost. We have sat on the story till now in hopes of documenting this. I called the phone number and it had been disconnected. In light of the number being disconnected, we have decided , for the sake of serious researchers,to release the account, for their benefit.
I guess the moral of the story is that any reports of bigfoot coming out of Fouke Arkansas , are suspect right now. I would like to emphasize that Smokey Crabtree, and the Crabtree family do not appear to be involved in any of this. Whether there is a monster there or not , is not completely settled by this. But the bottom line is that there is no way to distinguish between the two. One can only hope that it is Halloween related and that it will discontinue after that. This is how it happened to the best of my recollection. I hope it benefits all. Primateer, J.

This post has been edited by primateer: Oct 28 2004, 12:38 AM

[RogerKni]

Well, we'd all like to "get to the bottom" of this business, and I guess skeptics would say what you've discovered is The Bottom, but I believe it is only A Bottom. Good work, MKD. Let the heavens fall where they may.

(PS, I had a late-nite encounter at a campsite when two jeepsful of drunken Good Old Boys drove up and wanted the site to themselves, but the situation resolved itself when my friends took out their empty mags and idly reloaded them. I.e., they left in a hurry.)

[MonkeyMan]

> He was telling me how the dogs wouldn't run the thing, and all , and then decided to let me go with a warning.

They have warnings in Texas? That's news to me, an' I was born here.

Wowzers! Don't say bigfoot ain't never done nothin' fer ya. Cops in small-town Texas are often loathe to pass up the chance to issue a real citation....and sometimes not-so-real ones, too. And an out-of-state feller, too? Man, bigfoot saves the day.

> The guy replied " We just takin' a piss."

If he had known how impressive the presentation you had given at the TBRC was, he'd have bowed before you (after taking care of anything that might need puttin' away, hopefully), saying something about not being worthy.

> We drove right up into the camp of some hunters , who were obviously a bit disturbed by a 2:00 a.m visit.

Same goes for them.

> it was his father that, along with his uncle and cousin , clawed each others backs

If ya ask me, I'd say, uh, never mind.

> I got a traffic ticket

Awwwww NO! The Bigfoot Mind Trick didn't work twice? Well, I guess at least it wasn't the second of two tickets that weekend. What a downer after your earlier triumph. If your situation qualifies, 3 words: online defensive driving. It's the greatest thing since the Bionic Ear.

MK, your presentation at the TBRC conference was stunning. You're Clyde Tombaugh with a monkey on his back. I've been having a blast with the materials you gave Ms. MM and I (thanks a million, by the way), and yeah, it seems that those really are Patty's TEETH! The things you've done with the PG film are yet another reason any debunker of the film catches hell to pay.

[MountainLady]

We came upon a truck in the middle of the road. We rolled down the window and asked " Can we help you?" The guy replied " We just takin' a piss."

Welcome to the South

(j/k .. it isn't all like that)


Geez MK.. that is really an intriguing recount, but I'm glad you guys got out of there when you did. This is one of the reasons my husband is against me going out traipsing in the woods here by myself..

This post has been edited by MountainLady: Oct 28 2004, 05:07 AM

[primateer]

Thanks, M.M. I look for better things from the film from now on. DDA is working on a first gen. copy and I expect big things from him. I will help in any way that I can. I think maybe fraud minded people might be a little scared to weigh in on this film from now on. In the process Gimlin and even Patterson, post mortem, may get their due also. M.K.

[ouachita]

MK - The two "gentlemen" didn't say anything about you having a "purty mouth" did they?

The story about cooking the monster up to maintain a certain demographic profile in the area is consistent with stories others have told me in the past about Fouke. Considering the place and era it is entirely plausible if inexcusable.

I have also heard the stories about a lady in the 1990's who maintained a private zoo or collection of exotic animals in southwest Arkansas and turned them loose. I have been told that the state was going to take action against her and she turned them loose rather than deal with the state. I've heard of the big cats but the gorilla is a new one to me. There has been some speculation that Crabtree's mystery skeleton may be the remains of one of the big cats sans skull.

While I have not heard of a gorilla being set loose I have spoken to two credible individuals who claim that at least 4 African velvet monkeys were turned loose - one of which was killed by a deer hunter and made news in a local newspaper. I haven't had a chance to get over there and spend some time with my witnesses yet. This particular incident was along the Ark/Okl border between DeQueen and Ashdown I believe in th late '90's.

There is at least one recorded incident in which a circus train derailed in the Ouachita mountains, around Mena I think, and an unknown number and species of circus animals escaped. Whether or not they were all recaptured or killed I do not know. There was at least one polar bear that was never officially accounted for although locals stories say certain unnamed individuals dined on polar bear stew that year. This was in the '50's/'60's.

If I get a chance to get over and spend some time in that area maybe I can dig up some more specific info.

This post has been edited by ouachita: Oct 28 2004, 12:55 PM

[Maheekat]

Sounds like a great time.....

[Texas Tracker]

MK, that's an interesting story.

I was born just a few miles from there in Atlanta, Texas (just across the state line) and spent many summers and Christmases nearby in Bloomburg, Texarkana and Atlanta.

The horrible smell that you encountered was more than likely the god-awful smell from the nearby paper mill. The smell is normally quite bad, and can be smelled from miles away on a variety of roads and highways depending on how the wind is blowing.

The Sulphur River bottom, all the way deep into Texas over to Hunt County and Fannin County, is an area that has generated many, many sightings through the years. Also, that 17,000 acre Sulphur River Wildlife Management Area near Fouke is prime habitat for these creatures.

The area probably does have its share of pranks and hoaxes. No doubt many areas are like that.

That being said, the coonhunter who Alton Higgins and I interviewed for hours would be quick to tell you that what he encountered in Mercer Bayou was not somebody's teenage kid in a brown monkey suit. Deep in the swamps, in the water, amidst the armed hunters, dogs and gators, is not exactly the place for someone to be walking around in a clumsy, furry monkey suit.

There are quite a few witnesses who would express the same views as the coonhunter regarding what they saw.

I guess what I'm saying is that we ALWAYS have to be on guard against hoaxes, no matter where the incident took place. And as we know, just because somebody says they wore the suit, or the wooden trackmakers, or is the father of all bigfoots, doesn't mean necessarily mean that they're to be trusted.

Anyway, thanks for sharing with us, MK.

[primateer]

I agree. We went to Mercer Bayou, and it is in the " big woods". Point is, I guess, that if you see the monster on U.S. 71 , don't shoot , it's just Corey in a suit. Along Mercer bayou, now that's a different story. M.K.

[primateer]

I worked at a paper mill for about 10 years. This was a different smell and very localized. I expect it is something dead , but could not find anything.

[Teresa]

I had a friend get lost with a friend of his in the Mercer Bayou bottoms area last year in November all night, and they had an encounter that frightened them so bad it made both grown men cry. They will tell you they don't know what it was because they were too frightened to turn on a flashlight. He said "I didn't want to see what it was that pushed that stump over because it wasn't a hog." Whatever it was approached from their left with a horrible rotten meat/sewer type odor, (they said it wasn't the odor usually associated with hogs) it then pushed a large stump over just 20 feet from where they were crouched in their makeshift shelter from the thunderstorm earlier, and the smell lingered in front of them for about 20 minutes, then made its way to the right of them and wafted away. They said they could hear the stump cracking as it was being pushed over. My friend said he heard an "awful bellow dying cow type, vocalization "to their left earlier where the odor was coming from One of their dogs a rhodesian ridgeback which had been fighting with hogs earlier, sat quietly in the makeshift shelter, and growled lowly subdued, ,said he could feel its hackles were raised in the dark, and it was staring intently moving its head watching whatever "it" was, and it was looking upward, and the other dog a chocolate lab, had spooked and ran away while the odor was approaching. He said he had a death grip on the ridgeback's collar because if that dog ran away he was afraid he and his friend would "lose their minds with terror". He told me he was afraid for his life. When daylight came the next morning where they could see their surroundings, he said a very large tall stump was pushed over 20 feet from them, there were no tracks due to deep leaves that had fallen, and they were about 30 feet from a creek. He said the stump had not been pushed over by hogs because he didn't hear any sounds that hogs make when they are rooting around. There were coyotes in the area as well as hogs earlier in the night that they heard, however, when whatever it was came through all wildlife sounds ceased. He said it was like "everything had fled the area". I don't think that was anyone in a suit. The man I know isn't from this area and had never heard of the Fouke monster. He's from Kentucky and up until this encounter quite at home in the woods. This happened, I believe the night before Thanksgiving day, last year. The police had been called because they had not come out of the bottoms before dark and a search was initiated by law enforcement but given up when a severe thunderstorm moved into the area. Law enforcement confirmed that my friend's pick-up truck was indeed parked where he said he was going to leave it. My friend is my neice's fiancee and I believe him. He was still quite shaken while he was telling me what happened the next day on Thanksgiving.

This post has been edited by ARsquatch: Nov 6 2004, 10:52 PM

[Teresa]

I worked at a paper mill for about 10 years. This was a different smell and very localized. I expect it is something dead , but could not find anything.

that smell could have been a chicken house Primateer. If they aren't maintained correctly, or if there had been a massive chicken die-off which hasn't been disposed of, they can be one of the most nauseating localized smells there is. Truly atrocious. :yuck:

[RogerKni]

I had a friend get lost with a friend of his in the Mercer Bayou bottoms area last year in November all night, and they had an encounter that frightened them so bad it made both grown men cry.  ...   My friend is my neice's fiancee and I believe him.  He was still quite shaken while he was telling me what happened the next day on Thanksgiving.

Congratulations on posting the above. I suggest you videotape his account--it may be valuable after B-Day. And it's good to have a memento of the occasion, for one's records.

What he said has the ring of truth. Here's a neat observation on that consideration, which debunkers can't bring themselves to face:

It's very easy to dismiss witnesses with whom one has not been directly in contact.

Such witnesses are especially convincing when they're family or friends.

This post has been edited by RogerKni: Nov 7 2004, 12:48 PM

[scotto]

I have also heard the stories about a lady in the 1990's who maintained a private zoo or collection of exotic animals in southwest Arkansas and turned them loose.  I have been told that the state was going to take action against her and she turned them loose rather than deal with the state.  I've heard of the big cats

Maybe I'm wrong, but weren't there a couple of african lions killed in the Arkansas' woods a couple of years ago? I heard someone just turned them loose.

[ouachita]

Maybe I'm wrong, but weren't there a couple of african lions killed in the Arkansas' woods a couple of years ago? I heard someone just turned them loose.

Yes, that did happen, but it was in the Searcy area north of Little Rock. That would put that incident in the north central part of the state instead of the southwest part.

The individual in question claimed that someone just dropped the lions off at his facility and they weren't his lions that escaped.

Yeaah, right!

Lion safaris in Arkansas...who'd of thunk it!

[Teresa]

I had a friend get lost with a friend of his in the Mercer Bayou bottoms area last year in November all night, and they had an encounter that frightened them so bad it made both grown men cry.  ...   My friend is my neice's fiancee and I believe him.  He was still quite shaken while he was telling me what happened the next day on Thanksgiving.

Congratulations on posting the above. I suggest you videotape his account--it may be valuable after B-Day. And it's good to have a memento of the occasion, for one's records.

What he said has the ring of truth. Here's a neat observation on that consideration, which debunkers can't bring themselves to face:

It's very easy to dismiss witnesses with whom one has not been directly in contact.

Such witnesses are especially convincing when they're family or friends.

It certainly does help in an interview when you have the witness in front of you while doing an interview, especially when the encounter is still fresh in his mind. He looked like he might cry while I was interviewing him, his eyes were watering and he had the look of a man who was shaken to his core by something he didn't understand. Being lost in the Sulphur River Bottoms during a severe thunderstorm with nothing but your wits about you is bad enough, but when you have an encounter with an unknown animal that scares the wits out of you, you are truly a wreck.

The two men broke tree limbs off of nearby trees to make themselves a "lean-to" when the storm began. Knowing nothing of sasquatch creatures or the history of the area, the breaking of limbs might actually have served in obtaining the animal's attention since they are known to break off tree limbs and/or trees themselves.

He never would say what he believed it was, just that it wasn't anything he'd ever encountered before.

This post has been edited by ARsquatch: Nov 9 2004, 07:37 AM

[billgreen2005bigfoot]

hi everyone im very interested in what happens in fouke,arkansas & boggy creek & other parts of arkansas related to sasquatch. i have smokey crabtree book smokey & the fouke monster signed by the auther. its not for sale. all your posts realy interest me. thanks bill green please keep in touch ok...

[Teresa]

hi everyone im very interested in what happens in fouke,arkansas & boggy creek & other parts of arkansas related to sasquatch. i have smokey crabtree book smokey & the fouke monster signed by the auther. its not for sale. all your posts realy interest me. thanks bill green please keep in touch ok...

As far as I know Smoky is still churning those books out in his garage so it isn't an item out of print and not quite valuable except to those who follow his ideas. I live a county over from Fouke AR and I have the genuine (pronounced gen-U-wine) Monster Mart stufffed Fouke monster toy with the red eyes. (At least I have it until I mail it to the person that I bought it for)

[JayleeD]

You mean they have those with red eyes? Gen-U-wine ones?

WooHoo!!! Road trip!

[Muktuk]

As far as I know Smoky is still churning those books out in his garage so it isn't an item out of print and not quite valuable except to those who follow his ideas.  I live a county over from Fouke AR and I have the genuine (pronounced gen-U-wine)  Monster Mart stufffed Fouke monster toy with the red eyes.  (At least I have it until I mail it to the person that I bought it for) 

I want my Fouke Monster!!!! Don't MAKE me come all the way over there to get it!!!!



This post has been edited by Muktuk: Jan 11 2005, 03:12 PM

[billgreen2005bigfoot]

hi arsquatch thats great you have a fouke monster toy. it sounds kinda neat. please keep me posted on other fouke monster stuff thanks bill green.

[Teresa]

You mean they have those with red eyes? Gen-U-wine ones?

WooHoo!!! Road trip!

hehehe Jay! Road trip...sounds good to me!

Keep your shirt on Muk..I'm sending Mr. Fuzzy. and the boggy creek keyring. LOL :blacknblue:

[ecwool]

The last time that I was at the Monster Mart, they were out of the stuffed Fouke Monsters. I do have one though. Here is a photo of it, although it's kinda dark.

Attached image(s)

 

[ecwool]

Here's a lighter photo, although it's a little out of focus.

This post has been edited by ecwool: Jan 11 2005, 06:24 PM

Attached image(s)

 

[JayleeD]

Is that big wooden cut out that you can stick your head through still there? I've passed by there so many times and thought about stopping for a picture but never have.

Yep, road trip !

[billgreen2005bigfoot]

hi everyone thats a cute stuffed animal of the fouke monster its my birthday soon just kidding i will order 1 doll soon christmas kinda wiped me out. bill green

[Muktuk]

Nice Stephen King collection ya got going there in the background.

[Teresa]

Nice Stephen King collection ya got going there in the background.

Well heck Muk...EC ruined the moment and showed you what the lil' Fouke Monster lools like before I could box it up and send it. :doh:

Curses EC!! LOL

[billgreen2005bigfoot]

hi arsquatch has there been any new sightings this week of the fouke monster or its footprints im just wondering. bill green

[billgreen2005bigfoot]

hi everyone good morning so whats new with the fouke monster & other bigfoot activitys etc in arkansas today. thanks bill green

[MountainLady]

Hi Bill Green,

Any particular reason you're interested in Fouke?

[misfitguy]

I had a friend get lost with a friend of his in the Mercer Bayou bottoms area last year in November all night, and they had an encounter that frightened them so bad it made both grown men cry. They will tell you they don't know what it was because they were too frightened to turn on a flashlight. He said "I didn't want to see what it was that pushed that stump over because it wasn't a hog." Whatever it was approached from their left with a horrible rotten meat/sewer type odor, (they said it wasn't the odor usually associated with hogs) it then pushed a large stump over just 20 feet from where they were crouched in their makeshift shelter from the thunderstorm earlier, and the smell lingered in front of them for about 20 minutes, then made its way to the right of them and wafted away. They said they could hear the stump cracking as it was being pushed over. My friend said he heard an "awful bellow dying cow type, vocalization "to their left earlier where the odor was coming from One of their dogs a rhodesian ridgeback which had been fighting with hogs earlier, sat quietly in the makeshift shelter, and growled lowly subdued, ,said he could feel its hackles were raised in the dark, and it was staring intently moving its head watching whatever "it" was, and it was looking upward, and the other dog a chocolate lab, had spooked and ran away while the odor was approaching. He said he had a death grip on the ridgeback's collar because if that dog ran away he was afraid he and his friend would "lose their minds with terror". He told me he was afraid for his life. When daylight came the next morning where they could see their surroundings, he said a very large tall stump was pushed over 20 feet from them, there were no tracks due to deep leaves that had fallen, and they were about 30 feet from a creek. He said the stump had not been pushed over by hogs because he didn't hear any sounds that hogs make when they are rooting around. There were coyotes in the area as well as hogs earlier in the night that they heard, however, when whatever it was came through all wildlife sounds ceased. He said it was like "everything had fled the area". I don't think that was anyone in a suit. The man I know isn't from this area and had never heard of the Fouke monster. He's from Kentucky and up until this encounter quite at home in the woods. This happened, I believe the night before Thanksgiving day, last year. The police had been called because they had not come out of the bottoms before dark and a search was initiated by law enforcement but given up when a severe thunderstorm moved into the area. Law enforcement confirmed that my friend's pick-up truck was indeed parked where he said he was going to leave it. My friend is my neice's fiancee and I believe him. He was still quite shaken while he was telling me what happened the next day on Thanksgiving.

Squatch,

There is no doubt in my mind your future nephew-in-law is shaken. That sort of experience would shake anybody. What I always have a hard time getting past, is the notion that somebody could be so scared they don't want to know what is terrifying them. This is pure "titillation". Some people thrive on it, including bigfoot investigators that I have been in the woods with. You can watch them jump over any sound and will ponder every bent twig, while warily looking over their shoulder.

Have you ever watched a scary movie and turned the volume off? Without the background music or sound effects, there is little titallation. So I always suggest, turn the lights on. What we see, we are usually less afraid of than what we imagine.

Whatever it was approached from their left with a horrible rotten meat/sewer type odor, (they said it wasn't the odor usually associated with hogs) it then pushed a large stump over just 20 feet from where they were crouched in their makeshift shelter from the thunderstorm earlier, and the smell lingered in front of them for about 20 minutes, then made its way to the right of them and wafted away.

I have tried to imagine me being able to track a smell as it passed in front of me in complete dark. With any sort of breeze, it would seem impossible. I can imagine a smell becoming stronger, and then weaker, but I can't, for the life of me, picture tracking a direction with the sense of smell. Call me crazy, but that has made me dumbfounded.


I have been lost overnight in the woods and am aware how our imagination starts to take over. I would suggest that you advise this young fellow to "turn the light on" in the future.

warmly,

Mick

[billgreen2005bigfoot]

hi mountainlady thanks for reply to me. yes the reason im interested in fouke is becouse smokey crabtree is a friend of mine i never met him in person but we do keep in touch through emails & snailmail. but im also very interested in the fouke monster etc in boggy creek etc i feel it needs more looking into as a researcher. plus i like the movie the legend of boggy creek. have it on vhs not for sale though. i would be very interested to hear from anyone here who had a encounter with the fouke monster aka sasquatch. please email me any new reports photos clippings etc it will realy help with my research. next time someone here see smokey crabtree please tell him i said hello & happy new year ok. billgreenbg@aol.com thanks bill green please keep in touch ok..