Figgered I'd start this thread since there's been a couple local magazine/newspaper articles come out this month, plus a little feature on one of the local news stations last night about these yay-hoos (that’s not counting the little news story on Biscardi’s circus in Ashfork, AZ). Since there might be some googling going on, I figured I’d show the other side of the coin...
Mogollonmonster.com is the website of Mitch Waite of Southwest Publications, which is a small vanity publishing company (nearly “extinct” - per a quality control researchers comment on Wikipedia - in their little bitty entry on the “Mogollon Monster” Post Reference - Third bullet item from bottom ). Started out as an internet bookstore, basically to sell his own books about the Lost Dutchman Goldmine. Someone who used the pen name "Susan Farnsworth" (purportedly Waite’s wife, but per public records, his wife has a very different name) wrote an obscure little self-published pamphlet book about 10 years ago with a collection of campfire stories supposedly reported to her from residents who live on the Mogollon Rim here in Arizona. It basically languished in obscurity and went out of print. Internet searches couldn't find any information about it or "Susan Farnsworth." One thread on it is here.....
Occasionally, a used copy would pop up on Ebay or some such and would being auctioned for ridiculous prices ($80 and up, BF collectors being what they are). Over time, it became more and more "discovered" in the bigfoot research community. When this was discovered by SW Publications three or four years ago, they quickly reprinted the book and initially started auctioning newly printed copies on Ebay. It now sells for about $7.00, on Waite’s site, if you download the e version. If you buy the hardcopy it’s $19.95 (site says that the book is listed at $39.95.. You save $20.00!). I noticed that Amazon says it’s out of print - Limited Availability. Not sure what that means. Prolly an attempt to justify the cost.... Get it now...
A couple of years ago "Susan Farnsworth" began popping up on Bigfoot message boards and presented herself as the foremost authority of Bigfoot research in Arizona. Particularly on a now defunct website message board "AZGoneWild." She seemed to have some profound sense of “celebrity” for having written this little book of nonsensical, fictionalized and sensationalized stories. She blatantly touted herself as Arizonas BF “expert.” There’s a thread on that web site here..... There’s some other posts from this thread referenced later on in this post.
Eventually, she came to this website under the handle "Mogmon" (her first post here). If you pull up her member profile, you'll find her posts and topics she posted in here.
After about a year of back and forth on the web (both here and AZGoneWild), she basically got flustered by all the questioning and criticism of her "research." This consisted largely of writing completely fictitious, fanciful stories about savage and bloodthirsty bigfoot encounters on the Rim in Arizona. It was a point of pride for her, which she stated herself on several occasions, that she’d take any report or story and never question it. She pretty much dropped out of sight. Probably a good thing, as from the directions her internet postings were going, she was in the process of setting herself up to be perceived as some sort of “Dian Fossey” in regards to BF.
Enter her husband, Mitch Waite (who mainly posts on websites as "thedesertrat" or "DR"). DR is the owner/operator of SW Publications. DR wasn't willing to drop what he now perceived as a money-making opportunity and immediately took up the mantle of Bigfoot (or "Mogollon Monster") expert. After reading a lot of the postings on the various websites, it now appears that he was the real expert all along. After a little over a year, he's now an expert in all forms of BF behavior, scat and hair analysis and a leader of expeditions to find the beast in an attempt to market and profit from BF research in Arizona. He’s getting pretty well versed in bones too, as he’s now finding BF bones pretty much every trip into the woods.
He’s also toyed with the idea of starting a BF education program, to teach people how to co-exist with the monsters inhabiting the woods close to their residences. Not sure that one panned out..
He generated a small following of "believers" and pumped up their enthusiasm by manufacturing falsified evidence and hoaxing photographs and audio recordings. Some of the crap he's generated (probably with the full knowledge of his wife) has been discussed in this thread here....... There’s a number of links in that post that will take you to discussions on other stuff they’ve posted, like the “recording” of an angry BF, which upon analysis (on this board) was determined to be a pig squealing played backwards. He also seems adept at manipulating people’s imaginations and fears simply by suggestions of noises, sounds or vague shadows in empty photographs.
He seems to have taken two approaches. One is to generate a paying membership/subscribership to his website and expeditions to generate revenue from the sale of T shirts and books.
This guy seems to take apparently naďve and gullible folks out into the woods and get 'em all worked up to where they accept his word and manipulations regarding everything bigfoot. He’s regularly posted pictures/videos of trees, shadows and such espousing that there is a BF in each one of them, in the brush, or hiding behind trees, or if you listen, you can hear them…. (There’s been at least one instance related to me through a third party where, on one expedition, it’s entirely possible that one of his family members may have slipped away into the darkness and suddenly “odd” things began to happen.. Noises, rock throwing, etc….). He’s also got a plaster cast of a “track” that’s vaguely in the shape of a footprint he once said was worth $50,000… I don’t remember where he said that, but I remember that figure was stated….
‘Course to actually go on one of his “expeditions,” while there’s no charge, you DO have to buy his T shirts..
He's also taking the approach of "BF Research Supplier" and attempting to generate a subscription-only email trail cam picture project (which doesn't seem to have materialized completely yet) and by equipment rentals (which also doesn't seem to have completely materialized yet as all he's offering for rental at this time is infra red flashlights).
I’m pretty sure it’s occurred to him that the only ones to really get rich during the gold rushes were the suppliers who sold mining supplies and such to the miners. He figures he might be able to do the same thing with BF researchers.
His latest scheme is to attempt to stage a “Mogollon Monster” festival in a town up on the Rim somewhere.. Doesn’t seem to be having much luck with it, however. He states there’s little interest from various Chamber of Commerce’s he’s claimed to have approached. He also hasn’t said what exactly this “festival” would include other than him having a booth there to hawk his crap… Might be an admission charge though.. If he has to rent port-a-potties..
He’s kinda dropped off’n the radar though.. I think he’s had a pretty significant falling out with his followers..
His partner/associate is a guy named Alex Hearn. Alex popped on here (posting as “Locke”) out of the blue not quite two years ago (see this thread) announcing that he was forming a BF research group called The Arizona Cryptozoological Research Organization (AZCRO). He immediately began seeking publicity for himself and his fledgling little outfit.
Getting little response, he attached himself to “Susan Farnsworth” on the AZGoneWild site and then later on to DR. He also immediately involved himself with Tom Biscardi (of the Georgia BF Body hoax fame – amongst many other hoax scams). Hearn’s been a sycophant of Biscardi’s ever since. All you have to do is look at his website to see what I mean. Hearn’s been involved with Biscardi’s nonsense investigation in Ashfork, AZ for several months now (the Channel 3 news story on it a while back had it in Seligman – and AZCRO didn’t even warrant a mention in that story, which I found interesting..)
Hearn’s since gotten himself involved with any media outlet that’ll listen to him, including Biscardi’s internet radio show and other little internet shows. He’s been trying to get his name and his little org in mainstream print since he popped onto the scene. It’s pretty obvious that publicity and some sort of sense of celebrity (?) are his primary driving factors. Dunno why just yet.
And it looks like he’s finally succeeded in getting some attention.. In the Phoenix magazine article and in another in a little local rag, the Scottsdale Times. Hopefully, it’s just got something to do with the Halloween season. Gotta note too, that "Mogollonmonster.com" didn't even rate a mention in the Scottsdale Times article, which seems to have frosted Waite in a big way....
Dunno how much attention these articles/interviews will bring to ‘em, but if you really want some insight as to their motivations and thinking, you can check out their little forum at lefora.com. If you post there, be warned that posts which are deemed “not in their best interest” or which may adversely view “evidence” being presented, or, which may be bad for business are summarily deleted.. As in: this post.. Can’t prove it anymore, but the deleted posts refuted DRs claims that bones he’s found were BF bones.
Since then, DR has been pretty much been trying to follow the Biscardi playbook, using different versions of some of Biscardi’s same old scams and posting innumerable vague gamecam pics and Youtube videos that are targeted at his back pounders who seem to have the ability to see BF in shadows, black night shots and sounds, but you have to trust Waites running commentary as to what the sounds are.
These guys seem to go into the woods pretty frequently and each and every time, they have BF experiences, find tracks, hair, scat or whathaveyou on pretty much every trip… And of course they do.. How else can you declare yourself a BF expert without producing anything.. And Mogmon (“Susan Farnsworth” says as much. She says: “You know, it is very easy to be a critic. It is very difficult to produce a product. Those who can't pick on those who do.” (Post Reference)
I guess it just depends on what your definition of “product” is. And I’m not sure that viewing such “evidence” as a “product” is the best way to conduct research. But it's an insight as to the motivations of these folks.
One of DR’s latest foray into the woods seems to have netted this: “And on the last night we got visited by a biped creature standing about 6 foot, with no neck, and very hairy. He passed through our camp, when he realized I was not asleep. There were some other things that happened, etc, but I don't know if I want to post them. I don't know if I want to endure the mess it will create. I don't think the BF world is ready for it, and if you think we caught flack from other organizations before, you haven't seen nothing yet.” (Post Reference until that post disappears now)
I personally can’t wait to find out what this new nonsense is.
Pity it’s always these kind of folks that get the media’s attention. But the media loves showing off the fringe folks.. Sells copy..
(edited to add a post reference)