Photo by Beau Horyza on Unsplash
Mogollon Rim, CA–There are many types of Gigantopithicuses across North America. These include the Bigfoot across the nation, the sasquatch in Canada, a Dogman in Michigan, and a few other hairy, bipedal monsters on the prowl. Similarly, in Arizona, there is the Mogollon Monster, who resembles Bigfoot in many ways, from the sheer amount of hair on its body and overall stature, to its “strong, foul odor,” which has attacked people’s olfactory senses for many years (Acosta). In fact, the monster is often referred to as the “Arizona Bigfoot.”
History of the Mogollon Monster
First sighted (or at least first recorded sighting) took place in 1903 by I.W. Stevens. Stevens had stopped to shoot a mountain lion when he was attacked by the creature who allegedly carried a club. After Stevens shot at the mountain lion, the Mogollon Monster ran away.
Furthermore, Stevens claimed the monster had “long white hair and a matted beard” down to his knees and bore no clothes with patches of skin showing through. Finally, after escaping to his boat, Stevens yelled at the creature, and it fled once again after vocalizing a horrid scream and tearing away up the mountain once more (Ford).
Similarly, a Boy Scout troupe spotted the monster in 1944, with one person claiming that it was a “massive” beast with a face “devoid of hair.”
What is more, in Susan Farnsworth 1996 book The Mogollon Monster, Arizona’s Bigfoot, the author relates a tale from Jerry Waite whose father Jake encountered the beast while hunting near Escudilla Mountain . While out riding, Jake ran into some trouble with his horse when it was startled by a nearby presence. Meanwhile, Jake was thrown from the horse and saw the figure.
Farnsworth writes that, “… the figure rushed from the boulder. It was surprisingly fast and had already traveled half the distance to the horse before Jake could raise his rife to fire. The first shot rang out and figure fell. Instantly, it was back on its fee moving toward the horse.”
Of course, he had no luck killing the beast, but his story is an exciting one.
Locating the Monster
According to witnesses, the Mogollon Monster treks around the Mogollon Rim in Arizona, a place of high cliffs and cold temperatures. It is a strange place. In addition, the escarpment runs nearly 200 miles and outlines the Colorado Plateau. In a similar manner, people have seen the Mogollon Monster around “Prescott, Williams, Alpine, and Clifton Arizona” and a “majority of the sightings occur in the Ponderosa pine forests of the area” (Benedict).
Sources
Acosta, Tiffany. “Arizona’s 10 most enduring legends and spooky stories from Skinwalkers to La Llorona.” azcentral. 10 Oct. 2024.
Benedict, Adam. “Cryptid Profile: Mogollon Monster.” The Pine Barrens Institute. 18 Aug. 2018.
Farnsworth, Susan. The Mogollon Monster, Arizona’s Bigfoot. Susan Farnsworth, 2010.
Ford, Erin. “Searching for the Mogollon Monster.” Williams-Grand Canyon News. 24 Oct. 2017.
