Posted on 12/17/2021 3:20:44 PM PST by nickcarraway
From skinwalkers to La Llorona to the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine, we have our fair share of urban legends in Arizona. One of them is the Mogollon Monster: an ape-like creature that allegedly stalks the dense forest landscape of the Mogollon Rim. Have you ever heard the story? If not, you’re in for a spine-chilling read!
During these uncertain times, please keep safety in mind and consider adding destinations to your bucket list to visit at a later date. Did you know Arizona has its very own Bigfoot?
The creature is known as the "Mogollon Monster," and the tale promises to leave you lying awake at night. It may be known as the Mogollon Monster, but the first sighting of the ape-like cryptid occurred near the Grand Canyon in 1903.
A man named I.W. Stevens told The Arizona Republican he saw a "humanoid creature with long white hair and matted beard that reached to his knees." The monster allegedly did not have on any clothing, and possessed at least two-inch-long claws on its talon-like fingers.
The majority of Mogollon Monster sightings are in the dense forest landscape of the Mogollon Rim. This 2,000-foot-high escarpment stretches from northern Yavapai County to the border with New Mexico.
Even a cryptozoologist, Don Davis, is a believer. He claims that during a mid-1940s Boy Scout trip near Payson, he laid eyes on a large, hairy creature with expressionless eyes and a square-shaped face and head.
According to anecdotal reports, the creature is over seven feet tall, walks upright, and emits a strong, pungent body odor.
The monster is allegedly nocturnal, omnivorous, territorial, and, at times, violent. It takes wide, inhuman strides, and leaves behind footprints that measure nearly two feet across.
The Mogollon Monster is said to mimic the noises of wildlife in an attempt to blend in with its surroundings.
Reports also state the creature gives off a blood-curdling scream similar to that of a woman in great peril. Next time you decide to go camping on the rim, keep a watchful eye.
One of the monster's favorite activities in exploring campsites after dark!
Pictured here is a wood carving of the Mogollon Monster, whose existence - whether fact or fiction - is now a permanent object of Arizona folklore.
Scientists aren't convinced, attributing sightings either to hoaxes or misidentification. Either way, there are a whole host of origin stories for the monster, each one a worthy campfire tale.
So if you ever hear a piercing scream or come across a set of impossibly wide footprints on the Mogollon Rim, run far away and never look back.
The Mogollon Monster just might be lurking deep in the woods, waiting for the perfect moment to strike... Have you ever heard of the Mogollon Monster – or perhaps even spotted it? Tell us your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below. For more spine-chilling urban legends in Arizona, check out our previous article.
Address: Mogollon Rim, Arizona 85541, USA
Nope no chills.
But Nashville Musicgollon Monster, that strikes a different chord!
Well, I read it. My spine is absolutely chill-free, thank you.
Ping
I think Biden & Harris are bigger dangers. By far.
Just another Sasquatch, this one in Arizona. They’re all-over North America, and stories about them go back centuries, even to the Natives, and they are uncannily consistent.
“The Mogollon Monster is said to mimic the noises of wildlife...”
So, if I hear an owl hoot, the believers say, “No, that could be the Mogollon Monster!”
If I hear a coyote howl, “Wait. That might be the Mogollon Monster!”
Frogs croaking? Nope — the Mogollon Monster.
Tourism must be down 🤪
I think the scariest stories I read are stairways in the national forests, and woods that people walk up, and disappear, often screaming.
Bunch of them on Reddit.
Maybe the “Finding Bigfoot” crew can do an episode on this. They’ll interview someone who claims to have seen the creature 6 years ago, have Bobo stand next to a tree so they can estimate the creature’s height, then camp in one spot for one night in the hopes it will walk by again.
No worries when you are carrying 405gr hardcast 45-70s.
The monster is allegedly nocturnal, omnivorous, territorial, and, at times, violent.
Are they sure it’s not a city dweller??
Mogollon Monsters... monkeys who kidnap dogs and kill them... Today’s FR primate posts are horrifying.
I did, but when i ran to see what it was, it was a woman on top of a picnic table surrounded by havalinas! Lol This was at that Tonto Natural Bridge.
Send her back to Chicago and maybe she’d scare some gangstas.
You know, there are some mightily strange-shaped people in this ol’ world. Big, big men. Little guys with big heads. Met a guy who looked all the world like what I would imagine a Neanderthal to resemble. Short, bow legged, massive, knotty brow, sloping with no forehead and scraggly red hair. Eye lashes had more hair than most people have on their heads.
No telling what people see and take for freaks.. or aliens.
Yep. There are quite a few stories about people that disappear in forests and after thorough searches never turn up a trace. I’m not saying there are Sasquatch. But something is happening.
Found it. Staircases where you disappear, die, etc
https://tinyurl.com/2p8cyahu
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.