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
So do mountain lions. Horrifically uncanny noises they can make.
That is beautiful country, I love it.
Good campfire story! Really
Probably a bobcat. Had one screaming here about a year or so ago, wife thought it was the neighbors teenage daughter being raped or something at 1 in the morning.
Right you are!
I think the origin story of the Pacific northwest/Canadian Sasquatch is better. It goes back to an isolated semi-tribe group that lived apart from their tribe as they were what could roughly be called sorcerers or witches (sp. ‘Brujos’ and ‘Brujas’).
Such sub-groups still have their own rules, and one of them broke the rules and was expelled from the group. After hard living for a time, and still practicing his forbidden crafts, he noticed that he could chase down prey without weapons. So looking in some calm water, he could see that he had become a monster.
Holding a grudge, he returned to the group and massacred all the men, and forced the women to practice his sorcery until they also became monsters - his harem.
(this version is much abbreviated from the original.)
The late Mitch Wait, a retired air force officer, was an active researcher in the area. I think his videos are still up on YouTube.
I’ve asked you and asked you, very politely, to please not post photos of my family reunion on Free Republic.
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Carpet Warehouse!!!
Thanks for posting that URL, really interesting site.
The Mogollon Monster is real.
It voted for Biden 67 times in 2020.
LoL, call me chicken, but even if hoaxes, I’m not going up a lone staircase in the woods.
“LoL, call me chicken, but even if hoaxes, I’m not going up a lone staircase in the woods.”
Me neither. I’m pretty sure this is just an “urban” legend, but I’m not *that* sure.
2 foot wide footprints? That’d make for a foot length of about 6 feet! Bigfoot indeed!
*** So do mountain lions. Horrifically uncanny noises they can make. ***
They sound like a woman screaming while being murdered.
That's hilarious!!
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