The Mogollon Rim, Arizona |
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| Creature | |
|---|---|
| Grouping | Cryptid |
| Sub grouping | Hominid |
| Data | |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Arizona |
| Habitat | Mogollon Rim |
The Mogollon Monster ( /mʌɡɨˈjoʊn/ or /moʊɡəˈjoʊn/)[1] is a legendary creature that has been discussed in accounts from central and eastern Arizona along the Mogollon Rim. It is most often described as a Bigfoot or ape-like creature, but descriptions vary. No hard evidence has been found, and the existence of such a creature is doubted by biologists.
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The Mogollon Monster is reported to be a bipedal humanoid, 6–8 feet tall, with large eyes that some claim to be "wild and red". Its body is said to be covered with long black or dark brown hair, with the exclusion of the chest, face, hands and feet. Reports claim it has a strong and pungent odor like that of a skunk or decaying fish.[2]
Stories say the creature is shy, nocturnal, and omnivorous. It is generally reported to explore campsites after dark, emit unusual whistle sounds, and hurl stones from locations that are hidden from view. In numerous reports, it has also been said to emit a "blood-curdling" scream; described as sounding like a woman in great distress.[2]
Reported sightings range along the Mogollon Rim range from Prescott, AZ north to Williams, AZ, east to Springerville, AZ, south to Hannagan Meadow, AZ, and then west back to Prescott.[2][3]
The oldest known documented sighting of the Mogollon Monster was reported in a 1903 edition of The Arizona Republican, in which I.W. Stevens described a creature seen near the Grand Canyon as having "long white hair and matted beard that reached to his knees." He later stated that after he discovered the creature drinking the blood of two cougars, that it had just beaten with a club, it let out an "unearthly screech".[3]
Another early documented sighting was recounted by cryptozoologist Don Davis. During the mid-1940s he was on a boy scout trip near Payson, AZ, of which he gave the following account: "The creature was huge. Its eyes were deep set and hard to see, but they seemed expressionless. His face seemed pretty much devoid of hair, but there seemed to be hair along the sides of his face. His chest, shoulders, and arms were massive, especially the upper arms; easily upwards of 6 inches in diameter, perhaps much, much more. I could see he was pretty hairy, but didn't observe really how thick the body hair was. The face/head was very square; square sides and squared up chin, like a box".[4]
A member of the White Mountain Apache Nation in Arizona by the name of Collette Altaha stated in 2006, “We're not prone to easily talk to outsiders, but there have been more sightings than ever before. It cannot be ignored any longer.”[5] “No one's had a negative encounter with it,” said Marjorie Grimes, who lives in Whiteriver, the primary town on the reservation. When asked about her encounter she reports that “It was all black and it was tall! The way it walked; it was taking big strides. I put on the brakes and raced back and looked between the two trees where it was, and it was gone!”[5] Regarding local reports, Tribal police lieutenant Ray Burnette states that “A couple of times they've seen this creature looking through the windows. They're scared when they call.” He stated “The calls we're getting from people — they weren't hallucinating, they weren't drunks, they weren't people that we know can make hoax calls. They're from real citizens of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.”[5]
Biology professor Stan Lindstedt of Northern Arizona University dismisses the idea that a large homonid creature would remain hidden in such a large area of the country. "I put that in the category of mythology that can certainly make our culture interesting, but has nothing to do with science."[6]
Generally the scientific community attributes creature sightings to either hoaxes or misidentification. As recently as the early 1930's, grizzly bears roamed the forests of Arizona.[7] These may account for the early day sightings while other large mammals such as black bears, mountain lions and elk may account for the sightings of today.
After the Rodeo-Chediski Fire burned 467,066 acres (1,890.15 km2) of Arizona forest land, Dolan Ellis (Arizona's Official State Balladeer since 1966) wished to help. Years ago, Dolan used a song named after the monster in a campaign against littering, especially in the wildnerness areas of Arizona. The Mogollon Monster is included in Dolan's "Wildfire" song, as a metaphor for the raging fire."[8]
The Mogollon Monster is a topic in folklore collections, guides on "local color", and works of fiction, including the following