Overview
The Fouke Monster is a Bigfoot-like creature reported around Fouke, a small town in southwest Arkansas near Texarkana. It is described as about seven feet tall, covered in reddish-brown hair, with a foul smell. Its tracks are said to show only three toes, a detail that sets it apart from most Bigfoot reports.
Local stories go back decades. Residents spoke of a 'Jonesville Monster' as early as 1946, and newspaper items from the 1850s are sometimes linked to the legend. The story broke nationally in May 1971, when the Ford family reported that a creature had reached through a window of their home and that they fought it off.
Reporter Jim Powell of the Texarkana Gazette and Texarkana Daily News gave the creature its name and covered the reports that followed. In 1972, local filmmaker Charles B. Pierce turned the story into The Legend of Boggy Creek, a low-budget docudrama starring local people that became a major box-office hit. Skeptics note the three-toed tracks do not match any primate, and an archaeologist judged them almost certainly a hoax. Fouke still embraces its monster with an annual festival that raises money for local schools.
Timeline
- 1851, 1856Newspaper accounts later linked to the legend.
- 1946Residents speak of the 'Jonesville Monster'.
- 1964Residents later say activity began this year, unreported at the time.
- May 2, 1971The Ford family reports an attack at their home.
- 1971Three-toed tracks found in a soybean field.
- August 23, 1972The Legend of Boggy Creek is released.
- 1977, 1985Sequels Return to Boggy Creek and Boggy Creek II.
- 2013The Fouke Monster Festival begins.
Reported sightings
Southwest Arkansas
1851 and 1856 On the record
Historical newspaper accounts from 1851 and 1856 are cited in the Fouke Monster record as early reports. Their exact content and link to the modern legend are unclear, but they are offered as signs that the area had strange-creature stories long before 1971.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgJonesville area, near Fouke, Arkansas
1946 Told story
Local folklore traces sightings back to 1946, when the creature was known as the 'Jonesville Monster'. The name shows the legend had local roots a quarter-century before it became famous.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgNear Fouke, Arkansas
1964 Told story
Some residents later said activity dated back to 1964, though it was not reported at the time. Such after-the-fact accounts surfaced once the legend became public in 1971.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgFord home, near Fouke, Arkansas
May 2, 1971 On the record
Elizabeth Ford said a large, hairy creature reached through a screen window while she was sleeping. Her husband Bobby and his brother Don chased it off and fired shots, but found no blood. They reported three-toed footprints and damage to the window. The story was carried by the Texarkana papers and quickly spread.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSoybean field of Scott Keith, Fouke, Arkansas
1971 On the record
Tracks with three toes, each about 17 inches long, were found in a soybean field belonging to filling station owner Scott Keith. Game warden Carl Galyon examined them but could not confirm whether they were real. Archaeologist Frank Schambach later said there was a 99 percent chance they were a hoax, since all primates have five toes.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgFouke, Arkansas, and nearby
1972 On the record
Charles B. Pierce filmed The Legend of Boggy Creek in Fouke and nearby Texarkana and Shreveport, casting local high school students and residents. The docudrama retold sightings from the 1940s onward and became one of the top-earning films of 1972, spreading the Fouke Monster nationwide.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgEvidence
Three-toed tracks (1971) Disputed
About 17 inches long; examined by a game warden but never authenticated. Judged very likely a hoax because primates have five toes.
Ford window damage (1971) Unexplained
Damage to the screen window and footprints reported; no blood found after shots were fired.
What each side says
What witnesses and researchers report
The Ford family's account was detailed and immediate, involved several people, and was taken to the press right away. Long-time residents say stories of something in the bottoms go back generations.
Supporters note the swampy, wooded country around Boggy Creek is wild enough to hide a large animal.
What skeptics and scientists suggest
The three-toed tracks are the biggest problem: no primate has three toes, and archaeologist Frank Schambach judged them almost certainly a hoax.
Skeptics also note that the legend grew sharply after newspaper coverage and the 1972 film, and that black bears or other animals may explain some reports. Wikipedia's Bigfoot article describes the 1971 Fouke panic as later deemed a hoax.
Open questions
- Who or what made the three-toed tracks?
- What reached through the Fords' window?
Visiting
Where: Fouke, Miller County, Arkansas, near Texarkana.
Access: A small town on public roads; the creek bottoms are mostly private.
Events: The Fouke Monster Festival (formerly the Boggy Creek Festival) has run yearly since 2013 and benefits local schools.
Did you know?
- The Legend of Boggy Creek reportedly cost about $160,000 and made millions.
- A remastered version premiered at the Perot Theatre in Texarkana in 2019.